Public History Program

Last Updated: February 4, 2021

220 Woodburn Hall
P.O. Box 6303

Morgantown, WV 26506-6303

Visit Website

Director(s)

Melissa Bingmann
[email protected]
304-293-9304

Program Introduction

Established in 1980, the Public History Program at West Virginia University admits eight to ten students each year. The program offers an MA in Public History and a Cultural Resource Management Certificate. Approximately one hundred and twenty students have graduated from the program, with a current average of eight students graduating annually. WVU offers the opportunity to earn a Master of Public Administration concurrently with the MA in Public History.

Degrees Offered

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

Program Strengths

  • Historic Preservation
  • Historical Administration
  • Local/Community History
  • Museum Studies
  • Oral History
  • Other

Credit Hour Requirements

33

How Many Students are Admitted Annually

MA10

PhD3

Financial Aid Available

Graduate Assistantships at the WV & Regional History Center (WVU campus); Monongalia County Courthouse; Department of History
Funded summer internships at select National Park Service sites, WV Archives, WV State Museum, WV State Historic Preservation Office
Scholarships for tuition

Deadline To Apply

February 1st to be considered for funding; April 1st for students who are not requesting funding

Internship Requirements

The Department of History offers guidance for undergraduate and graduate students seeking internships and offers paid internships with several National Park Service sites and the WV Division of History and Archives in Charleston, WV. Several graduate students complete the internship requirement through a Graduate Assistantship or as an Americorps member. The program requires students enroll in 6 internship credits and complete 300 hours.

Places Where Students Have Interned During the Past 3 Years

  • Colonial Williamsburg
  • Davenport House Museum in Savannah, Georgia
  • Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
  • Gettysburg National Military Park
  • John H. Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh
  • Manassas National Battlefield
  • Nantucket Historical Association
  • National Air and Space Museum
  • Royce J. and Carolyn B. Watts Museum of Engineering and Mining https://wattsmuseum.wvu.edu/
  • U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Virginia Department of Historic Resources
  • West Virginia and Regional History Center https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
  • WV State Archives
  • WV State Museum
  • WV State Historic Preservation Office

Job Placement Assistance

Job announcements are disseminated to current students and alumni through listservs.

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

  • Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in Middletown, Virginia
  • Cheraw, SC, Main Street
  • City of Columbia, SC, Historic Preservation Planning
  • Clarion University, PA
  • Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. in Lexington, KY
  • Death Valley National Park, CA
  • Drayton Hall, SC
  • Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, PA
  • John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Kentucky Historical Society
  • Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Visitor Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
  • Loudon County Museum, VA
  • Louisa County Historical Society, VA
  • Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, Kinderhook, NY
  • Monongalia County Clerks Office, WV
  • National Archives and Records Administration
  • National Trust for Historic Preservation
  • Preservation Alliance of WV
  • U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, DC
  • University of VA, Wise
  • West Overton Village, PA
  • West Virginia State Archives
  • Westmoreland County Historical Society, PA
  • White Mountain National Forest, NH