Master of Arts with a Specialization in Teaching American History and Government
Department of History and Political Science
The College of Arts and Sciences
A program designed for secondary school teachers of advanced high school classes--including post-secondary enrollment option, dual-credit, dual-enrollment, or other accelerated academic programs--which combines the study of instructional best practices with the intensive study of American history and government.
Mission Statement
The Master of Arts with a Specialization in Teaching American History and Government will provide secondary school teachers with an integrated program combining advanced studies in curriculum and instruction with intensive study of American history and government through the analytical use of original documents. By combining educational methods with advanced content studies, the program will give teachers the content field and pedagogical expertise necessary to improve their effectiveness as teachers of college-level skills in the secondary school classroom.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will evaluate important original texts and documents in light of their sources, the reasons they were produced, and important historical and political facts relevant to where, when and why they were produced.
Students will analyze texts through identification of arguments, assumptions and relevant facts, through appraisal of the validity of inferences and deductions, and through comparison and contrast of arguments in two or more sources.
Students will interpret texts by articulating the meaning of the sources in their historical and political context and the effect and importance of the sources in history.
Dean
Katherine T. Brown, College of Arts and Sciences
Faculty
Ashland University Graduate Faculty
John Moser, Professor of History
Jeffrey Sikkenga, Professor of Political Science
Christopher Burkett, Associate Professor of Political Science
Gregory McBrayer, Associate Professor of Political Science
Cara Rogers Stevens, Associate Professor of History
Jason Stevens, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Admission Procedures
The following are required for admission to the MASTAHG programs as a degree-seeking student:
A completed Ashland University Application for Graduate Admission
Official academic transcripts from accredited institutions of higher education documenting all undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded. Additional transcripts may be requested at the discretion of the program chair.
A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 of a 4.00 scale, or a minimum graduate grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
A $30 application fee. The application fee is waived for applicants who have previously applied to another master's degree program at Ashland University.
Transcripts, application fees paid by check or money order, or other correspondence should be mailed to:
Ashland University
Attn: Enrollment Services
401 College Avenue
Ashland, OH 44805
Official electronic transcripts should be submitted to:
enroll-grad@ashland.edu
Structure
The Master of Arts with a Specialization in Teaching American History and Government, (MASTAHG), combines study in educational methodology, offered as a series of three-semester hour courses available at the Ashland University Main Campus, Columbus Center, or online, with a series of two-semester hour history and political science courses offered as week-long, intensive seminars during the summer semester at the main campus or online throughout the academic year. Student may complete the degree in two to three years, depending upon their desired course load. Students should consult with their program advisor to discuss their semester-by-semester load. Students may take up to ten years to complete the degree.
Program Time Limits
Students must complete all requirements for the Master of Arts with a Specialization in Teaching American History and Government degree within 10 years. This period begins with the date of the earliest course and ends with the last coursework applied toward that degree. In extraordinary circumstances, a time extension may be granted through the approval of the program's faculty committee.
Course Delivery
No more than 6 semester credit hours may be transferred into the program from other universities.
Education courses, those with EDxx prefix, may be taken at the Main Campus, at the Columbus Center, or online. Graduate level HIST/POLSC-prefix courses are offered as intensive week-long summer courses at the main campus and as synchronous online videoconference courses. On-campus room and board are available for a nominal fee for students attending summer courses.
Grade and Course Repeat Policy
No credit toward degree requirements will be awarded for courses in which the student has earned a grade below C+.
Any student receiving a B- or lower grade in a course may choose to retake that same course in an attempt to raise their grade point average. Both grades appear on the student's transcript. However, upon request of the student, only the second grade will be used in calculating the GPA.
Dismissal Policy
Any student who, in the opinion of the chair, is not making satisfactory progress toward the degree is subject to dismissal from the program. Signals of unsatisfactory progress may include, but are not limited to:
A program GPA of below 3.00 at any time.
Two grades below B-, either in the same semester or in the different semesters.
For students on the examination track, failure to pass the qualifying examination in two attempts.
For students on the thesis or capstone track, failure to complete a satisfactory product within two years of the date of the approval of the student’s proposal.
Excessive instances in which the student has withdrawn or failed to complete a course on time.
Transfer of Credits
Up to six (6) semester credit hours may be transferred from other institutions to satisfy degree requirements in the master’s program. To transfer credit hours, the following conditions must apply:
Credit hours transferred cannot have been used for another degree.
A student must have earned the credit hours no longer than six years prior to acceptance into the master’s program.
A student must have earned the credit hours at a regionally-accredited institution.
The credit hours must be graduate-level credit hours from a course in which the student received at least a B.
Quarter hours transferred into the university will be converted into semester hours, and all conversions will be rounded down to the nearest semester hour.
