Most people in the United States have little interaction with professional historical researchers; instead, they interact with the past through museums, historic sites, documentary films, websites, and other public history spaces. The Public History Minor combines history, management, communication, civic engagement, and marketing skills, all needed by staff and leaders at museums, historical sites, and other cultural work. This minor helps prepare students for initial positions leading to careers in museums, historical interpretation, historic preservations, heritage tourism, historical archives, and oral history programs. The minor also prepares students for graduate study leading to careers in the growing field of public history with coursework in the foundations, methods, theories, and ethics of public history. While this minor can complement many different majors, it may be of particular interest to students majoring in Communication, Education, English, History, Modern Foreign Languages, Public Service and Global Affairs, or Theatre.
Student Learning Objectives
Students will:
- demonstrate competency in researching and writing history.
- demonstrate an understanding of the significance of history to a broader public beyond academia.
- demonstrate understanding of collaboration challenges with community partners working on a public history project.
- identify potential career options that draw on their work for the public history minor.
Return to: