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2016-2017 Graduate Studies Bulletin (Archived Copy) 
    
 
  Mar 28, 2024
 
2016-2017 Graduate Studies Bulletin (Archived Copy) [Archived Catalog]

Public History, M.A.


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Learning Outcomes

  • All students in the Public History program will demonstrate specific competencies required for professional practice in the public history field in which they are specializing, including competencies with information and communication technologies, knowledge of public law or professional best practices, and familiarity with the special problems of the particular cultural resources (documents, objects, buildings, sites) with which they will be working in their professional careers. 
  • Students will gain practical experience in a non-classroom setting, performing work appropriate to their concentration and interests, mentored by a working public history professional through both internships and assistantships. 
  • Students will produce a comprehensive portfolio of their work as a public history degree student, including a resume, short reflective essay, and public history projects. 

Degree Requirements (33 Hours)

The M.A. in Public History integrates traditional graduate study in history with professional training in the skills used in the public and private sectors. The curriculum offers a choice of two areas of concentration for the major field: historic preservation and museums. In addition, students complete course work in a minor field within the general graduate history curriculum, usually but not exclusively U.S. to 1877 or U.S. since 1789.

A reading knowledge of one foreign language or competence in an appropriate methodology is required. Choice of the latter must be approved by the Graduate Committee.

Candidates for the M.A. in Public History choose a major and a minor field, take written comprehensive examinations in both fields, and write a thesis. A minimum of 33 semester hours, of which 18 hours will be in public history courses and 15 hours will be in the history core, are required. Credit hours will be distributed between the major and minor fields as follows:

Major Field (15 Hours)


Students take 9 hours of course work chosen from one of three concentrations, and 6 additional hours of courses with Public History content (and so designated by the Department’s Graduate Committee), some of which might be in the two concentrations, some of which might not.

Internship and Thesis Preparation (3 Hours)


Students must complete an internship approved by their advisor and the graduate committee and 3 hours of thesis preparation  (HIST 799 ).

Note:


The internship is optional as a formal course.

Minor Field (15 Hours)


For the minor field, students will complete   HIST 720 , as well as 12 hours in the minor field of study, 6 of which must be an overview of the field (HIST 701 -HIST 712 ), and 3 of which must be an 800-level research seminar.

Additional Information


The M.A. thesis will be an expanded version of the student’s 800-level research seminar paper, revised to the standard of a potentially publishable article-length essay. Normally, students will submit the thesis in the semester after completion of the 800-level research seminar paper, but students who complete their 800-level seminar in their first year may petition the Graduate Committee to submit their thesis during their final semester in the M.A. program. The thesis must be submitted in accordance with the regulations of The Graduate School.

Following successful completion of an 800-level research seminar, an oral comprehensive examination on the student’s thesis will be taken. In this examination, the student will be asked to place his/her thesis in historiographic perspective. Normally, students will take the comprehensive examination in the semester after they complete an 800-level seminar. However, students who complete their 800-level seminar in their first year may petition the Graduate Committee to take their M.A. examination during their final semester in the program.

In addition to the thesis, students will compile a portfolio of their public history work in accordance with departmental policy.

Finally, the student will complete a thesis that is submitted according to the regulations of The Graduate School.

Candidates for the M.A. in Public History shall file a Program of Study during their first semester, and in no case later than 12 months after entering the program. A student in the M.A./M.L.I.S. joint program should prepare and file separate forms for each degree but should submit them together to The Graduate School.

All students enrolled in public history may also enter the Museum Certificate Program coordinated by the University’s McKissick Museum.

Additional information is available at Graduate Dual Degree Programs .

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