The Department of History has launched a new transatlantic Master of Arts in international history and security studies in partnership with Collegium Civitas, located in Warsaw, Poland, beginning fall 2018. The program is designed as a dual-degree, two-year program consisting of 60 U.S. credit hours, or 120 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits. Students completing the program earn half of these credits at WVU and the other half at Collegium Civitas. Following a successful completion of all requirements, including the thesis defense, two master’s degrees will be conferred—one in history from WVU, and the other in international relations from Collegium Civitas.
WVU students will normally spend their first year of studies at WVU and their second year at CC. Students from Collegium Civitas will spend their first year in Warsaw and their second year in Morgantown. Defense of the joint MA thesis will be held on the premises of both institutions, physically and virtually, with participation by both WVU and CC faculty.
All requirements of the dual-degree program must be met and credits transferred between the institutions before either the U.S. degree from WVU, or the European degree from Collegium Civitas can be issued. As a result, the two degrees, though coming from separate institutions, are awarded simultaneously.
Curriculum
The two partnering institutions have developed a unique joint curriculum that emphasizes interdisciplinary learning. At WVU, the curriculum is focused on the study of modern international history, with specialized focal areas in European, Latin American, Asian, African and U.S. diplomatic history, while familiarizing students more broadly with the historiographies that have defined the discipline in these areas. At Collegium Civitas, students will take courses primarily in the area of international relations with special focus on central and eastern Europe, the policies of the European Union and issues related to terrorism, energy security and sustainable development. Both institutions also offer opportunities to explore subjects in other related disciplines, such as political science, geography, sociology and law. Students acquire interdisciplinary knowledge beyond the specific disciplines of history and international relations, which will enable them to comprehend and analyze issues beyond their immediate thematic, definitional or geographic context. Ultimately, the goal of the curriculum is to increase student understanding of human diversity and, by extension, to raise awareness of the common needs and desires of people for security, broadly defined, in a shrinking world.
Tuition, Fees and Scholarships
Students will be responsible for the regular tuition and fees at their home universities only and will be exempt from any additional payments while studying abroad at the host universities. To support their studies, students are eligible to compete for scholarships, fellowships, assistantships and internships at both their home and host institutions and for WVU-CC partnership funding under the European Union’s Erasmus Plus program to assist with travel and living expenses while abroad. For more information, please contact Dr. Siekmeier. Find out more about WVU support for nationally competitive scholarships by contacting the Aspire Office.
For more information, please contact Professor James Siekmeier at 304-293-9408 or James.Siekmeier@mail.wvu.edu.