Public History Track

Last Updated: November 10, 2025

Department of History
PO Box 644030, Washington State University

Pullman, WA 99164-4030

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Director(s)

Jeffrey Sanders, [email protected], 509-335-7508

Lawrence Hatter, [email protected], 509-335-7298

Program Introduction

The public history program at Washington State University was established in 1979 and offers both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. WSU’s public history mission is two-fold: 1) to train its graduate students in rigorous historical inquiry and debate that will advance their archival research and writing skills within both academic and public contexts; 2) to train its graduate students to work collaboratively on historical projects with a broad range of audiences and institutions, thereby preparing them for university and non-teaching positions in a wide field of public history subfields.

Degrees Offered

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

Program Strengths

  • Archival Practices
  • Historic Preservation
  • Local/Community History
  • Oral History
  • Public Policy
  • Publishing

Credit Hour Requirements

The M.A. degree requires 30 semester hours beyond the B.A. degree. The Ph.D. degree requires 72 semester hours beyond the B.A. degree.

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

MA5

PhD5

MAs produced last year

4

Full-time Program Staff/Faculty

22 graduate faculty members

Financial Aid Available

• Teaching assistantships
• WICHE in-state tuition status
• Extramural funding opportunities
• A number of M.A. And Ph.D. Scholarships are awarded competitively two times a year

Deadline To Apply

January 10

Internship Requirements

M.A. and Ph.D. students develop their internship plans in consultation with their public history mentor. A three semester credit hour internship is the minimum, comprising 120 hours, but internships may be up to ten semester hours, comprising 400 hours. The department strives to ensure that graduate students interns are compensated.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

  • Hanford History Project
  • Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) at WSU Libraries
  • Whitman County Historical Society

Job Placement Percentage Within One Year

95%

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

  • RailsWest History Museum
  • Central Wyoming University
  • National Museum of Military Vehicles
  • LDS Church History Department
  • Michael Baker International

Community & Institutional Connections

  • Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) at WSU Libraries
  • Hanford History Project
  • Plateau Center for Native American Research
  • Washington State Parks
  • Nez Perce National Historic Park
  • Latah County Historical Society
  • Whitman County Historical Society