Contemporary History Institute Certificate – CTCHIG

Contemporary History Institute
Sing Tao House
Ohio University
Athens, Ohio 45701
740.593.0100
conhist@ohio.edu

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus

Terms of Entry: Fall only

Terms of Entry Requiring Program Permission: None

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 in an individualized special project. We also encourage our students to deliver research talks both at OU and at academic conferences outside the university. Such occasions provide students with opportunities to practice their speaking skills and to meet leading scholars in their research field.

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 continuation into a PhD program and for a variety of other careers outside the academy. These include media, teaching, government, museums, policy research, and the non-governmental sector.
   b. Our PhD students are trained as expert researchers, scholars, and teachers in preparation for careers in the academy or in areas such as media, teaching, government, museums, policy research, and the non-governmental sector.

Opportunities upon Completion

With grants and fellowships, CHI supports degree-seeking students who have completed the certificate program. We also support and incentivize professional networking.

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, 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.

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.