Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Curriculum

Public History students at IUPUI receive training in traditional historical skills with an emphasis on delivering historical scholarship to diverse audiences.  We have designed the public history curriculum to (1) train students in the research, analytical, and communications skills that are common to all historians; (2) provide them with a combination of classroom instruction and practical experience in applying the historian’s skills in the public arena; (3) inform them of career options in public history; and (4) make them aware of the professional and ethical dimensions of public history.

Some of the core classes are the same as those taken by "traditional" Masters students including History of Historical Thought (H500) or Historical Methodology (H501), a Readings Colloquium (H650), and a Research Seminar (H750).  Public History students write a thesis of sixty to ninety pages (H898).

Public history students take Introduction to Public History (H542) during their first semester in the program, which is an intensive introduction to the literature, theory, and practice of the field.
Public history students must complete four hours of Internship (H543), arranged through the Director of Public History.

The curriculum features a number of Special Topics courses (H547) that offer in-depth exploration of public history subject areas, including Historic Preservation, Historic Site Interpretation, Historical Administration, Documentary Editing, Material History, Local and Community History, and Introduction to Archival Practice.

Public history students may take up to six hours of credit outside of history, including but not limited to Museum Studies, Cultural Resources Management, and related classes that add breadth and depth to their training.

The department strongly encourages public history students to compete their degree in two calendar years.  We do not guarantee funding for third-year students.

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