{"id":2061,"date":"2022-07-25T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T16:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=2061"},"modified":"2024-07-24T11:16:11","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T18:16:11","slug":"history-masters-degree-online-jessica-cole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/history-masters-degree-online-jessica-cole\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon State history master’s student uses her education to bring the past to life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

The Luper Pioneer Cemetery in Eugene, Oregon, is one of the historical sites where Jessica Sue Cole has conducted research and other work while pursuing a history master’s degree online with Oregon State.<\/p><\/div>\n

Jessica Sue Cole was at a crossroads.<\/p>\n

Shortly before finishing her bachelor\u2019s degree in history online<\/a> from Oregon State University Ecampus, she began exploring graduate school options. Unfortunately, at that time, Oregon State did not offer a history master’s degree online. After much research, Cole was left torn between two programs \u2014 but one was out of state, and the other was in another country.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, before she committed to one of the programs, she received news that would change the trajectory of her life allowing her to ensure that while some people of Eugene, Oregon are gone, they will not be forgotten.<\/p>\n

“During my senior year, I learned OSU was planning to offer a graduate history program<\/a> (online) the following year, and I was thrilled!” she said.<\/p>\n

When Cole was awarded a Provost Distinguished Graduate Scholarship, that sealed the deal. But Cole’s initial path to college wasn’t a straight one.<\/p>\n

“I put college on hold about 15 years ago when my eldest daughter was born,” she said. “I’d planned to return to school when she entered kindergarten \u2014 but surprise! We ended up having a second daughter join us, and then a few years later, our third came along.”<\/p>\n

Cole, who was named the College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Senior during her undergraduate studies, hadn’t planned to finish her postsecondary education via distance learning. She started her bachelor’s degree online and intended to switch to in-person learning when her youngest child started school.<\/p>\n

“Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t learn as much online,” she said. “I went into Ecampus expecting to get a subpar education compared to in-person classes.”<\/p>\n

To her surprise, the quality, support and flexibility of a distance learning environment supported her personally and academically. \u201cI\u2019m so glad I decided to attend classes online because shortly after the semester began, the pandemic hit and then all three of my children transitioned to virtual learning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Cole believes there\u2019s no way she could have juggled going to school on campus with kids at home during the height of the pandemic. \u201cI would have had to drop out,\u201d she said. \u201cThe online option meant I could stay home with my family and still graduate on time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cole\u2019s undergraduate experience proved online instruction could allow her to enjoy the best of both worlds. \u201cI don\u2019t have to deal with trying to get classes that fit around my kids\u2019 school or gymnastics schedule,\u201d she said. \u201cPlus, I\u2019m a visual learner. Before, when taking in-person classes, I would have to spend just as much time studying material as I did attending lectures. But with online coursework, I can \u2026 dive right into the learning materials,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

As Cole works toward completing her degree, she reflects on her experience to date.<\/p>\n

“OSU Ecampus is one of the best-ranked programs in the nation. I don’t feel I’m missing out on anything by not taking in-person classes,” she said. “My professors are extremely responsive, and I had personal advisors who helped me figure out what classes I needed for my undergraduate degree. I knew that if I had any issues, tutoring programs and counselors were there if I needed help getting back on track.”<\/p>\n

While Cole lights up with a passion for the past, her future looks even brighter. With the help of OSU’s School of History, Philosophy and Religion<\/a>, she secured an internship with the Oregon Genealogical Society, where she has volunteered for the past two years. She also developed long-term relationships with local historical organizations, Luper Cemetery and Mulkey Cemetery.<\/p>\n

In addition to joining the board at Luper, her research at Mulkey led to an incredible discovery that reinforced her decision to follow her academic dreams.<\/p>\n

“I was able to locate over 100 people buried there that the cemetery didn’t know about. What started as accidentally uncovering a few records became a full-on obsession. My goal is to unearth proof of as many unknown interments in the cemetery as possible,” she said. “Mulkey is now working to create a memorial to commemorate these people. I’m honored to have been involved in this process.”<\/p>\n

As for the next step in her journey, Cole is excited to discover what else she’ll unearth. Her history master’s degree online focuses on community history and civic engagement.<\/p>\n

“I’m currently working with a few historical cemeteries to create an interactive walking experience that educates participants on the area’s history, the cemetery itself and those buried there,” she said. “Bringing stories to life of those who’ve gone before us and sharing that information in a way that engages people with the past \u2014 it’s the most rewarding job I can imagine.”<\/p>\n

\n

Take your career to the next level and embrace your passion for history by learning more about Oregon State’s history master’s degree online.<\/em><\/p>\n

Request information<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>“I’m currently working with a few historical cemeteries to create an interactive walking experience that educates participants on the area’s history,” said history master’s degree student Jessica Sue Cole. “Bringing stories to life of those who’ve gone before us and sharing that information in a way that engages people with the past \u2014 it’s the most rewarding job I can imagine.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,3,8],"tags":[75,131,641,627],"class_list":["post-2061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-ecampus","category-features","category-students","tag-college-of-liberal-arts","tag-history","tag-languages-and-liberal-arts","tag-masters-in-history"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/luper-cemetery-jessica-cole.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-xf","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":546,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/ecampus-ranked-1-liberal-arts\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":0},"title":"Ecampus ranked #1 in U.S. for online liberal arts education","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"July 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State is the best university in the nation when it comes to delivering a high-quality liberal arts education online, according to a new ranking released last month. Oregon State's College of Liberal Arts offers 11 bachelor\u2019s degrees and two master\u2019s programs online through OSU Ecampus, the university\u2019s distance education\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A black entrance sign reads Oregon State University in gold lettering surrounded by a brick ledge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/osu-sign.jpg?fit=638%2C319&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/osu-sign.jpg?fit=638%2C319&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/osu-sign.jpg?fit=638%2C319&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2717,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/online-history-degree-jessica-cole\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":1},"title":"Online history degree helps Oregon State graduate tap into her passion, find career success","author":"Colin Bowyer","date":"February 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Editor's note: This article was originally published online by Oregon State's School of History, Philosophy and Religion. Meet Jessica Cole, a reference librarian who is using what she learned from her undergraduate and graduate studies in OSU's School of History, Philosophy and Religion What kick-started your interest in history as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State University graduate Jessica Cole smiles directly at the camera while standing in a well-lit room.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Jessica_Cole_History-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Jessica_Cole_History-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Jessica_Cole_History-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Jessica_Cole_History-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":305,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/pathway-to-mnr\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":2},"title":"Pathway to MNR | Oregon State Ecampus","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"April 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Justin Zweifel was looking for a competitive edge in the fisheries and wildlife job market, so he turned to Oregon State University to broaden his knowledge and skill set. 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