Center for Public History

Last Updated: August 19, 2021

3623 Cullen Boulevard, Room 320
University of Houston

Houston, TX 77204-3007

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Director(s)

Dr. Monica Perales
[email protected]
(713) 743-3103

Program Introduction

Founded in 1984, the Center for Public History (CPH) manages the public history program in the Department of History. The program offers an MA in History with a public history concentration (thesis and non-thesis track) and a minor field at the Ph.D. level. We admit 3-5 MA students annually. Approximately 50 students have graduated from the program, and many more have supplemented their degree plans through public history minor fields, courses, and internships. Students gain experience on a range of faculty and Center-driven projects conducted in collaboration with a variety of local and regional partners that reflect Houston's dynamism and rich diversity.

Degrees Offered

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

Program Strengths

  • Archival Practices
  • Digital Media
  • Editing
  • Local/Community History
  • Museum Studies
  • Oral History
  • Public Policy
  • Other

Credit Hour Requirements

30 hours (thesis) 36 hours (non-thesis)

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

MA3-5

MAs produced last year

1 MA completed; 2 admitted to the Ph.D. program in History

Financial Aid Available

Research Assistantships; Teaching Assistantships.

Deadline To Apply

January 1

Internship Requirements

Internships are arranged in consultation with the Directors/Associate Director of the Center for Public History, and consist of internships internal to the university (CPH and faculty projects, archives, special collections) and external to the university (local and regional museums, archives, cultural institutions, etc.). Every effort is made to tailor the experience to the interests of the student. Students in the MA thesis track are required to complete 6 credit hours of internships as a part of their coursework. Students in the MA non-thesis track must complete 9 credit hours as part of their coursework. Internships may be paid or unpaid.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

  • Czech Center Museum Houston
  • Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH)
  • The Rienzi at MFAH
  • UH Special Collections
  • City of Houston – Planning & Development Department, Historic Division
  • Houston Metropolitan Research Center
  • Smithsonian Museum of American History (virtual)
  • Sharing Stories Project (UH-CPH)

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

  • Holocaust Museum Houston
  • Preservation Houston
  • Houston Fire Museum
  • Houston Metropolitan Research Center
  • Alfred R. Neumann Library – UH Clear Lake

Ph.D. graduates with public history minor fields have recently been hired into faculty positions at the University of Missouri Kansas City and Houston Community College; and received fellowships through the ACLS Leading Edge program.