M.A. Program Requirements
Most of our public history gradute students at the University of West Georgia acquire an M.A. in History with a concentration in public history.
We believe that good public historians are first and foremost good historians, so we require a concentration in an area of history of the student's choosing. Students may design a concentration, with the approval of the Graduate Advisor, or choose a more general area such as United States history.
In addition, all public history students take a core of 15 hours of public history. Again, we encourage students to choose classes that will prepare them for their chosen field. Please contact Dr. Ann McCleary, for advising regarding coursework. Students interested in museum studies may elect to take all of their public history courses in this area to fulfill the requirements for the Museum Studies Certificate.
-
Public History Concentration (15 hours), including:
- Introduction to Public History (3 hours). This course may be waived and replaced with another public history course if a similar class has been taken as an undergraduate, with the approval of the public history advisor.
- Public History Courses (12 hours) on topics such as Oral History, American Folklife, American Architecture, Methods and Theories of Material Culture Studies, Introduction to Archives Theory and Practice, Archives Arrangement and Description Practicum, and the museum studies certificate classes on Museum Administration, Education, Exhibits, and Collections Management. In addition, the Department offers special topics courses in public history, such as Local and Regional History Methods or the Community History Practicum. Depending on their career interests, students may also take related courses in anthropology, art, or other departments in consultation with the Public History advisor.
- Concentration in a field of History (12 hours) in U.S., European, World, or a field developed by the student in consultation with the public history advisor and the graduate advisor.
- Historiography (3 hours)
- Public History Internship (3 hours)
- Thesis or Applied Research/Thesis Project (3 hours)
Students have the option of preparing either a full thesis or a thesis/project to complete the degree. The thesis/project allows the student an opportunity to undertake a public history project, often through an internship, and then prepare a scholarly essay (30-35 pages) on an aspect of the project, thus demonstrating his or her skills both as a public historian and as a historian.
Students must also complete a Cultural or Global Literacy Requirement, according to department guidelines. To fulfill this requirement, students have several options. They may fulfill this requirement through two years of a foreign language, with at least a "B" in the final class; a foreign language translation exam, or a foreign language translation class. Another option is to take two graduate seminars in world/European history.