Master of Social Sciences
A program in the College of Arts & Sciences
Nature of the Program
The Master of Social Sciences (M.S.S.) is an interdisciplinary degree program in the social sciences. The program is designed to meet the needs of graduate students whose professional employment makes it desirable that they study two or more subjects within the social sciences to earn the master's degree. Though most of the students have been public school teachers, candidates from other occupations may apply for admission to the program if the study would be to their professional advantage. The degree is appropriate for students intending to conclude their graduate education at the master's level of study.
The program provides students with the flexibility to pursue coursework that spans several disciplines. Students typically enter the program from very diverse backgrounds. All students have in common a high level of professional motivation and a desire to learn more about content in the area of the social sciences.
Degree Requirements
A candidate for the Master of Social Sciences degree must complete a minimum of 50 quarter hours in a minimum of ten graduate courses in two or more approved social science disciplines.
Major, minor, and auxiliary areas are chosen from the following social sciences:
- history
- political science
- economics
- sociology/anthropology
- geography
Other subjects, such as psychology and social work, which may be relevant to a candidate's interest, may be approved as minor or auxiliary areas. If you are interested in a Master's degree in either area, you need to apply to those programs.
Courses and credit will be distributed as follows:
- A major of from five to seven courses totaling at least 20 hours
- A single minor; or a minor and a auxiliary area; or two auxiliary areas. A minor consists of three to five courses for a minimum of 12 hours. An auxiliary field consists of two courses for a minimum of eight hours.
- Optional electives. 1 or 2 courses, for a maximum of 10 graduate credit hours, having a substantial social science or humanities content and in the judgment of the coordinator relating to the student's academic program can be taken.
- Graduate survey requirement. Each candidate will complete, in his/her major discipline, at least one graduate survey course especially designed to present a comprehensive survey of recent scholarship in a special field of the subject.
Master's Essay Option
As part of the work in the major field, each student may choose to write a master's research essay under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty who will approve the topic and scope of the essay. A student who selects this option will register for four or five hours in the master's thesis course of his or her major department. The master's essay will count as one course toward the major requirement and also as one of the minimum of ten courses required of each candidate.
Terminal Examination
Upon completion of studies, each student must pass an oral examination conducted by a committee of three faculty members representing the student's major and minor fields. In conducting this examination, the student's committee will be guided by the program of courses and research pursued by the candidate so the examination will be reasonable in scope.
Admission to the Program
An applicant for admission to this program must have:
- a bachelor's degree
- at least one year of employment experience relevant to one or more social science disciplines
Applicants need a 2.75 undergraduate g.p.a. for unconditional admission. Prospective students with an undergraduate g.p.a. below 2.75 are encouraged to apply, but they may be admitted conditionally or denied admission.
A student with between 24 to 30 quarter or 16 to 20 semester undergraduate hours in a field chosen as a major may be required to take a minimum of seven courses and 28 quarter hours of graduate credit in his/her major.
A student with fewer than 24 quarter or 16 semester undergraduate credit hours in a field chosen as a major will be required to register as a special student and take whatever undergraduate courses the major department requires to qualify that person to begin graduate studies in the major discipline under this program.
No more than 12 quarter or 8 semester hours in a maximum of three graduate courses passed with a grade of "B" or better will be accepted for this program from another college or university. Credit earned in other Ohio University programs which, in the judgment of the coordinator, is appropriate for this program, may be applied toward completion of the degree.
You may get a graduate application from this site. When you return the application, indicate "M.S.S." as the proposed area of study. Completed application forms including copies of undergraduate transcripts should be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Student Services. No letters of recommendation are necessary for this program.
Financial Assistance
There is no financial assistance [i.e., stipends, fellowships, or scholarships] available in this program for Athens campus students. If you qualify for financial aid, you must contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for assistance.
M.S.S. Offering on the Regional Campuses
We are going to begin another offering of the MSS program in Summer 2008. For a description of the 2008 program, click here. If you are interested in applying or for further information, contact James Moore. We will not be offering the program again until at least 2010.
For further details:
Dr. Marvin Fletcher, Coordinator
MSS Program
416 Bentley Hall Annex
Ohio University
Athens OH 45701
Direct inquiries to:
Mr James Moore, Administrative Assistant
e-mail: mooret2@ohio.edu
