Program Options

UMass Boston offers two face-to-face options for studying public history: History MA/Public History Track, and the graduate level Public History Certificate.  Both options prepare students for careers in history working with and for the public in a variety of settings.  We support community endeavors to document, preserve, and interpret their histories, and partner with regional historical organizations.

Curriculum

Training in historical methodology is a crucial foundation for practicing public historians. This is reflected in the structure of our program—public history students earn an MA in History rather than a specialized MA in Public History. Public History students need to gain strong subject-area knowledge and research skills as well as an introduction to the theory and methods of public history. This model provides a cross-disciplinary approach that benefits professional training for public history students.Â