Requirements for the major with Concentration
The public history concentration prepares students for careers in museum work, state and national parks, historic sites, historical societies, public and private archives, historic preservation and government agencies that employ historians; or for graduate study in the field of public history. It combines a strong foundation in American history with specialized coursework and practice in public history.
Students must fulfill the following requirements for the concentration, along with the regular requirements for the history major. (Note: Some of the specific concentration requirements will also fulfill more general history major requirements.) The concentration requires 30 credits.
Required courses (9 credits):
| HIST 208 | Introduction to Public History | 3.0 |
| HIST 217 | History of the United States to 1877 | 3.0 |
| HIST 218 | History of the United States since 1877 | 3.0 |
Two of the following (6 credits):
Three of the following courses (9-10 credits):
| ENSP 103 | Intro to Geographic Information Systems | 4.0 |
| HIST 371E | Topics in Public History | 3.0 |
| HIST 381 | Collections: Museums and Archives | 3.0 |
| HIST 382 | Exhibiting History | 3.0 |
| MGMT 315 | Managing Nonprofit Organizations | 3.0 |
Two of the following introductory World History courses (6 credits)
| HIST 264 | Ancient and Medieval World to 1200 | 3.0 |
| HIST 265 | Medieval and Early Modern World, 1200-1800 | 3.0 |
| HIST 266 | The Modern World, 1750 to Present | 3.0 |
Three required Methodology Courses (9 credits)
| HIST 373 | Research and Writing in History | 3.0 |
| HIST 399 | Internship in History | 3.0 - 15.0 |
| HIST 470 | Seminar: Topics in History | 3.0 |
Three more courses, distributed as follows (9 credits)
- At least one course must be from each of the following three areas,
- At least two courses must be 300-level history courses, and
- at least one course must focus mainly on a time period before 1500 (i.e., an ancient or medieval period); the ancient/medieval courses are: HIST 202, HIST 300, HIST 309, HIST 312, HIST 314, HIST 347, HIST 354, HIST 365, HIST 366, HIST 371A and are noted as (E) for “Early” after course description:
One course in American History (3 credits)
| HIST 318 | Colonial and Revolutionary America | 3.0 |
| HIST 319 | The Civil War and Reconstruction | 3.0 |
| HIST 320 | America in the Sixties | 3.0 |
| HIST 338 | The Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 1877-1929 | 3.0 |
| HIST 339 | New Deal America, 1929-2000 | 3.0 |
| HIST 353 | US Foreign Relations since World War II | 3.0 |
| HIST 358 | African Americans and Sports | 3.0 |
| HIST 359 | Black Women in America | 3.0 |
| HIST 371B | Topics in American History | 3.0 |
| HIST 376 | American Frontiers | 3.0 |
| HIST 377 | Civil Rights and Black Power | 3.0 |
| HIST 378 | Blacks and American Law | 3.0 |
| HIST 379 | Making of the American City | 3.0 |
| HIST 380 | The Native American Experience | 3.0 |
One course in European History (3 credits)
One course in Global History (3 credits)
Preparation for Graduate School and Professional Studies
Students who plan to attend graduate school in history should work closely with a departmental adviser both to develop the credentials necessary for admission to a graduate program and to gain expertise in a specific area of historical interest. The department advises that students aiming for graduate study complete a minimum of 40 credits in history at the 200 level or above; choose an informal concentration within the major; take four courses in cognate fields of study (archaeology, art history, English, economics, political science, philosophy, religion and sociology, among others); and become proficient in at least one foreign language.
History is also an excellent preparation for law school and other professional programs. Students interested in such a career path should consult the appropriate pre-professional adviser. Students preparing for law school are advised to take courses in American and British history, with additional coursework in English, economics and philosophy.