University of Massachusetts Boston* | National Council on Public History

History MA/Public History Track

Last Updated: February 4, 2021

History Department
100 Morrissey Blvd.

Boston, MA 02125

[email protected]

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Director(s)

Jane Becker
Director of Public History
[email protected]
617-287-6885

Program Introduction

Established in 2009, the UMass Boston Public History Track typically admits 10-15 students each year. Approximately 40 public history track students have graduated since 2011; an average of 4-5 students graduate from the public history track each academic year. The department offers a History MA/Public History Track; we also offer a History MA/Archives Track, and a Certificate in Archives. The Public History Track prepares students for careers in history working with and for the public. Public History students have multiple opportunities to gain field experience, including an individualized internship. Students may also take advantage of our cross-disciplinary public history and archives curriculum, which trains them for a wide variety of career settings. At UMass Boston, our students use the Greater Boston area as an exciting laboratory for historical inquiry, collaborating with local historical organizations, and the diverse communities that have shaped this region, past and present.

Degrees Offered

M.A. in History
M.A. in History with a Certificate or Concentration in Public History
Other

Program Strengths

Archival Practices
Historical Archaeology
Local/Community History
Oral History

Credit Hour Requirements

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

MA10-15

MAs produced last year

Financial Aid Available

Assistantships, tuition waivers, in-state tuition status, New England Regional Tuition Break Program, loans

Deadline To Apply

January 15

Internship Requirements

The public history internship coordinator works with individual students to arrange the internship, in consultation with the student and potential partners/sponsors, taking into consideration both the needs of the institution and the professional goals and interests of the student. The public history internship is required for Public History Track students. It earns three credit hours; students must fulfill at least 120 hours of work in order to gain full credit.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

Adams National Historical Park
Boston Athenaeum
Buttonwoods Museum
Cambridge Historical Society
Countway Library, Center for the History of Medicine
Dudley Square Neighborhood Initiative
Facing History and Ourselves
Historic New England
Historic Newton
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Kalaupapa National Historical Park
Lexington Historical Society
Lowell National Historical Park
Lynn History Museum
Nantucket Historical Association
Nichols House Museum
Old Colony History Museum
President James K. Polk State Historic Site
Proyecto Tlalocan/National Institute of Anthropology and History (Mexico)
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Trustees of Reservations
USS Constitution Museum

Job Placement Assistance

Our program offers and supports professional networking, requires professional development activities, and individualized internship placements and capstone projects in the field. Program faculty and staff provide career guidance, referrals, and references.

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