Additionally, coursework transferred must be substantially similar to courses offered by Ashland. To be applicable to MASTAHG core and elective requirements, the topics of courses for transfer must be in US history (including state and local history), American government (including state and local government), or US-related political science or politics topics. Non-US history (e.g. European history, world history, etc.), comparative government, or other courses with a focus on other than the aforementioned topics cannot be accepted in transfer. Further, courses for transfer must require readings and written assignments commensurate with a similar course at Ashland. Courses for transfer must also have been graded on an A-to-F scale (or equivalent numerical scale). Courses taken on a Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis may not be transferred.
All history, political science, or government transfer credit will be applied as elective hours regardless of the topic of the transferred course. Transfer credit may not be applied to graduate level HIST/POLSC-prefix core course requirements. Grades from transferred courses are not included in the calculation of the student’s cumulative grade point average.
The student’s academic advisor approves credit transfers. Advisors may request a copy of the course syllabus to verify the course’s required readings and written assignments. To transfer credit, a student should ask the registrar of the institution where the credit was earned to send an official, sealed copy of his or her transcript to Ashland University. The transcript should make clear that the credit hours are graduate credits. Transcripts should be sent to:
MASTAHG Program
Ashland University
401 College Avenue
Ashland, Ohio 44805
Students who plan to take courses elsewhere for transfer after enrollment at Ashland must contact their advisor in writing for approval prior to beginning such coursework. A copy of the course syllabus must accompany the request. No other guarantees exist that credit hours will be transferable. Prior assurances given verbally by faculty or staff at Ashland University must be regarded as estimates or opinions; they do not commit the University to a course of action.
Any exceptions to this policy, which are granted rarely, must be approved by the program's faculty committee
Qualifying Exam
The qualifying examination is composed of essay response questions based upon the American history and government core and elective courses taken by the student as part of their curriculum. Students may repeat the examination once. Students who fail to successfully pass the exam after a second attempt face dismissal from the program.
At the time the student registers for his or her final semester, the student should contact the program director to schedule and prepare for the qualifying examination.
Course of Study
A total of 33 semester hours of credit are required for the degree.
Course Number and Title | Hrs. | Prerequisites |
---|---|---|
The Education Core |
|
|
Curriculum Foundations Strand (choose one): | 3 |
|
EDFN 521 Theory and Practice of Curriculum Development | (3) | None |
EDCI 522 Foundations of Educational Technology | (3) | None |
EDCI 523 Literacy Theory and Curriculum | (3) | None |
Inquiry Strand (choose one): | 3 |
|
EDFN 504 Action Research for Educational Improvement | (3) | None |
EDFN 506 Qualitative Research | (3) | None |
EDFN 507 Understanding Statistical Research for Classroom Professionals | (3) | None |
Diversity Strand (choose one): | 3 |
|
EDFN 510 The World in Your Classroom: Multicultural and Global Education | (3) | None |
EDFN 533 Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners | (3) | None |
EDIS 550 Social and Educational Perspectives of Disability | (3) | None |
The American History and Government Core: |
|
|
HIST/POLSC 501 American Revolution | 2 | None |
HIST/POLSC 502 The American Founding | 2-3 | None |
HIST/POLSC 503 Sectionalism & Civil War | 2-3 | None |
HIST/POLSC 505 The Progressive Era | 2-3 | None |
HIST/POLSC 506 The Rise of Modern America, 1914-1945 | 2-3 |
|
HIST/POLSC 507 Lincoln | 2-3 | None |
HIST/POLSC 693 Qualifying Examination | 0 | Permission |
Elective Courses: | 12 |
|
HIST/POLSC 510 Great American Texts | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 601 Sources of the American Regime | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 602 European Discovery and Settlement | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 603 Colonia America | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 604 The Early Republic | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 605 The Age of Enterprise | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 607 America during the Cold War | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 608 Civil War and Reconstruction | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 609 World War II | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 610 American Foreign Policy | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 611 The American Way of War | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 613 Postwar America, 1945 to 1973 | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 614 Contemporary America, 1973 to the present | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 620 The Reform Tradition in America | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 621 Race and Equality in America | (2) |
|
HIST/POLSC 622 Religion in American History and Politics | (2-3) |
|
HIST/POLSC 623 Women in American History & Politics | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 624 American Society and Culture | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 630 American Statesmen | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 631 American Political Rhetoric | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 632 The American Presidency I, Washington to Lincoln | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 633 The American Presidency II, Johnson to the President | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 641 The Supreme Court | (2) | None |
HIST/POLSC 642 Political Parties | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 643 Constitutional Rights and Powers | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 644 The Congress | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 660 Topics in American History and Government | (2-3) | None |
HIST/POLSC 670 Directed Study | (2) | Permission |
Total Hours | 33 hrs. |
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Courses and Descriptions