Public History Program

Last Updated: December 3, 2021

Department of History, MSC 3H
New Mexico State University, PO Box 30001

Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001

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Director(s)

Peter A. Kopp
[email protected]
575-646-4037

Program Introduction

The New Mexico State University Public History Program, founded in 1983, offers an M.A. in History with a specialization in Public History, as well as a certificate in museum studies and a certificate in cultural resource management. We admit approximately 8-10 students every year (on a year-round basis) and have had approximately 145 graduates in the past thirty years.

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
  • Editing
  • Historic Preservation
  • Local/Community History
  • Museum Studies
  • Oral History
  • Other

Credit Hour Requirements

36

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

BAN/A

MA8-10

PhDN/A

Financial Aid Available

Scholarships
Fellowships
Assistantships
In-State Status

Deadline To Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis

Internship Requirements

Internships are arranged through collaboration between students, professors, and sponsoring organizations. They total 3 credit hours and a total of 135 working hours. We assist our students in finding paid internships if they desire.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

• Autry National Center of the American West (California)
• Big Bend Ranch State Park (Texas)
• Buffalo Bill Historical Center (Wyoming)
• Elephant Butte Irrigation District Archives
• El Paso Holocaust Museum (Texas)
• El Paso Museum of History
• Falkland Islands Historical Trust (Falkland Islands)
• Mystic Seaport
• The Museum of America and the Sea (Connecticut)
• National Museum of World War I (Missouri)
• National Park Service
• National Trust for Historic Preservation (Washington, D.C.)
• Pima Air and Space Museum (Arizona)
• Pioneers’ Museum (Colorado)
• Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.)
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management
• U.S. Soil and Conservation Service

Job Placement Assistance

Job resource databanks, workshops, and individual advisement.

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

• National Park Service
• New Mexico State Historic Preservation Division
• New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum
• Texas State Museums and Historic Sites
• Las Cruces Museum System
• Historic St. Mary’s City (Maryland)
• Zuhl Museum