Master of Social Sciences

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

With the transition from a quarter system calendar to a semester system calendar in Academic Year 2012-2013, the M.S.S. program will become a full-time on-line degree program beginning in spring 2013. Previous versions of the program have been discontinued. Students in the on-line M.S.S. program will take a total of eight courses from a variety of social science fields. One of those eight courses must be HIST 6901, which is a required course for all M.S.S. students. Students will register for four hours of graduate credit for each course (32 credit hours in total.)

Upon completion of studies, each student must pass a written examination based on a number of the courses that the student has taken in the course of the program. In conducting this examination, the student's exam committee will be guided by the program of courses and research pursued by the candidate so the examination will be reasonable in scope.

On-Line MSS Program Courses (Spring 2013-Summer 2015):

Spring 2013

Marvin Fletcher, HIST 5150, Survey of African American History

Nancy Tatarek, ANTH 5580, Peoples, Plagues and Pestilence:  The Anthropology of Infectious Disease

Summer 2013

Joseph Venosa, HIST 5410, History of Africa to 1850

Barry Tadlock, POLS 5060, Politics of Appalachia

Fall 2013

Donald Richter, HIST 5750, World War I

Haley Duschinski, ANTH 5620, Human Rights, Law, and Justice

Spring 2014

David Castle, HIST 6901, Colloquium in U.S. History:  The Twentieth Century (This is a required course that all M.S.S. students must take in order to receive the degree.)

Gene Ammarell, ANTH 5XXX, Political Ecology (This course is in development and has not yet received a course number.)

Summer 2014

Korcaighe Hale, HIST 5742, The Cold War, 1941-1989

Linda Trautman, POLS 6100, Seminar:  American Politics (Legislative Processes)

Fall 2014

David Curp, HIST 5641, Contemporary Europe

Patricia Weitsman, POLS 5570, Contemporary National Security

Spring 2015

Brian Schoen, HIST 5081, Civil War Era

Timothy Anderson, GEOG 5340, U.S. Historical Geography

Summer 2015

Michele Clouse, HIST 5501, Nature, Science and Religion

Kathleen Sullivan, POLS 5010, American Constitutional Law

Admission to the Program

An applicant for admission to this program must have:

  • a bachelor's degree
  • 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 obtain a graduate application from this site. Click here 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 Graduate College. No letters of recommendation are necessary for this program.
  • Deadline for submitting applications for summer session 2013 is April 15, 2013, and deadline for fall semester 2013 is July 15, 2013.
  • For students already admitted to the program and wishing to register for summer classes, please click on the link below.

  • http://webapps.ohio.edu/classes/distanceLearningResults.htm?locations=DL&status=A&selectedTerm=2013SUMMER%25&program=MSS

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.

For further details regarding curriculum and program requirements:
Dr. Katherine Jellison, Coordinator
MSS Program
429 Bentley Hall Annex
740-593-0438
Ohio University
Athens OH 45701
e-mail: jellison@ohio.edu

Direct administrative inquiries to:
Ms. Brenda Nelson, Administrative Assistant
e-mail: nelsonb1@ohio.edu