Master of Arts in Public History

The M.A. in Public History integrates traditional graduate study in history with professional training in the skills used in the public and private sectors. The program offers a choice of three areas of concentration for the major field: museum management, historic preservation, and archive administration. In addition, students complete course work in a minor field within the general graduate history curriculum, usually but not necessarily US to 1877 or US since 1789. Further information is available on the Public History page of the department website.

Students in the Public History program may apply to the university’s McKissick Museum to enter the Museum Management Certificate Program and to the Department of Anthropology to earn a Certificate in Historical Archaeology and Cultural Resources Management. Students in the archives track may apply to the School of Library and Information Science to enter the M.A./M.L.I.S. joint degree program. Students in the M.A./M.L.I.S. joint program should prepare and file separate Programs of Study for each degree but submit them to the Graduate School together.

Ph.D. candidates interested in Public History should consult the Requirements for Ph.D. in History and the Sample Ph.D. Program with M.A. in Public History.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

1. Candidates for the M.A. in Public History take a minimum of 36 semester hours, of which 21 hours are in Public History courses and 15 hours are in other history courses. They also write a master’s thesis, take an oral comprehensive examination, and produce and defend and a portfolio summarizing their classroom and practical experiences. Required courses include:

2. 3 hours of History graduate gateway course (HIST 720 or HIST 816)

3. Major Field in Public History (18 hours)

a. 12 hours of course work chosen from one of the three concentrations:

Museums: two courses in the museums core (HIST 787, HIST 789, MUSM 700, MUSM 701); two courses chosen from HIST 692, HIST 781, HIST 786, ARTH 543, ARTH 560, ARTH 561, ARTH 562, MUSM 703, MUSM 704, or a remaining core course.

Historic Preservation: two courses in the preservation core (HIST 692, HIST 712, HIST 789, HIST 792, ARTH 542); two courses chosen from HIST 786, ARTH 790, ANTH 545, ANTH 576, ANTH 742, ANTH 745, or a remaining core course.

Archives: two courses in the archives core (HIST 790, HIST 791, SLIS 719, SLIS 750); two courses chosen from HIST 786, SLIS 710, SLIS 724, SLIS 734, SLIS 797, or a remaining core course.

Note: As appropriate to their courses of study and with the approval of their advisors, students may petition to make substitutions for one or more of the above courses.

b. 3 hours in one additional Public History course outside the field of concentration.

c. 3 hours of internship (HIST 798). Students in the M.A./M.L.I.S. joint program should enroll in SLIS 794.

4. Minor Field in the History Core (15 hours)

a. 3 hours of historiography (HIST 796 or HIST 797 as appropriate). With the approval of their advisers, students minoring in United States history may substitute HIST 701, HIST 702, HIST 703, or an appropriate thematic historiographical reading seminar for HIST 797.

b. 9 hours in the minor field of study, 3 of which must be an overview of the field (HIST 701-712) and 3 of which must be an 800-level research seminar.

c. 3 hours of thesis preparation (HIST 799)

5. The master’s thesis will ordinarily be a revised version of the student’s 800-level research paper, submitted as an article-length, potentially publishable essay. The thesis shall be prepared for submission according to the current regulations of The Graduate School

6. An oral comprehensive examination on the student’s M.A. thesis. In this examination, the student will be asked to place his or her thesis in historiographical perspective.

a. Grades on the M.A. examination are given on the following scale: A, A-, B+, B, B- and F.

b. If a student fails, the complete exam may be retaken one time. The examination will be administered by the same examiners.

7. A reading knowledge of one foreign language is required. With the approval of the Graduate Committee, candidates may substitute competency in an appropriate research methodology such as GIS, which is valuable for work in historic preservation.

8. Normally no more than 6 hours of courses may be taken at the 500- or 600-level. All other courses shall be at the 700- or 800-level. No more than 6 hours of credit for courses offered by television or radio may be counted toward the degree. Any HIST 800-level course with the exceptions of 815 and 816 may be taken twice. Thesis research and writing (HIST 799) may be taken as many times as deemed necessary by the student’s adviser and with the approval of the Graduate Committee.

9. Students shall finish the program with at least a “B”average. If a student produces any six hours of work with a grade below a “B,” or for any three hours receives an “F,” that person will be dropped from the program and disqualified from receiving a graduate degree in history from the University of South Carolina. These rules do not apply to a “U” in a foreign language course.

10. M.A. courses and language examinations for M.A. students are valid for six years. Individual history courses in a student's program may be revalidated by repetition and successful completion of the course or by a written and/or oral examination administered by an appropriate member of the faculty. Students seeking to revalidate a course by examination must pay to the University a fee for each course revalidated.