The Master of Arts in History with a concentration in Race, Ethnicity, and Society provides a unique professional degree program that takes advantage of the study of race and ethnicity by scholars in the Department of History and Geography. The program offers students the opportunity to study the historical construction of race and ethnicity from an international perspective that includes Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the United States. At the same time, the degree draws on strong regional resources unique to the Columbus area, exploring topics such as the Civil Rights Movement, slavery, Native American society, European migration, and issues of racial integration of the U.S. military. Courses and research opportunities will provide students with the methods and theory to conduct advanced historical analysis and to engage in professional writing. These methods may include the potential use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a tool for historical research. Exploring these themes will allows students to develop complex historical views to assess and evaluate the role of shifting ideas and constructions of race as part of social change and to connect these processes to current debates over ethnicity and multiculturalism in the modern world. Like the general Master of Arts with a major in History program, the concentration is delivered through content courses (5000 level HIST U/G courses) and graduate seminars (6000 level courses). However, students in the concentration are required to take the course “Theory and Methods in Race and History” in addition to six specialized courses on the topics of race, ethnicity, and society. All degree candidates are highly encouraged to complete a thesis on a subject of their choosing. Language proficiency, whether through traditional languages or GIS, is required. Degree candidates will need to take a reading proficiency exam in a foreign language and show English competency in TOEFL exam if they are non-native English speakers.

The Race, Ethnicity and Society concentration at Columbus State University provides broad training in research, analysis, and writing, as well as core knowledge in the subjects of race, ethnicity, and history, which is crucial to several fields of employment. These include business, information technology, archival and library science, military and government service, law enforcement, journalism, non-profit community organization, and education at the K-12 and community college levels. The degree also prepares students for advanced research in a Ph.D. program. The expertise and intellectual skills developed in the program allow graduates to fit a variety of employment opportunities in which it is necessary to understand the importance of ethnicity and race in the historical development of the modern world.