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Schools looking to grow their program or revamp it seem more willing to offer funding from my experience. I took a leap of faith on a basically unknown public history program because it provided a graduate assistantship. It was certainly in flux and I'm not sure how I feel about my experiences there, but it didn't stop me from getting into my dream PhD program. So, if you're willing to take a risk, it could be worth the lack of MA debt.

Also, just to point out, public history isn't as common overseas. They still tend to have museum studies programs in larger numbers or cultural heritage. Public history really began in the U.S. and so there's just a lot more opportunity here. I'm inclined to disagree with NoirFemme on the regular MA program. Yes, your internships and connections are super vital to finding a job, but a good MA public history program is going to have a strong alumni network and be better geared towards non-academic historians. Also, @NoirFemme, I was thinking the other day that it might be useful to have some sort of public history post pinned to the top of posts. It seems like every year we have a couple public historians on here amid a sea of traditional historians, and it might be useful to just have a post that provides public history-geared resources.

I have a stack of to-read books, 2 months left in my fav city with its bucket list, a month at home, and hopefully a few weeks in my new city before classes. Aiming for a mental break this summer before it all kicks up.

Thank you! I just wanted to double check since I had never been in that situation before.

So I'm submitting for a conference that is in spring 2018. As of right now, I'll graduate with a Masters in May and have accepted a position for the PhD at another institution in the fall. So I'd be a member of the new school at the conference. I plan on listing the new school as my institutional affiliation but was unsure about putting it on the one page CV required with submission. I wasn't sure if it would look strange laid out like the below sample: Some PhD Program at This School Fall 2017-May 2022 (Expected) Some Masters at This School Expected May 2017 BA at School May 2015 Thoughts? Input? Thanks!

Thank you for the input! I asked some of my current professors for their thoughts as well. I just wanted to gauge whether that seemed unusually high or anything. I'm visiting this upcoming week and what to figure this out.

The PhD program I will likely enter allows me transfer 27 credit hours into the program from my MA. I had always assumed I would just take advantage of the courses at my PhD institution because it would add to my understanding of the field. However, since this is a 5 year program and normally the last 1.5 are dissertation writing, I am considering transferring just enough to have a full 2 years for the dissertation. Did you transfer credits in? Is this the norm? For whatever reason I had never considered the possibility of transfer credits and I wanted to see what others have done.

Hello! I just wanted to congratulate you since public historians are vastly outnumbered in the history forum. I graduate in May with my MA in public history and I faced the same dilemma as you with you the PhD. Do it immediately following or wait? Ultimately I'll be starting in the fall for my PhD because the stars aligned for me. Enjoy the field of public historians--we're a very welcoming bunch! I've only been to the NCPH conference once and everyone was just so nice.

Loyola U Chicago. They have a joint doctoral program in public history and American history, as well as a strong tradition of religious history. Basically what my dream program would look like

So I haven't posted in a while, but I just found out I got tuition/stipend/health insurance for 5 years at my top choice program. Coincidentally, I only applied to one, so I guess you could say I have a 100% PhD acceptance rate.

Just a simple (and silly) conversation starter. The idea of a friend crush is that you really want to be friends with this person. So, I'll say an intellectual (or scholarly?) crush is a professional who you admire for the work they have produced and who you might "fangirl" over when their name pops up in a book or article you're reading. Is there any historian who you get really excited to read? Aren't surprised when your Jstor results led you to that person? Someone you really want to autograph the book of theirs you own? Finally found a reason to email them and want to celebrate? This is just an opportunity for people to gush about their favorite historians in an environment that finds such activity totally normal.

It seems unlikely anyone would have news since I haven't seen their name come up, but I might as well check! Loyola University Chicago? Any Chicagoans who heard something through the grapevine? (I'll admit, I had to google the proper term).

I had an intriguing email today from my top choice program. The director was impressed with my application but some of the documents had errors when uploaded, which I didn't see. He wanted to make sure nothing prejudiced the committee against me so I was asked to reupload the documents. I got them in and it worked out, but my heart stopped when I saw the words "application" and "errors"!

I know I tend to lurk on these forums. I think there are people who are continuing to read but don't see the need for much active participation unless they have a direct question. There's only so much you can say after a while, and now most of us are in the watching and waiting period.

Questions you should ask yourself: 1. Is there a particular denomination you want to get it in? (Like, I have a BA in Theology from a Catholic college and as a Catholic I'd want to attend a program which adheres to Catholic teachings.) What is expected specifically from those programs? 2. What do you want to do after you graduate with the degree? Do you see yourself teaching, going into ministry work, or preaching (if applicable to your religious beliefs)? 3. If you don't have funding for the MA, are you willing to take out loans? Just some thoughts to help you!

I posted quite some time ago in this thread, but then disappeared from this site for a while. I've narrowed down a small list of PhD programs. While I love the field of public history and I've loved my experiences, I think I will be forever restless if I did not seek a PhD. I've only just sent out a few emails to POI, but am curious if you emailed the department head (or whoever the contact is for potential students) and how that email differed from your email to the POI. Oh, and just to add, I'm applying to American religious history programs or public history programs that have a link to American religious history. I hope everyone is doing well!

I guess I might as well post. I'm probably going to apply to a couple of programs, public history or American Christian history focus. Since I'll be finishing up my MA in Public History next spring, I'm torn between going straight into the workforce or fulfilling that life dream of a PhD now v. later. So I figure I'll see what happens!

