Graduate Certificate in Public History

Last Updated: February 4, 2021

Department of History
PO Box 8054

Statesboro, GA 30460

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Director(s)

Michael Scott Van Wagenen, Ph.D.
Public History Coordinator
[email protected]
(912) 478-5466

Program Introduction

In 2013 the Department of History at Georgia Southern University launched the Graduate Certificate in Public History program. The certificate may be earned as a stand-alone credential or in conjunction with a History MA. We accept 6-10 students annually who are able to work at a number of regional historical sites in Statesboro and Savannah. The university has two museums which serve as a laboratory for the certificate students. GSU is also home of the Visual History Summer Institute, and our students have access to a variety of documentary film resources.

Degrees Offered

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

Program Strengths

  • Digital Media
  • Film/Video
  • Historical Archaeology
  • Local/Community History
  • Material Culture
  • Museum Studies
  • Oral History

Credit Hour Requirements

15 credit hours for the certificate plus an additional 21 hours for the MA for students interested in earning both

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

MA6-10 certificate students

MAs produced last year

7 certificates awarded

Financial Aid Available

We offer several graduate assistantships which cover tuition (both in-state and out-of-state) and provide a stipend. Some of our GAs serve as teaching assistants, while others work at historical sites and museums in Statesboro and nearby Savannah.

Deadline To Apply

March 1 - priority deadline

Internship Requirements

Certificate students are required to take HIST 7791 Graduate Internship in History which requires 150 hours of service at a local historical site. The following semester they enroll in HIST 7990 Non-Thesis Project in History and complete a major public project at that site which is presented to the community and defended to the faculty.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

Georgia Historical Society
National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force
Fort Pulaski National Monument
Bonaventure Historical Society
South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust
Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens
Portal Historical Society
Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center

Job Placement Assistance

We offer an annual career fair and hands-on career guidance during the last year of the program and beyond.

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

Georgia Historical Society
Old Fort Jackson
Telfair Museums
Georgia State Railroad Museum
Thronateeska Heritage Center
Our students also teach at high schools and continue on to MLIS programs