Public History Program
Last Updated: November 1, 2023
1032 W. Loyola Ave.
History Department
Chicago, IL 60660
Director(s)
Theodore J. Karamanski
773-508-8264
Program Introduction
Public History at Loyola University Chicago began in 1980 as one of the first programs in the Midwest to launch such a curriculum at the Master's level. At this time, public history was a very new field in the history discipline, and Loyola's inauguration of its MA program coincided with the founding of the National Council on Public History (NCPH) in 1980. Our own Professors Ted Karamanski and Patricia Mooney-Melvin were active leaders in the formation of NCPH, and both would later serve terms as NCPH Presidents. Dr. Karamanski spearheaded the first NCPH code of ethics.
The Masters in Public History is the core of the Loyola program. It is a 31 semester credit hours program. There is also a Joint Public History MA/MLIS Program we partner with Dominican University. Our doctoral program continues to be the only one of its kind in the Midwest (and only Jesuit institution in the country) that allows graduates to pursue public history work at the doctoral level, and the addition of this degree program indicated the growing need and influence of public history professionals working in the academy and in administrative roles in the public and private sectors.
The 2020-2021 academic year marked the 40th anniversary of Loyola University's Public History program.
187 Public History MAs
20 Public History MA/Master's in Library and Information Systems Dual Degrees
26 Joint Public History/American History PhDs
Degrees Offered
- M.A. in Public History
- Ph.D. in History
- Other
Program Strengths
- Archival Practices
- Digital Media
- Historic Preservation
- Historical Administration
- Library Science Program
- Local/Community History
- Material Culture
- Museum Studies
- Oral History
Credit Hour Requirements
MA: 31 Hours
How Many Students are Admitted Annually
MA5-8
PhD2-3
MAs produced last year
7
Full-time Program Staff/Faculty
Theodore Karamanski
Elizabeth Fraterrigo
Patricia Mooney-Melvin
Brad Hunt
Christopher Cantwell
Financial Aid Available
Assistantships
Partial Tuition Waiver
Deadline To Apply
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis
Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years
- Illinois Holocaust Museum
- National Park Service, Washington, DC Office
- Pullman National Monument
- National Museum of the American Indian
- Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
- National Railroad Museum
- Field Museum of Natural History
- Winnetka Historical Society
- Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership
- Fredericksburg National Battlefield Park
- Newberry Library
- Journal of the Plague Year
- Landmark Illinois
- Pritzker Military Library and Museum
- First Division Museum
- Evanston History Center
- Frances Willard House Museum and Archives
Job Placement Assistance
Regular posting of job opportunities, networking with area partner institutions, and large alumni network.
Job Placement Percentage Within One Year
80-90%Employers Who Have Hired Graduates from this Program within the Past Five Years
- St. Louis University Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project
- Midwest Collaborative for Library Sciences
- Texas State University – San Marcos
- Omnia History
- Winnetka Historical Society
- New Brunswick Theological Seminary
- Kroll Associates, Inc.
- National Parks Service
- University of Wisconsin
- Chicago Field Museum
- Luci Creative
- Newberry Library
- EBI Consulting
- Washington Trust for Historic Preservation
- Missouri Historical Society
- HNTP Corporation
- University of Northern Colorado
- Milwaukee Public Museum
- University of Maine
- South Dakota State Library
- Chicago Film Archives
- Lake County Forest Preserve District
- First Division Museum
Community & Institutional Connections
Chicago Metropolitan area, regional, and national institutions.