Program Introduction

UC Santa Barbara defined Public History as a profession in 1976, with a Rockefeller Foundation grant to train historians for public and private sector careers beyond conventional academic employment. Since then, we have produced more than 100 students who apply their historical skills, knowledge and insights in public settings – in museums and heritage sites, businesses, government agencies, non-profit groups and private foundations. To meet the wide range of opportunities presented by the many publics we serve, the UCSB program prepares historians first as historians – broadly trained scholar-professionals fully versed in the literature, methods, and interpretive debates of the venerable discipline – but also especially conscious of and practiced in the special challenges and resources distinctive to the public practice of History. Public History students regularly take advantage of the History Department’s large and diverse faculty to integrate their particular research and reading interests into their program.
UCSB offers a joint Ph.D. program with the Capital Campus Public History program of CSU Sacramento in a venture unique in the nation.
Students with the M.A. in public history or equivalent graduate training and experience may apply directly to the Ph.D. program. Those with other training are encouraged to contact the program director to discuss M.A. or preparatory graduate work for entry to the Ph.D. program.

Degrees Offered

  • Ph.D. in History
  • Ph.D. in Public History

Program Strengths

  • Business
  • Editing
  • Local/Community History
  • Material Culture
  • Museum Studies
  • Oral History
  • Public Policy

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

PhD1-5

Deadline To Apply

December each year

Internship Requirements

Internships may be paid or unpaid. Some count towards credit. Many students complete their internship as part of their MA training before enrolling in the PhD program.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

  • Santa Barbara Mission Archives Library, which houses the Franciscan Archives of the West
  • Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation

Many students fulfill their internship requirement as part of the joint program with CSU Sacramento. Please see their web page: http://www.csus.edu/pubhist/internships/index.html

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

  • Santa Barbara Mission Archives Library, which houses the Franciscan Archives of the West
  • Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation
  • Center for Public History, University of West Georgia
  • California State Parks
  • Independent consultant