MAAHG Course of Study

Program Structure

Each course in the program is offered for two (2) semester credit hours. Courses are offered in two formats:

• As residential Weeklong Summer courses during the months of June and July at our Ashland, Ohio campus.
• As Live Online webinar courses offered on various schedules throughout the academic year.

The degree requires a total of 32 semester credit hours. Students may choose from either a thesis, capstone project, or a comprehensive examination track.

The minimum time to completion is 15 months of full-time study, starting in June and continuing until August of the second year.  For students whose personal and profession lives require part-time study, a more reasonable timeline to completion is two to four years depending upon the student's desired course load and track option.

Students may take up to four (4) Weeklong Summer courses during any one summer semester.  Students may take up to two (2) concurrent fall or spring semester Live Online courses, and no more than four (4) during any one semester.  Students may not take a Weeklong Summer and a Live Online course concurrently.

Students should consult with their program advisor to discuss their semester-by-semester load. All degree requirements must be completed within ten (10) years from the date of their first course. 

Core Courses

The full 12 semester credit hour Core is required for all degree students.

 Elective Courses

All students must earn 20 hours of elective credit. 

Students on the Thesis or Capstone Project tracks must complete 7 elective courses (14 semester hours), plus AHG 690 (2 semester hours) and either AHG 691 or AHG 692 (4 semester hours).

Students on the Comprehensive Examination track must complete 10 elective courses (20 semester hours) and AHG 693 (0 semester hours). 

 The Comprehensive Examination, Capstone Project, and Thesis Tracks

Students may choose the thesis, the capstone project, or the comprehensive exam track. In choosing a track, students should consider their professional and educational goals and needs in consultation with their academic advisor. The comprehensive examination and capstone project tracks are appropriate for students who do not plan to continue their studies beyond the master's level. The thesis track is open to any student, however it is strongly recommended for those students who plan to continue their studies beyond the master's level.

Each option serves the same goal: that is, by completing the comprehensive examination, capstone project, or thesis a student will demonstrate mastery of the topics taught in the program. In addition to content mastery, students must also display well-developed analytical and interpretive skills in the use of original documents and their relationship to the broader subject of American history and government.

The student need not choose a track until the semester during which he or she reaches 20 hours in the program. With the permission of the program chair, the student may switch tracks after he or she has made an initial decision.

Comprehensive Examination Track

Students who choose this option must earn 12 hours of core course credit and 20 hours of elective credit. At the time the student registers for his or her final semester the student should contact the program director to schedule their exam and to receive more information about the exam format and preparation.  

The comprehensive examination is composed of essay response questions based upon the core and elective courses taken by the student as part of their curriculum.  The exam is offered once each semester (fall, spring, and summer), generally five to six weeks prior to the end of the semester.  Students may repeat the examination once. If the student fails to successfully pass the exam after their second attempt, the student may face dismissal from the program.

Capstone Project Track

Students who choose this option must earn 12 hours of core course credit, 14 hours of elective credit, and successfully complete AHG 690 and AHG 692.

The Capstone Project allows a student to demonstrate his or her mastery of subject matter, as well as analytical and interpretive skills in a practical, useful, or creative format of the student's choosing. A capstone project combines different kinds of practical experience (e.g., as a docent or historical reenactor) or other written work (e.g., lesson plans or historical fiction) with analytical and interpretive writing in the form of one or more essays. Capstone projects may include:

• Creation of a selection of materials (e.g. primary documents) to enhance a curriculum, with essays providing justification of the selections and analysis and interpretation to assist in their use.
• Participation in a Civil War battle reenactment, with interpretive essays explaining the significance of the battle in the military and political outcome of the Civil War.
• Development of an exhibition at a school, library, or museum, along with analytical and interpretive essays explaining the significance of the exhibition.

Students will work individually with the program's faculty to plan their capstone project proposal during AHG 690 (Research Methods). Students may register for and begin work on AHG 690 around the time that they complete 20 hours in the program. The capstone project requires the approval of the program's faculty committee, which will review proposals to make sure they meet substantive and methodological requirements of a master's program. Once the proposal is approved by the program's faculty committee, the student may begin work on the project. Each student will have a capstone advisor to help him or her complete the capstone project.

Thesis Track

Students who choose this option must earn 12 hours of core course credit, 14 hours of elective credit, and successfully complete AHG 690 and AHG 691.

The Thesis allows a student to demonstrate his or her mastery of subject matter, as well as analytical and interpretive skills in a traditional written format. A thesis is a written work stating a claim or interpretation and supporting it with data and argument. For example, a thesis might claim that a certain type of protestant theology is responsible for political reform movements in the United States and support that claim by examining, in one of a number of different ways, the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Students will work individually with the program's faculty to plan their thesis proposal during AHG 690 (Research Methods). Students may register for and begin work on AHG 690 around the time that they complete 20 hours in the program. The thesis requires the approval of the program's faculty committee, which will review proposals to make sure they meet substantive and methodological requirements of a master's program. Once the proposal is approved by the program's faculty committee, the student may begin work on the thesis. Each student will have a thesis advisor to help him or her complete the thesis.