Yes, theology and religion use Chicago as well. As least I did all my theology work with Chicago.

@sadielove I'm in my first year at a Public History MA program. I got into 6 of the 7 schools I applied to and received full funding and a stipend from the one I now attend. Paying for any MA without funding is a heavy responsibility to take on and that would be my option at some of the other schools, ones considered to have better programs. It sounds like we were in a similar situation. I felt comfortable attending the fully funded one because success in public history is based on individual experience more than the school (although each school provides different opportunities and connections) and I knew I could volunteer, intern, and seek opportunities on my own to boost my resume if concerned by the school's reputation.

I really don't have much to offer, but considering no one else has responded I just wanted to say that I've been conflicted by this dilemma too. I'm currently working on a Masters in Public History, with an undergrad in history and theology. I tend to focus on American Catholic history, specifically anti-popery or anti-Catholicism in the early US. I think my concerns with a PhD in religion is that it tends to be more theological in nature and carries a stigma (which, for working in an Anglican seminary, wouldn't be a concern). Have you looked at Baylor University at all? "The history Ph.D. program at Baylor focuses on the study of religion and American culture as well as religion and culture in the English-speaking North Atlantic. The department accepts 2-3 highly qualified students per year who have interests in these areas. History Ph.D. students at Baylor study on a campus where the focus on religion cuts across disciplines and departments. With Ph.D. degrees in religion, the sociology of religion, philosophy, political science, religion and literature, and church-state studies, Baylor provides history graduate students a wealth of cross-disciplinary opportunities for intellectual enrichment within their areas of interest" (source). While Baylor is not an Anglican school, current and previous dissertations have covered a wide range of religious denominations. I think if you want to be in a seminary than you should lean historical theology from an Anglican school. What qualifications are required for Anglican seminaries? Just some thoughts!

Ok, I'm going to just toss out there that I got a Surface Pro 3 for grad school back in June and I have to say, I love it! Completely revolutionized how I organize my notes, has a very long battery life, and has the benefits of a laptop when you need it. There's a port for a USB (only one, so I sometimes have to take out my wireless mouse to use it), keyboard, the pen capabilities for writing are fantastic--I frequently add jstor articles to OneNote then annotate them that way instead of the default pdf reader. While I haven't done any archival research, it's wonderful for other research. If you're already set on the apple products, that's great, just thought I'd let everyone know how much I love my Surface Pro!

Hello! There are a couple of history related museum programs. The University of North Carolina Greensboro offers an MA in History/Museum Studies. There are a couple other programs that offer something similar, if I remember correctly.

Hello! Before I say anything, have you seen this forum? It's recent and a similar discussion. I went through this hunt last year and am almost done with my first semester in a public history program! The first place I would suggest looking at is the NCPH website. They have pages on what schools have programs, what level of degree they offer, and links to those departments. There isn't really a ranking like there is with traditional history or chemistry or other fields. It's a lot of word-of-mouth information that you just gather over time. UMass Amherst has one of the best programs, so I would imagine Boston is good but I always hear about Amherst more. University of California Berkley has a well-known program, American University, North Carolina State University, University of South Carolina, are also very popular programs. Some programs offer funding but there's never a whole lot. Some will tell you straight out they don't provide any funding whatsoever. I would encourage you to think about what your goals are (do you want to be more archival or historic preservation, etc) and seeing what programs are strong in the same area. What have their alumni gone on to do? Is it similar to what you want to do? The alum would also show you the types of connections they have for internships. I'm pretty sure the University of Connecticut doesn't have an MA in Public History. Experience is important though in your application so it could make up for scores (not that they're terrible). I know WVU has a growing program, some funding available, and you're GRE score just squeaks into their requirements (don't find many places that post numbers, so that's nice). It'd be worth it to reach out to them for information. I hope this helps you out a bit or provides some direction! :)

Hello! I'm in my first semester as a Public History MA student. First: If you want to work in those settings, then public history is the best route. Museum Studies can be too narrow (although they definitely have more of an art/art history focus). Second: Have you examined the National Council of Pubic History website? They just updated the site but they have a list of public history programs. It's very useful. Third: Experience is very important in the field. Will your program give you better internship opportunities? Volunteer experiences? Conferences? More importantly, how much experience are you willing to go after on your own? Fourth: I cannot specifically say anything about the programs you've looked at since they're in the Midwest or on the West Coast. I happen to be a big fan of the East Coast. One of the best pieces of advice I was given was to look at their alum profiles. If most of their alum work at local history sites and small organizations, I wouldn't go there if you dream of being at the Smithsonian. If you want to be at an archive more than a house museum, look at that. Speaking of archives, some places only take archivists with a MA in Library Science. To combat that trend, there are a couple 3 year MA programs where you get an MA in public history and library science. Fifth: Don't give up hope on funding! There isn't much but it assists. I have a graduate assistantship that covers tuition, fees, and a living stipend. Again, I could tell you more about East Coast schools' funding. Ok, I hope that helped! I will say, as an FYI if you haven't met it yet, there are definitely some history snobs who will belittle you for studying public history. There are some who consider it less rigorous but the work we do oftentimes is just... different. I'm in a class on Atlantic colonization at a school where public history students out number "regular" history and they keep throwing around "public history" as a derogatory term towards books they don't like!

Baylor University takes a couple of students each year into their history PhD for religion focused dissertations. While war isn't my area of interest, I have looked at their religious history professors and they have a well rounded group.