Public History

Welcome to the Public History Program at NMSU. Public historians move history beyond the classroom, using all the skills and methods of history to connect people to the past. Public historians work in museums, historical societies, national parks, historic preservation offices, archives, government agencies (such as the Department of State), consulting companies, and other places outside academic settings.

Established in 1983, the Public History Program offers a “tool box” of skills to prepare graduate students for professional work as public historians. These include courses in living history, museum studies (in collaboration with the departments of anthropology and art), interpretation of historic sites, historic preservation, oral history, and archival research.

Our Master of Arts with a concentration in public history is grounded in graduate level training in history, with additional skills in one or more applied fields. The 36-credit-hour program includes public history courses, traditional history courses, at least one internship, and the preparation of a journal article. All Public History Program students also receive strong preparation in the general skills of historical research, writing, and interpretation through a common core of graduate courses.

Students may undertake a “dual track” that combines public history coursework with the thesis. We recommend this track to those students who think they may choose to enter a history PhD program in the future.

The Department of History and the Department of Government offer a joint degree, in which students simultaneously earn an MA in History with a public history specialization and an MA in Public Administration.

Please contact the program director, Dr. Jon Hunner, at (575) 646-4601 or at jhunner@nmsu.edu for more information about our department.