Program Status

The master's program option in "public history" was approved April 27, 1995. It is possible to have public history as a major field or a collateral field. Public history can be done on either the thesis or non-thesis track, although it works best on the non-thesis track when taken as the major field.

Program Options

The major field in public history includes the following requirements:

• HIS 600 Development of Historical Thinking, 3 hrs.
• 600-level Research Seminar, 3 hrs.
• U. S. History electives, 12 hrs.
• HIS 595 Public History, 3 hrs.
• HIS 666 Administration of Historical Organizations, 3 hrs.
• Public History electives, 9 hrs.
• Non-history elective, 3 hrs.

A collateral field in public history requires 12 hours of public history courses.

Thesis/Non-Thesis Option

The major field is designed primarily as a non-thesis program. Students who want to do a thesis should discuss this with their advisor as soon as they are sure that is what they want to do. ln such cases a U.S. history major area with a public history collateral field may be the best approach to take, although a thesis can substitute for course work in the public history major.

Career Preparation

Public history is a professional area. The purpose of a masters degree program is to prepare students to work in the field. This does not mean training for an entry level job, but professional preparation for a successful career. The "best" combination of courses, internships, and other experiences will vary depending on the individual career goals of different students. It is very important tnat students think about their career goals and discuss them with appropriate faculty and public historians. Every student's program should include an internship. In addition students should plan on working on a public history project being conducted in the department, either as a graduate assistant or in some other capacity. Practical experience is extremely important, if not essential, to securing employment and to success in the field. It is unlikely that course work alone will be sufficient to obtain a good first position.

Completing Degrees

Students who are full-time should plan to complete this program in two years. Employment and advancement in the field will require a completed degree in nearly every case. There are jobs at the BA level but they offer very low salaries and limited opportunities for advancement. Students who plan to write a thesis should establish a committee and select a topic by their second semester and begin work on their thesis before completing their course work. Students on the non-thesis option should plan to take their oral exam by late April of their second year so that they graduate in May. This can be done and should be the rule rather than the exception. Students who have not had two years of a foreign language as undergraduates should begin working towards completing the language requirement durng their first semster in residence.

Public History Courses

At this point the department has these public history courses available:

• HIS 592 Historic Preservation
• HIS 595 Public History
• HIS 598 Museurn Studies
• HIS 599 Historic Interpretation Internship
• HIS 665 Oral History; Project Development
• HIS 666 Administration of Historical Organizations
• HIS 667 Archival Principles and Practices
• HIS 691 Directed Studies in Public History

Course "rotation" should insure that all of these courses are offered at least once every two years. These courses are designed to introduce students to the main areas of public history, the internships (done as HIS 599, HIS 69l, or without credit) and directed studies -- as well as student participation in grant- funded projects conducted in the department -- are intended to allow in-depth work in specific areas while providing practical experience.

Courses outside the history department that may be useful in preparing for a public history career include:

• ART 557 Modem Architecture
• ACC 511 Survey of Accounting Principles for Non-Profit Organizations
• GSC 512 Introduction to Remote Sensing
• GSC 521 Geographic Information Systems
• JRT 502 Writing for the Mass Media
• JRT 538 Corporate and Institutional Video
• JRT 591 Advanced Public Relations
• MGT 550 Human Resources Management
• MKT 567 Marketing Planning and Strategy
• OSY 512 Information Management
• OSY 595 Special Problems
• OSY 613 Supervised Readings in Office Administration
• OSY 695 Special Problems
• POL 573 Public Planning and Evaluation
• POL 575 Public Budgetting and Fiscal Administration
• REC 565 Interpretive Services and Park Management
• YAA 501 Seminar on the Nonprofit Voluntary Organization
• YAA 502 Workshop in Financial Resources Development

Some of these course have prerequisites, so advanced planning is important. Students should discuss the appropriateness of these courses to their particular interests and career goals with their advisor before selecting a course.

For information contact: Bill.Mulligan@murraystate.edu

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Updated 10/21/98