University of Missouri - St. Louis* | National Council on Public History

Museums, Heritage, and Public History

Last Updated: September 17, 2021

1 University Boulevard
484 Lucas Hall

St. Louis, MO 63121-4499

[email protected]

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Director(s)

Dr. Lara Kelland
[email protected]

Program Introduction

Established in 1998, the Museums, Heritage, and Public History program at the University of Missouri at St. Louis admits eight to twelve students per year. The program offers an MA in HIstory with a concentration in Museums, Heritage, and Public History, as well as concentrations in Archival Studies through a partnership with the University of Missouri - Mizzou. We also offer a graduate certificate, which can be taken as a smaller credential or added on to another degree program. In our third decade, we have graduated over two hundred museum and public history professionals, and our graduates are early- and mid-career staff at a wide variety of cultural and heritage institutions across the midwest and beyond.

Degrees Offered

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

Program Strengths

Archival Practices
Digital Media
Film/Video
Historical Archaeology
Library Science Program
Local/Community History
Material Culture
Museum Studies
Oral History

Credit Hour Requirements

34 for MA, 15 for graduate certificate

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

MA8-12

MAs produced last year

Financial Aid Available

GRAships
partial tuition awards
in-state reciprocity for Il residents
discounted out-of-state tuition for residents of Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, or Wisconsin

Deadline To Apply

02/01

Internship Requirements

Most of our students hold GRAships in partner organizations, like museums, libraries, archives, historic sites, and other cultural and heritage institutions. These positions are paid for two years, and provide students with substantial applied experience and financial support for graduate school. Those that do not choose to hold such positions instead complete a 200-hour internship placement as a capstone requirement. We work with the student to find the best placement, seeking to find a paid opportunity whenever possible, and require that students take a 5-credit capstone course to provide reflective and other career-development opportunities as part of the process.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

Missouri History Museum
National Blues Museum
Bellefountaine Historic Cemetery
World Chess Hall of Fame
Mercantile Library
Campbell Historic House
National Museum of American History
Center for French Colonial Life
Missouri Botanical Gardens – Historic Shaw House
St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum
Gateway Arch National Park
Penobscot Marine Museum, Maine
St. Louis Public Media Archives
Washington University St. Louis Special Collections
The Griot Museum of Black History

Job Placement Assistance

We work closely with our graduates on placement after graduation by sharing job postings, arranging informational interviews, providing feedback on application materials, and connecting them to relevant alumni.

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