Coverdell Fellows

The Department of History offers Coverdell Fellows an academic environment in which they can engage in the creation and communication of knowledge about societies in the past and present.  We offer a range of MA degrees designed to prepare graduate students to apply for doctoral work elsewhere or to become historians in their own right in classrooms, archives, museums, historical societies, and other institutions.  Our programs provide a broad foundation in research, content and historical writing, while keeping an emphasis in policy studies and in the relationship of the historian with the public.  In short, our principal goal is to provide practical preparation for the professional world of history.

In addition to traditional professions oriented toward historians, though, the study of history is useful for students who might pursue a career in such diverse fields as journalism, NGOs, government agencies, corporations, or other institutions where the ability to understand complex historical phenomena is important. In particular, the Department of History’s unique emphasis on policy history is especially relevant to employers in the aforementioned fields.

Students in the program are free to select from a wide range of course offerings that best fit their individual topical interests.  In addition, concurrently with their MA degrees, history graduate students have the opportunity to earn graduate certificates in such fields as Ethnic Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Public History.

Internships in underserved communities are an integral part of each Coverdell Fellow’s degree. By sharing their Peace Corps experience and global perspective with the communities they serve here in the United States, returned volunteers are supporting the Third Goal commitment of the Peace Corps to strengthen American understanding of the world and its people. Professional placements at non-profit organizations and government agencies also help students further develop their skills. The Department of History will help locate and coordinate internships for Coverdell students that will allow them to work with marginalized populations in rural northwest Ohio as well as urban settings such as Toledo, OH (only 25 minutes away) and Detroit, MI (only 75 minutes away).

FINANCIAL AID

Coverdell Fellows receive tuition scholarships sufficient to pay for enough credits to complete their MA degrees in two years.  In addition, applicants accepted into the program may qualify for a paid graduate assistantship.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the MA program are expected to have an undergraduate degree in history, though we will give serious consideration to students with undergraduate degrees in closely related fields. The application process is the same for Coverdell Fellows as for other applicants. All applicants are expected to have a superior academic record; we recommend a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.20 overall and 3.50 in courses taken in the field of history.

Fellows must submit a signed copy of their Description of Service (DOS) upon acceptance.

APPLICATION PROCESS

In addition to an Online Graduate Application, students must submit all undergraduate and graduate transcripts, current GRE scores, a statement of purpose, a writing sample, and three letters of recommendation.  The entire application and all materials can be submitted electronically or, if necessary, by mail or fax.  For more detailed information visit the Admission Procedures page.

Applications are due by January 15 each year. A faculty committee reviews all portfolios, and applicants are notified by early March if they have been accepted into the program.

Please note that there is no separate application for prospective Fellows; RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) are automatically considered for a Fellowship.