Public History Program, Master's Degree

Last Updated: May 20, 2022

Texas State University
601 University Drive

San Marcos, TX 78666

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Director(s)

Dr. Peter Dedek, Coordinator, [email protected]

Program Introduction

The graduate program in public history at Texas State formed in 1997. The program offers a Master of Arts (MA) in history with an emphasis in public history. Approximately fifteen graduating students receive the MA each year. The curriculum is built around the core areas of public history in the areas of historic preservation, archives, cultural resource management, local and community history, digital history, and historical museums. Students engage in a wide variety of public history practice throughout their coursework. The study of public history at Texas State combines solid traditional historical scholarship with extensive training in public history to prepare graduates for a variety of history-related professions.

Degrees Offered

  • B.A. in History
  • M.A. in History
  • M.A. in History with a Certificate or Concentration in Public History

Program Strengths

  • Archival Practices
  • Digital Media
  • Editing
  • Historical Administration
  • Historic Preservation
  • Local/Community History
  • Material Culture
  • Museum Studies
  • Oral History

Credit Hour Requirements

36 non-thesis; 39 w/ thesis

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

MA12-15

MAs produced last year

12

Full-time Program Staff/Faculty

Dr. Peter Dedek, Coordinator, [email protected]

Dr Ruby Oram, internship coordinator, [email protected] 512.245.2122

Dr. Justin Randolf, public outreach coordinator, [email protected]  512.245.0157

Dr. Louis Valencia, [email protected] 512.245.2103

Financial Aid Available

We offer paid graduate instructional assistantships, various private scholarships, graduate college scholarships, and other financial aid. We also offer the Kenneth and Patricia Margerison Graduate Research Fellowship where 2 students are granted funds to fully cover graduate tuition and fees.

Deadline To Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis

Internship Requirements

Students find internships with the help of faculty members utilizing a large range of sites in Texas and beyond with which the program has built working relationships. Students take the internship course for three graduate credits. Most of our internships are paid, but students sometimes do unpaid internships at sites that particularly interest them. We require that the work of all interns is supervised by qualified professionals. Most students do their internship during the summer after their first year of study.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

  • Austin History Center, Austin, Texas
  • Burns & McDonnell, Austin, Texas
  • Center for Archeological Studies, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
  • Collection Oral Histories of HIV/AIDS, Houston, Texas
  • French Legation State Historical Site, Austin, Texas
  • George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, College Station, Texas
  • George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Austin, Texas
  • Lucasfilm, San Francisco, California
  • Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, Texas
  • National Collaborative of Women’s History Sites, Mount Laurel, New Jersey
  • National Park Service
  • Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs, Cultural Resources, Austin, Texas
  • Texas Historical Commission, Austin, Texas
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, Texas
  • Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas

Job Placement Assistance

We work with students on an individual basis to help them to secure jobs.

Job Placement Percentage Within One Year

75%

Employers Who Have Hired Graduates from this Program within the Past Five Years

  • Alvin Community College, Alvin, Texas
  • Blanton & Associates consultants, environmental services, Austin, Texas
  • Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Heritage Society of New Braunfels, New Braunfels, Texas
  • Historic Houston, Houston, Texas
  • Historic Preservation Planning Office, City of Houston, Houston, Texas
  • Historical Foundation for Texas Renewable Energy, Austin, TX
  • McFaddin-Ward House Museum, Beaumont, Texas
  • National Park Service, Charles Pickney National Historic Site, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
  • New Braunfels Conservation Society, New Braunfels, Texas
  • Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Cultural Resources Program, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Oregon Heritage: State Historic Preservation Office, Oregon
  • Texas Department of State Health Services Records Management, Austin, TX
  • Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs, Cultural Resources, Austin, TX
  • Texas Historical Commission, Austin, TX

Community & Institutional Connections

  • Austin History Center, Austin, Texas
  • Center for Archeological Studies, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
  • Texas Historical Commission, Austin, Texas
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, Texas
  • The Calaboose African American History Museum, San Marcos, Texas
  • The Hays County Historical Society, San Marcos, Texas
  • The Center for Texas Music History, San Marcos, Texas
  • The Center for the Study of the Southwest, San Marcos, Texas