Program Introduction

Established in 1974, Northeastern's Program in Public History welcomes between five to ten students each year. The program offers a wide variety of interdisciplinary courses, fieldwork opportunities, and partnerships with local historical organizations. Students also have the option of earning a graduate certificate in the Digital Humanities. More than 500 students have graduated from the program. Ph.D. candidates in the History Department may elect to receive an MA in Public History.

Degrees Offered

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

Program Strengths

  • Archival Practices
  • Other
  • Digital Media
  • Historical Administration
  • Historic Preservation
  • Material Culture
  • Museum Studies

Credit Hour Requirements

33

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

MA5-10

Financial Aid Available

Loans
Scholarships
Tuition Waiver

Deadline To Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis

Internship Requirements

150 hours required for fieldwork requirement

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

  • Chicago History Museum
  • John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
  • Historic New England
  • Northern Light Productions
  • Longfellow House/Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site
  • Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
  • Paul Revere House
  • USS Constitution Museum
  • Lowell National Historical Park
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  • Boston National Historical Park
  • Massachusetts Historical Society
  • Massachusetts Historical Commission
  • Old Sturbridge Village
  • New England Historic and Genealogical Society
  • Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
  • Minnesota Historical Society
  • Museum of the California Pioneers
  • Waterworks Museum

Job Placement Assistance

Active guidance, referrals, and references (many students find or continue employment with their fieldwork agencies).

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

  • Museum of Science, Boston
  • Northeastern University
  • John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
  • Boston Public Library
  • Mystic Seaport Museum (Connecticut)
  • Boston By Foot
  • ArtsEmerson
  • Hancock Shaker Village
  • Peabody Essex Museum
  • King’s Chapel
  • Holocaust Museum, Houston
  • The HistoryMakers (Chicago)
  • Newport Historical Society
  • Old North Foundation
  • Freedom Trail Foundation
  • Copley Society of Art
  • Boston Children’s Museum
  • Cranbrook Educational Community
  • New England Historical and Genealogical Society
  • Capitol Visitor Center (Washington, DC)
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania
  • Jewish War Veterans of the USA