Undergraduate Certificate in Public History
The Undergraduate Certificate in Public History trains students to work in the field of public history. Our program includes instruction on how to plan and administering public history projects; how to work with community and organizational partners; how to interpret history for the public; and how to deploy historical methods in a wide variety of settings and for a wide variety of organizations, agencies and clients. Internships allow students to work on real-world history projects with organizations and thereby gain skills and hands-on experience while also developing professional contacts that prepare them for a dynamic career in the twenty-first-century workforce.
Course of Study and Requirements
For certificate requirements and classes, visit the .
There is no application to fill out, but if you are interested in pursuing the Undergraduate Certificate in Public History, reach out to your academic advisor and/or the Director of the Public History Program. This will get the certificate added to Degree Works and allow the advisor and director to help you to plan for completion of the certificate. You will also be added to an email list alerting students to internship and job opportunities, as well as other fun public history announcements.
Core Courses
HSTA 275: Making History Public ~ Instructor: Professor Claire Arcenas
Our core public history course introduces students to the methods, theories, and ethics that guide how public historians exhibit history in museums, engage the public with digital projects, provide historical context in public places, work with local communities, and use historical expertise in government and the courts. Students discuss current and past controversies in public history (such as Confederate monuments) and survey how the digital age has transformed aspects of public history. With faculty guidance, students work on a class project that provides hands-on experience with a real public history project.