Duquesne University* | National Council on Public History

Public History

Last Updated: November 25, 2024

College Hall
600 Forbes Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282

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Director(s)

Dr. Philipp Stelzel
Graduate Director, History and Public History
412-396-2633
611 College Hall

Dr. Jennifer Whitmer Taylor, Assistant Professor of Public History

[email protected]

607 College Hall

Dr. Stephanie Gray, Assistant Professor of Public History

[email protected]

605 College Hall

Program Introduction

Established in 1979, Duquesne’s Public History program admits ten to fourteen students each year. It offers a master’s degree in public history, with approximately half of the students’ credits in public history courses and internships. The number of graduates of the program over its thirty years is approaching 200.

Program Introduction

Established in 1979, Duquesne University’s Public History program offers an MA in Public History and an Undergraduate Public History Certificate. Both programs admit an average of 10-14 students per year. The Master’s Program emphasizes experiential learning with two required internships and boasts over 200 alumni.

Degrees Offered

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

Program Strengths

Archival Practices
Digital Media
Historic Preservation
Local/Community History
Material Culture
Museum Studies
Oral History

Credit Hour Requirements

30 for M.A. in History; 36 for M.A. in Public History

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

BA50

MA10-14

MAs produced last year

7 M.A. in History; 9 M.A. in Public History

Full-time Program Staff/Faculty

9 full-time faculty member (2 public historians)

Financial Aid Available

Assistantships, merit based
Tuition Scholarships (25% if eligible)
2 paid internships

Deadline To Apply

For Fall admissions and funding consideration Feb. 1; For Spring admissions Nov. 1

Internship Requirements

All public history graduate students complete two supervised internships with approved partner organizations. Students can schedule their internship for the fall, spring, or summer. Each internship must be no less than 125 hours of work at an approved sponsoring institution to receive three (3) hours of credit. In total, graduate students complete 6 credit hours of internships. Before each internship, students draft an internship contract in conjunction with their supervisor and internship director. At the end of the experience, students produce a reflection essay or deliverable portfolio.

Undergraduate students in the Public History Certificate program must complete one internship. 120 hours of work can be completed for three (3) credits, 80 hours of work for two (2) credits, and 40 hours of work for one (1) credit.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

Senator John Heinz History Center
Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area
The Frick Pittsburgh Museums and Garden
Dollar Bank Corporate Headquarters
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Pittsburgh International Airport
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Shenandoah National Park
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
In Sisterhood: the Women’s Movement in Pittsburgh

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

Carnegie Science Center
Missouri State Museum
GAI Consultants Inc.
National Museum of the United State Army
Dumbarton Oaks
New Jersey Cultural Trust
The Frick Pittsburgh Museums and Gardens

Community & Institutional Connections

Senator John Heinz History Center
Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area
The Frick Pittsburgh Museums and Garden
Dollar Bank Corporate Headquarters
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
In Sisterhood: the Women’s Movement in Pittsburgh
Elsinore Bennu Think Tank
Gumburg Library and Archives

Public History Certificate-Undergraduate

Last Updated: January 17, 2024

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Program Introduction

The undergraduate certificate in public history allows you to expand on your liberal arts education and develop hands-on skills in fields such as museum studies, archival methods, historic preservation, grant writing, oral history and the digital humanities.

You’ll learn from Duquesne's public history faculty—leading practitioners in the field, work in our Digital Lab and Oral History Studio, and enroll in internships with community partners like the Heinz History Center, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and the city of Pittsburgh.

With a public history certificate, you’ll find job opportunities in government as well as for-profit and not-for-profit entities, including museums, archives, libraries, state and national parks, historic homes and corporations. You’ll also be well qualified for entering a graduate M.A. or Ph.D. public history program upon graduation.

Degrees Offered

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

Credit Hour Requirements

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

BA50

MA18

Full-time Program Staff/Faculty

9 full time faculty members

Internship Requirements

This is a special elective for a history major interested in and qualified to apprentice with a history organization (archive, museum, or historical society). The student has to meet both College (2.5 GPA) and departmental (at least 2.7 in a minimum of 5 history courses) requirements to take the internship. To earn 3 credits the student must have 120 contact hours with the history institution. Two credits require 80 contact hours, and 1 credit requires 50 contact hours. The student will also have a writing assignment. There is also the Liberal Arts internship, CLPRG 401, but it will not count for the major. For College procedures, see http://www.duq.edu/liberalarts/undergraduate/internships/index.cfm.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

Heinz History Center, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, and the city of Pittsburgh