The Public History Track in the History MA program is designed to teach students how to preserve and interpret history while engaging a broad variety of audiences. Students who wish to pursue careers in community and local history, digital history, historic site preservation and administration, museum studies, oral history, heritage tourism, or a variety of other careers that employ applied research will find this degree valuable and rewarding.
Courses in the Public History Track allow students to learn the theories, methods, and technical skills historians use as they put history to work in the world. They build on the foundation of reading colloquia and research seminars that are firmly located in time and space to explicitly focus on the practice of history.
Track Prerequisites
A bachelor's degree in History (or an equivalent).
Degree Requirements
Required Courses (Core)
9 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- HIS5067 - Introduction to Public History (3)
- HIS6159 - Historiography (3)
- HIS6905 - History Capstone Class (3)
Required Courses (Specialization)
15 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
Public History- 9 Credit Hours- Complete at least 3 of the following:
- AMH6346 - Seminar in the History of American Automobility (3)
- HIS6592 - Seminar in Oral History (3)
- HIS5083 - Cultural Heritage Management (3)
- HIS5925 - History in the Digital Age (3)
- HIS6165 - Digital Tools for Historians (3)
- HIS5088 - Readings in Curation and Public History (3)
- HIS6094 - Seminar in Curation and New Media (3)
- HIS6167 - Spatial History (3)
- HIS6942 - Internship (3)
- AMH6429 - Seminar in Community and Local History (3)
- HIS6096 - Seminar in Historic Preservation (3)
Western Hemisphere Courses: Caribbean, North American, or South American - 6 Credit Hours- Complete at least 2 of the following:
- AMH5116 - Colloquium in Early American History (3)
- AMH5169 - Colloquium in the American Early Republic (3)
- AMH5176 - Colloquium in Civil War and Reconstruction (3)
- AMH5296 - Colloquium in 20th Century U.S. (3)
- HIS5503 - History of Technology (3)
- AMH5391 - Colloquium in U.S. Cultural History (3)
- AMH5406 - Colloquium in American South (3)
- AMH5077 - Colloquium in Twentieth Century Tourism (3)
- AMH6346 - Seminar in the History of American Automobility (3)
- HIS5926 - Colloquium: History of Women and Gender (3)
- AMH5636 - Colloquium in US Environmental History (3)
- AMH5925 - Colloquium in US Military History (3)
- AMH6939 - Seminar in U.S. History (3)
- LAH5920 - Colloquium in Latin American History (3)
Elective Courses
6 Total Credits
Eastern Hemisphere Courses: African, Asian and Middle Eastern, or European- Complete at least 2 of the following:
- AFH5259 - Colloquium in African History (3)
- AFH5806 - The Historiography of Slavery in Africa (3)
- ASH5229 - History of the Middle East (3)
- ASH5408 - Colloquium in Modern China (3)
- ASH5485 - U.S. China Relations (3)
- ASH5925 - Colloquium in South Asian History (3)
- ASH6936 - Seminar in US-China Relations (3)
- EUH5419 - Colloquium in Roman History (3)
- EUH5459 - Colloquium in French History (3)
- EUH5546 - Colloquium: British History (3)
- EUH5905 - European Imperialism (3)
- EUH5925 - Colloquium in Medieval Europe (3)
- EUH5208 - Colloquium in Early Modern History (3)
- EUH6939 - Seminar in European History (3)
- EUH5579 - Colloquium in Soviet Russia (3)
Thesis
6 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
Hours- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: HIS 6971 Thesis The culminating event of the program is a minimum of six credit hours at the 6000-level developing and sustaining a historical argument in writing according to the accepted professional and ethical standards of the discipline.
Thesis or Project Defense- The final step in completing the thesis requirement is a one-hour oral defense before the thesis committee.
Comprehensive Examination
0 Total Credits
- Each candidate for the Master of Arts in History must pass written examinations in two fields upon conclusion of regular course work and before beginning a thesis. These examinations must be taken and passed as part of the requirements for the capstone course. Students are provided two attempts at successfully passing the examinations. Each student will also submit a thesis prospectus and preliminary bibliography, which the three members of the student's thesis committee judge acceptable as the preliminary step to beginning the thesis. An oral defense of the written exams and the thesis prospectus and bibliography is also a requirement of the capstone course.
Foreign Language Competency
0 Total Credits
- Students will also be expected to demonstrate reading competency in a foreign language translation examination. The foreign language examination (FLE) must be completed one semester prior to the thesis defense. For detailed information on the History Foreign Language Exam requirement and process, please see the department's MA program handbook.
Grand Total Credits: 36
Application Requirements
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
The Public History track requires a minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree, including 9 credit hours of required core courses, 15 credit hours in the public history area of concentration, and 6 credit hours of elective courses taken outside of the area of concentration. All students must pass a foreign language translation examination, pass a capstone written examination in two fields, and successfully complete and defend their thesis or project. No graduate credit is given for any grade lower than "B-."
Students have the option to take up to two (2) graduate courses (6 hours) in another UCF department/program at the discretion of the History MA Graduate Director. Students must meet in person with the Graduate Director prior to enrollment in the proposed course, with written information about the course and justification before approval will be granted. Any course outside the history program will replace the student's independent study option. Only two (2) courses from any graduate certificate program (i.e. GIS, Women's Studies) can be counted toward the History MA degree.
