Certificate Name and Number:  Contemporary History Institute Certificate – CTCHIG

Department/Unit:  Contemporary History Institute

Delivery Mode:  Athens Campus

Terms of Entry:  Fall

Enrollment Eligibility:  Current degree-seeking student

Certificate Overview:  One-year program that consists of two seminars and one special project/directed study course.

The Contemporary History Institute offers a graduate certificate program to M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. students in Economics, History, Journalism, Political Science, and allied disciplines that share similar research methods. It is our mission to provide graduate students with a one-year interdisciplinary experience in two seminars (ideally, taken together as a cohort) and an individualized special project. In addition, public talks allow our students to engage and interact with leading scholars and practitioners in their fields.

Certificate Learning Outcomes:

1. CHI enhances the quality of graduate programs across the arts and humanities, social sciences, and mass communications. Our students will consider global issues that shape and define our time from a historically informed perspective.
2. Our students will become better readers (narrative and analysis), writers (research and communication), and scholars.
3. a. Our MA students enjoy the best possible preparation for a variety of careers for a PhD program or for a variety of careers that include positions in the media, teaching, government, museum work, policy research and advocacy, and the non-governmental sector.

b. Our PhD students are trained as expert researchers, scholars, and professionals, which will allow them to pursue impactful careers in the academy, in the media, teaching, government, museum work, policy research and advocacy, and the non-governmental sector.

Opportunities upon Completion:  CHI supports degree-seeking students who have completed the certificate program with grants and fellowships. We also support and incentivize professional networking.

Completion Requirements:   In addition to meeting the degree requirements of their respective departments, Contemporary History Institute students take three core courses in contemporary history. Two of these courses are seminars offered consecutively during the fall and spring semesters of the Ohio University academic year. The third course is an individual tutorial, internship, or elective.

1. CH 6010 - Introduction to Contemporary History
   Investigates the nature of contemporary history, major philosophical and conceptual approaches, interpretive trends, and methodologies.
   Credits: 4.0
2. CH 6020 - Issues in Contemporary History
   Focuses on contemporary issues with policy implications. Students apply the conceptual and methodological approaches encountered in CH 6010 to selected problems facing current decision-makers.
   Credits: 4.0
3. CH 6930 - Special Project in Contemporary History
   Individualized study, usually in the form of a one-on-one tutorial with an outside expert, although internships or enrollment in appropriate courses outside the student’s home department may be used to fulfill this requirement. Substituting another experience for CH 6930 requires the approval of the CHI Director.
   Credits: 4.0

Culminating Experience:  Thesis or dissertation in degree-granting program; special project in the CHI course sequence

Financial Aid Eligibility Information:

• Degree-seeking students may use federal financial aid only for 1) coursework fulfilling requirements of their degree, including required elective hours, or 2) coursework toward a second financial aid-eligible program.
• Students receiving federal financial aid may not take courses for this certificate unless they are also enrolled full-time (9 hours) in their degree program during the same academic term. Financial aid may be used for courses that count toward both degree requirements and the certificate.

Admission Requirements:  Students should apply for admission to a Ph.D. or master’s program in one of the Institute’s four participating departments:

• History (M.A. or Ph.D.)
• Political Science (M.A.)
• Economics (M.A.)
• Journalism (M.S. or Ph.D.)

Once students have applied to one of the Ph.D. or master’s programs listed above, they must indicate Contemporary History as the area in which they choose to work.

The Contemporary History Institute Admissions Committee will evaluate applications only after admission has been granted in one of the participating departments. The CHI Admissions Committee gives considerable weight to grade-point averages, Graduate Record Examination scores, letters of recommendation, individual writing samples, and proposed fields of study. All applicants to the Institute will be automatically considered for fellowships.

International Students:  This certificate program alone does not permit full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 cannot be issued based on admission to this certificate. However, this certificate can be completed as an integral part of History (MA or PhD), Political Science (MA), Economics (MA), or Mass Communication/Journalism (MS or PhD), and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to that degree program.