Public History

Public History
at the University of West Georgia

Students acquiring hands-on experience and training in museum studies at the Altanta History Center

Why public history?
The History Department at the State University of West Georgia offers course work in public history at the B.A. and M.A. level to prepare students for careers in museums, local and community history, archives, historic preservation, and other history-related fields. A public historian uses professional expertise and skills to document the past and to present it to the public in a wide variety of settings. Public historians curate and interpret museum collections, process archival materials, document the region's historic structures and folklife resources, conduct oral histories, edit historical publications, and administer and direct local history museums and organizations.

Undergraduate coursework in public history
The History Department offers several courses for undergraduate students, including Introduction to Public History, Oral History, Introduction to Archives, Introduction to Museum Studies, and American Architecture. Students may take courses in public history to fulfill majors or minors in history, American Studies, studio art, or art history. We encourage undergraduate students to pursue internships to learn more about public history

M.A. in history with a concentration in public history
The History Department offers several options for students to pursue graduate education in public history. All history graduate students may select a concentration in public history for their M.A.degree, with a minor field in an area of history of their choice. For a list of course requirements in public history, click here.

Graduate certificate programs in public history and museum studies
The History Department offers two certificate programs, the Museum Studies Certificate, with the Atlanta History Center, and the Public History Certificate. These two options are available to graduate students currently enrolled in the West Georgia M.A. program or those students who already hold an M.A. in History or a closely related field and want to gain additional knowledge and experience in public history or museum studies.

Public history internships
We encourage undergraduate students and require graduate students to pursue an internship in public history to gain hands-on practice in the field while gaining valuable work experience that one can add to a resume. Internships also allow students to explore possible career opportunities. The university's location in historic northwest Georgia and close proximity to Atlanta offers many excellent internship opportunities. For more information on internships at West Georgia, please click on Internship Opportunities.

Graduate assistantships
Full-time graduate students in public history may apply for Graduate Research Assistantships on a competition basis. These assistantships provide a tuition waiver (including out-of-state tuition) and a stipend. Graduate research assistants work in a variety of settings, including the Center for Public History, the History Department, the Georgia Political Heritage Project, the Special Collections at Ingram Library, and the Waring Archaeological Laboratory. For more information on assistantships in public history, please contact Dr. Ann McCleary

Special resources and educational opportunities at the University of West Georgia
The University offers many special resources and educational opportunities for students in public history. The Center for Public History researches, documents, preserves, and promotes public discussion of the history and related cultural, architectural, and folklife resources of the broader west Georgia region. The Center maintains an archives and engages in a variety of public history projects each semester. The Georgia Political Heritage Project, an oral history program, documents the memories of Georgia's political leaders as they retell their role in the state's political history. The Annie Bell Weaver Special Collections at the Ingram library collects archival materials documenting the West Georgia area. The Antonio J. Waring Jr. Archaeology Laboratory curates a large collection of prehistoric and historic artifacts from archaeological sites all around Georgia and offers special opportunities for academic training and research.

Finding a job in public history
Yes, our students are really finding jobs! Our recent public history students have accepted positions around the southeastern United States, including the National Park Service, the Atlanta History Center, the Chieftains Museums, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Marrieta Museum of History, the National Archives, Capps Archives and Museum at Delta State University (Mississippi), and the Rome Area History Museum. To learn more about what our students are doing, click here. To learn more about how to find a job in public history, please click here. Our program offers students opportunities to build their resumes through class projects, internships, and other Center activities, and we take time to help students build a strong resume and to advise them in searching for positions in the field. We maintain a bulletin board and list-serve to keep students updated on jobs, conferences, internships, and other opportunities for professional growth.

Our faculty
Our public history program prides itself on offering opportunities for students to work closely with our faculty and to engage in student-faculty research projects through the Center for Public History. The History Department has two full-time public history faculty members, Dr. Ann McCleary and Dr. Joe Anderson. Several other faculty members have background and interests in public history activities, including Dr. Keith Bohannon, who has considerable experience working with the National Park Service. Mr. Myron House, our Special Collections Librarian at the Ingram Library, assists with teaching the archives classes. Those students taking courses in the Museum Studies program also interact with professional staff members at the Atlanta History Center as faculty. Andy Ambrose, Chief Operating Officer at the Atlanta History Center, coordinates the museum studies program and serves as our faculty liason with the AHC staff. Pam Meister, Gordon Jones, Karen Kelly, Heather Howell, and Deborah Thomas have also helped teach the museum classes at the History Center.

Do you want to learn more about our program?
We encourage you to contact us by phone or email, visit the campus, and meet other graduate students. For more information on Public History at West Georgia, contact Dr. Ann McCleary, Coordinator of Public History, History Department, State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA 30118, 678-839-6041. The Graduate Advisor, Dr. Keith Pacholl, can assist with general questions about the History Graduate Program. For more information on the Graduate School and to obtain an on-line application, please visit the Graduate School web page.

Read what our students have said about the program!
Click here to read some of our student accounts about the program and learn how their classes and work experience have helped them in their jobs.

Department of History
Technology Learning Center
University of West Georgia
Carrollton GA 30118
Phone: (678) 839-6508