The Center for International Studies offers an interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree in international affairs. You may concentrate on the culture, the institutions, and one of the languages of a major world region: Africa, Southeast Asia, or Latin America, or you may develop a program of study with an international thematic focus: development studies or communication and development studies. The M.A. degree is intended to give you freedom to develop a program best suited to your academic and professional requirements within an international or cross-cultural context.
The criteria for admission are a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; a good undergraduate record, usually including a minimum 3.0 g.p.a. in the undergraduate major; three letters of recommendation; and a two-page statement of purpose. The letters, usually from faculty with whom courses have been taken or from supervisors, should deal with your motivation, intellectual and academic capacity and potential, and work experience. The statement of purpose should give a brief history of your background, why you have chosen this particular program, and how the degree will help in your long-term career goals.
In addition, the Communication and Development Studies Program requires a curriculum vitae, and international students are required to submit TOEFL scores (minimum is 580). African Studies and Southeast Asia Studies require GRE scores for U.S. citizens.
You are required to demonstrate an acceptable level of achievement in a language other than English appropriate to the area of concentration. This may be accomplished by: (1) for non-European languages, either (a) satisfactorily complete a minimum of one academic year (generally nine credit hours) in one of the following languages currently taught at Ohio University: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Indonesian/Malay, Japanese, or Swahili, or (b) take an examination in a language not taught at Ohio University or demonstrate an acceptable level of achievement on an examination administered by other recognized testing agencies; or (2) for students in concentrations offering a European language, an intermediate level of proficiency.
A mandatory two-hour course requirement for all programs is International Studies 500 Introduction to Graduate Study. Depending on the program, a comprehensive written or oral exam is required of all students to complete the requirements of the degree. This examination will ordinarily take place in the last quarter of study.
A thesis option is also available instead of the comprehensive exam. The number of credits granted for the thesis (to a maximum of 10) will be determined by your advisory committee.
All students in the M.A. program must maintain a minimum grade-point average (g.p.a.) of at least 3.0. If your g.p.a. falls below 3.0, you will be placed on probation and must raise your g.p.a. by the end of the following term. Failing to do so will automatically result in your being dropped from the program. University policy prohibits awarding any type of financial assistance to students on probation. Also, if you receive more than two grades below B, you will be dropped from the program at the discretion of the director. A grade below C will not count toward the degree requirement.
The degree programs are interdisciplinary and designed to give students freedom to choose courses from a number of fields that best fulfill their academic and professional objectives.
NOTE: The course offerings listed for each degree program is not exhaustive. There are other courses that are relevant to each program depending on your needs and interests. Additional courses may be added in consultation with the program director.
500 Introduction to Graduate Studies (2)
Interdisciplinary introduction to graduate study including research methodologies and nature of area studies.
Staff; F, Sp, Y.
550 Focus on Malaysia (5)
Introduction to geographical, historical, demographic, cultural, and political settings of Malaysia within the wider context of Southeast Asia. A survey of the historical development of Malaysia with emphasis on the period from the Second World War. The Constitution of the Federation of Malaya 1957 and subsequently the Constitution of Malaysia 1963 will be discussed. The course will focus on the National Education Policy, the National Language Policy, the formation of Malaysia, and the New Economics Policy.
Razak Chair Holder; W; Y.
590 Tun Razak Seminar Southeast Asia Studies (5)
Designed to enable the holder of the Tun Abdul Razak Chair to present his/her particular specialization. This means the content of the course could be different from year to year, depending on the discipline of the holder. The focus of the course will be on Malaysia as well as other parts of Southeast Asia.
Razak Chair Holder; Sp; Y.
601 Seminar in Development (5)
Interdisciplinary investigation into selected problems of development. Intended to provide interdisciplinary perspective into nature of sociological, political, economic, and psychological change in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Staff; W, Su; D.
610A,B,C Seminar in Area Studies (4-5)
Selected multidisciplinary topics in Africa, Latin American, or Southeast Asian Studies.
Staff; W, Sp.
690 Independent Study (1-5)
Prereq: perm.
Staff; F, W, Sp, Su.
695 Thesis (1-10)
Prereq: perm.
Staff; F, W, Sp, Su.
Return to 1995-1997 Graduate Catalog Table of Contents
University Publications and the Computer Services Center revised this file (http://www.ohiou.edu/~gcat/95-97/areas/internatl.html) April 13, 1998.
Please e-mail comments or suggestions to "gcat@www.cats.ohiou.edu."