Public History Concentration

The MA Public History concentration stresses the blending of academic and applied history with intent to broaden public awareness of the value of studying the past. The concentration enables students to take courses on a range of relevant, dynamic issues in the contemporary public history field, including archival management, digital history, historic preservation and cultural resource management, museum studies, and oral history. In these courses, students engage with current scholarship and theory in the field, and build their skills in professional public history work. To culminate their closure work, students have the opportunity to undertake an internship at a public history institution, further building their skills as practicing public historians. Students in the concentration may also fulfill their closure by writing a thesis on historical and/or contemporary themes in Public History.

Requirements

Public History Concentration Core Requirements 1
HIS 501	Graduate History Colloquium	3
HIS 502	Public History Colloquium	3
HIS 503	Researching and Writing History	3
HIS 510	Graduate Readings Seminar 2	3
HIS 510	Graduate Readings Seminar 2	3
HIS 515	History and Digital Media	3
HIS 570	Public History Internship and Project	8
or HIS 580	Thesis
Select two of the following:		6
HIS 504	American Material Life
HIS 505	Historic Environmental Preservation
HIS 507	Museum and Society
HIS 508	Archival Management
HIS 511	Museum/Historic Sites Methods
HIS 520	Oral History Methods
Elective History Course (American, European, World or Public history) 3		3
Total Hours		35

¹

Students in the Public History concentration can take up to four credit hours of 400-level courses for graduate credit.

²

HIS 510 must be taken a minimum of two times; course topics vary.  Master's students are encouraged to take graduate seminars.

³

Student may fill up to 3 credit hours of electives with HIS 599, pending faculty approval.