Colorado State University* | National Council on Public History

MA in History with a concentration in general Public History or a specialization in Cultural Resource Management and Historic Preservation

Last Updated: May 8, 2024

Department of History
Campus Delivery 1776

Fort Collins, CO 80523-1776

[email protected]

Visit Website

Director(s)

Dr. Leisl Carr Childers
Associate Professor of History
[email protected]
(970)-491-6335

Program Introduction

CSU has been training public historians through our MA program since 1977. We offer fully funded Graduate Teaching Assistantships to 10-11 students each year. Other qualified applicants may be eligible for scholarships and research assistantships when available. We offer three paths to the MA: a Liberal Arts Plan A thesis track, a Liberal Arts Plan B non-thesis track, or a Specialization in Cultural Resource Management/Historic Preservation. Students who wish to study general public history and public-facing interpretation can do so on either the Liberal Arts Plan A thesis or Plan B non-thesis track. Our BA program launched a concentration in Digital and Public History in 2019, which has grown by 5-10 students each year.

Degrees Offered

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

Program Strengths

Digital Media
Historic Preservation
Local/Community History
Oral History
Other

Credit Hour Requirements

34-37

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

MA10-11

MAs produced last year

Full-time Program Staff/Faculty

16 graduate faculty (tenured or tenure track) and 10 teaching faculty (non tenure track)

Financial Aid Available

All graduate applicants are automatically considered for the 10-11 Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) positions awarded annually. Undergraduate students are encouraged to apply for scholarships and other financial aid. CSU is part of WICHE which provides reduced tuition costs.

Deadline To Apply

February 1

Internship Requirements

Internships are recommended for all public history students and required for the Cultural Resource Management/Historic Preservation Specialization at the graduate level and in the undergraduate Digital and Public History Concentration. Internships are typically 3-credit hours and are typically completed during the summer between years 1 and 2. We have placed students in paid internships across the country, working for the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Defense, at State Historic Preservation Offices, at Presidential libraries, in non-profit organizations, local and regional museums, and in the field with CSU Extension, and in state and local governments and at state and local historic sites.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

City of Fort Collins Historic Preservation Division
City of Greeley Historic Preservation Office
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
CSU Avenir Museum
CSU Center for the Environmental Management of Military Lands
CSU Extension (Bee Family Centennial Farm Museum, Art of Ranching Project, Grand County Historical Society, Lincoln County Fair)
CSU Public and Environmental History Center
CSU Special Collections and Archives
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
Greater Portland (Maine) Landmarks
Lory Sate Park
National Wildlife Research Center
Oregon State Historic Preservation Office
Pinyon Environmental Consulting, Inc.
USDA Forest Service
Yellowstone National Park

Job Placement Assistance

Our faculty are committed to providing high-quality mentorship to graduate students. Beyond the personal mentorship graduate students receive from their primary advisors and instructors, our department provides regular professional development, networking opportunities, and job search training.

Job Placement Percentage Within One Year

85% of graduate students in the last 5 years reported employment within one year of graduation. 12% did not report back. Only 3% did not report employment within one year of graduation.

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

Students who study Cultural Resource Management and Historic Preservation or general public history are highly qualified, competitive, and successful on the job market for positions in historic preservation and cultural resources management; museums; non-profit work; and in federal, state, and local government. Some students also go on to complete a doctoral program. Some employers of our graduates and doctoral programs graduates have entered over the last 5 years include:

Army Corps of Engineers (California)
American Quarter Horse Association Foundation (Texas)
Brucemore, Inc. (Iowa)
Castle Rock High School (Colorado)
Center for the Environmental Management of Military Lands (Colorado)
Charlotte Museum of History (North Carolina)
City of Fort Collins Historic Preservation Division (Colorado)
City of Tacoma Historic Preservation Office (Washington)
Clemson University (Alabama)
Colorado State Historic Preservation Office
Colorado State University Extension
Colorado State University Special Collections and Archives
Community College of Aurora (Colorado)
Death Valley National Park (California)
Department of Labor Presidential Fellow
Disability Law Colorado (Colorado)
EBI Consulting (Maryland)
ERO Resources Corporation (Colorado)
Elgin Public Museum of Natural History & Anthropology (Illinois)
Frisco Historic Park and Museum (Colorado)
Front Range Community College (Colorado)
Geary County Historical Society (Kansas)
Global Village Museum (Colorado)
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum (Missouri)
History Colorado (Colorado)
Jessica Greer Dressage (Colorado)
Kohl Children’s Museum (Illinois)
Library of Congress (Washington, DC)
McLoughlin Memorial Association (Oregon)
McNay Art Museum (Texas)
Mead & Hunt (Colorado)
Metcalf Archaeological Consultants (Colorado)
Minnesota Department of Transportation
Montana State Historic Preservation Office
Montana State University
National Park Service Heritage Partnerships Program
National Park Service Community Ambassadors Program
National Park Service Park Cultural Landscapes Program
National Wildlife Research Center (Colorado)
Notre Dame University (Indiana)
Oklahoma State University
Penn State University (Pennsylvania)
Pinyon Environmental, Inc. (Colorado)
Polco
Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park (Arkansas)
Rodger Quist Middle School (Colorado)
San Diego State University Research Foundation (California)
San Juan Mountain Association (Colorado)
Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC)
Stevens Historical Research Associates (Idaho)
Tallgrass Prairie Center (Iowa)
Truman Presidential Library and Museum (Missouri)
University of Kansas
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Oklahoma
Wendover Productions (Colorado)
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (Colorado)
Windsor History Museum (Colorado)
Woodburn High School (Oregon)

Community & Institutional Connections

The public history faculty have built centers and developed relationships with regional partners to facilitate the training of students in public history. Many of these partnerships are with historic preservation, cultural resource management, and public lands management entities. Below is a short list of our major partners.