Appalachian Studies, Graduate Certificate

The M.A. in Humanities program is home to the Graduate Certificate in Appalachian Studies, a virtual, non-degree program of 16 hours composed of foundation courses (CULS 611 Appal Std: Themes & Voices or CULS 612 Time & Place in Appalachia), electives to meet specific educational goals, and a capstone research experience (HUMN 680 Independent Research Symposium).

Courses in the program are conducted in a virtual graduate-level seminar format, characterized by challenging readings, involved discussion, and mentored research and application. Importantly, the virtual delivery format allows the program to engage with scholars and practitioners across the region, who work with students to undertake dynamic, collaborative explorations of Appalachian studies.

For additional information and a list of affiliated scholars and practitioners see the Graduate Humanities program website.

Admission Requirements

Students may pursue the graduate certificate in Appalachian Studies while enrolled in the Humanities M.A. program or as a certificate-only student. Students already enrolled in the M.A. degree program should submit to Graduate Admissions a Secondary Program Request form: https://www.marshall.edu/graduate/current-students/forms-and-information/.

Applicants interested in the certificate-only program should apply for admission to Marshall University as a Certificate/Professional Development student and select on the application form the Certificate in Appalachian Studies. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accepted, accredited institution, and an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from the bachelor's degree transcript.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the program web site https://www.marshall.edu/graduatehumanities/ and contact the Graduate Humanities program director before officially applying to the Certificate program.

Course Requirements

Interdisciplinary Core Classes (3 hours). Choose One:
- CULS 611 Appal Std: Themes & Voices Orients students to the significant political, social, and cultural issues and research in Appalachian studies.
- CULS 612 Time & Place in Appalachia Examines the importance of geography, topography, and geology to the history and development of the Appalachian region.
Electives (9 hours)
Students may take a broad range of rotating and Special Topics courses. Examples include:
- Appalachian Cultures
- Appalachian Archaeology
- Geography of Appalachia
- West Virginia History
- First Peoples of Appalachia
- Images of Appalachia
- Religious Traditions in Appalachia
- Ethnic History of West Virginia
- Coal Mine Life, Work and Culture
- Sociology of Appalachia
- Appalachian Writers - 20th C.
Capstone Experience (3 - 6 hours) HUMN 680 Independent Research Symposium
This research colloquium affords students the opportunity to complete independent research or field work under the guidance of faculty mentors teaching in the certificate program. Seminar meetings allow students to share research and examine issues arising from the research.