What college has a masters degree with two 18 hour concentrations?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by friendorfoe, Dec 4, 2008.

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  1. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    Okay, I seem to remember some small college somewhere that had a masters degree that allowed for two 18 credit hour concentrations which combined for a degree. Can someone tell me who that was?
     
  2. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    www.wnmu.edu
    Western New Mexico University
     
  3. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    The school you are referring to is Western New Mexico University. One of my colleagues is enrolled there - concentrating in Political Science and English.

    Shawn
     
  4. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

  5. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    I have a related question. Do these programs expect you to do a final project or thesis that combines BOTH areas of your concentrations or can you do an exam for one concentration and a thesis for the other keeping them separate?
     
  6. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    A thesis appears to be optional;

    http://www.wnmu.edu/DgrPlans/Graduate/MA_Interdisciplin_2.pdf
     
  7. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

  8. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

  9. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    IMO, it doesn't seem that way with that particular program. Some of the disciplines are natural matches (Criminal Justice & Psychology, Political Science & History) while others seem more difficult to equate (Criminal Justice & MIS, Political Science & Special Education).
     
  10. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    The program you are thinking of is Western New Mexico University's www.wnmu.edu online Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. The exit requirement is a thesis, final project, or comprehensive exam. However, the website doesn't make clear whether that choice rests with the student or the department. A thesis that combines both disciplines would seem to be a good idea, but it appears that the student is expected to contact the department about the exit requirement.
     
  11. Sowak777

    Sowak777 New Member

    It does not appear that you can take all of the required courses at WNMU:

    http://www.wnmu.edu/VirtualCampus/InterdisciplinaryMasters.htm

    You will need at least one area of concentration with 18 credits, but none of the subject areas have that many credits available. I am guessing they have a pretty liberal transfer policy.
     
  12. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    True, some seem to be natural matches, like History and Political Science. Not only does one have the old dictum that history is past politics and politics is present history, but WNMU has several courses marked HIST/POLS, such as Border Issues, Crime & Punishment, Drug Issues, and Frontier Law & Justice, which might naturally suggest a thesis on some Old Southwest gunslingers like Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp & Doc Holiday, or Pancho Villa. But even some of the less obvious combinations could have some good possibilities for a cross-disciplinary thesis/final project. An individual with a dual concentration in Criminal Justice and Management Information Systems might well do a final project consisting of a piece of computer software that tracks speeding tickets for local law enforcement and someone with a dual concentration in Political Science and Special Education might write a thesis on the politics of special education funding.
     
  13. mknehr

    mknehr New Member

    Classes available


    They do, but using this link only shows the classes available for the current Semester.
    http://www.wnmu.edu/VirtualCampus/Available_Courses.htm

    to see all the classes available and start building a degree plan, use this link, select ONLINE, and go through a couple terms to see what was offered in the past (and assumably will be again)

    http://192.136.110.30:8080/webtm/sched.jsp
     
  14. This is my only (personal) issue with the program - I would take the MIS option but there's nothing matched with it as a second discipline that could then be used for teaching, although I suppose Educational Technology could be a pseudo-match.

    Then again, one could take MIS and teach with it and then do something else as a personal interest like History or PoliSci.

    Anyone have experience doing adjunct work with totally diverse specializations?
     
  15. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck


    You could marry up MIS and English. you can transfer in 6 credits from this certificate: http://garts.latech.edu/tamaram/GECTW/twcgechome.html

    and get the remainder in things like Eng 569, Writing for Professionals.

    I believe that professional/technical writing can be an asset in MIS areas (or at least my experience demonstrates that writing skills support MIS areas of expertise and function.)

    English adjuncts are a need (but what a chore).

    I have provided classroom instruction (not as an adjunct but as a visiting instructor) with these two fields.
     
  16. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    The program is designed as a part-time program and consequently, not very many credits are offered in any one discipline in any given semester; however, if you take a look back at previous semesters (and if you allow the assumption that courses offered in previous semesters just might be offered in future semesters), perhaps the offerings are not so slim as they might appear at first sight. Following are the online offerings in History and Political Science at Western New Mexico University from Fall 2006 to Spring 2009.

    HIST 505 Seminar: Modern European History (Fall 2008)
    HIST 507 History & Historians (Spring 2008)
    HIST 517 Frontier Law Enforcement (Fall 2008)
    HIST 522 Indians of the Southwest (Summer 2008)
    HIST 580 Age of Marshall (Fall 2008)
    HIST 580 Chicano Studies (Fall 2007)
    HIST 580 Crime & Punishment (Spring 2008)
    HIST 580 Frontier Justice (Fall 2006)
    HIST 580 History of Slavery (Fall 2006)
    HIST 580 Revolution & Civil War in Latin America (Spring 2007)
    HIST 580 War & Society Since 1800 (Summer 2008)
    HIST/POLS 503 Twentieth Century Revolutions (Fall 2008)
    HIST/POLS 511 Graduate Reading Seminar (Fall 2008)
    HIST/POLS 512 Inter-American Relations (Spring 2009)
    HIST/POLS 516 Border Issues (Spring 2009)
    HIST/POLS 567 Drug Wars (Spring 2008)
    HIST/POLS 580 Border Issues (Spring 2008)
    HIST/POLS 580 Critical Skills (Fall 2007)
    HIST/POLS 580 Colonialism (Fall 2007)
    POLS 504 North American Relations (Fall 2008)
    POLS 505 American Constitutional Development (Spring 2009)
    POLS 580 Administrative Law (Fall 2008)
    POLS 580 World Politics: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly (Summer 2008)
     
  17. Interesting combo. I just wish they offered a Marketing, or HR or some other specialization like that as well. Since I still have a bit to go for my MBA it'll be 2009/2010 before I pull the trigger, assuming I don't want a break first :)
     
  18. Sowak777

    Sowak777 New Member

    Most excellent, Ted. Thanks. Fred

     
  19. Templar

    Templar New Member

    Moreover, it appears that a variety of independent study options may exist. The psychology pamphlet lists the following courses as "offered anytime": Directed Study, Directed Research, and Tutorial Reading. From what I can glean from the catalog, similar HIST offerings may exist.
     
  20. Sowak777

    Sowak777 New Member

    The plot thickens. Where will this fabulous opportunity end!?!?

     

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