Master of Social Sciences Curriculum
The Master of Social Sciences interdisciplinary curriculum provides students with the convenience and flexibility to pursue coursework that spans several social sciences topics.
All coursework for the Master of Social Sciences is entirely online. No campus visits are required.
Transfer credits: Up to eight semester hours (2 courses) of graduate-level credit earned at an accredited institution within the last five years may be accepted into the program upon review by the program director. A grade of "B" or better must have been earned in each course to be considered. Requests will be considered on merit in a case-by-case basis.
Degree Requirements
Students in the online M.S.S. program take a total of eight 4-credit hour online courses from a variety of social science fields. One of those eight classes must be a History colloquium. In addition, students will take three other History courses and four non-History courses. Students must earn a "B" average in the eight four-credit hour courses they take for the degree.
Students conclude their studies with a final culminating written examination based on two of the courses (one History and one non-History) they have taken during the program.
History Colloquium classes examine major debates and controversies in the study of history. M.S.S. offers a rotating variety of colloquium courses with specific geographic focuses, including US History, European History, Latin American History, and World History. One colloquium class is taught each spring semester. Students should have successfully completed at least one semester of M.S.S. coursework before enrolling in a colloquium.
M.S.S. Elective Courses (7 courses)
Three of the elective courses chosen must be History courses and four elective courses must be non-History courses. A wide diversity of courses is offered and course offerings change every semester. Current M.S.S. course offerings can be found on the by clicking the "eCampus" box and then selecting "Master of Social Sciences" from the drop-down menu.
Culminating Experience
In their final semester, students must pass an exit exam consisting of questions from one History and one other social science course taken in the program.