Looking for good public history programs

[kateogan]

As an undergrad senior, I am trying to finalize my applications to Public History programs and feel like I still don't have as many potential schools as I would like. Part of the problem is my academic qualifications are not strong so I have to settle a bit. 

My GRE score is 153 Verbal, 149 Quantitative and 45 writing. My GPA is 3.498. I do have a double major in History and Strategic Communication and many leadership experiences including an internship with my local Chamber of Commerce, being a head editor for our school newspaper, and an office assistant for the Communication Arts and Sciences Department. I will have an internship next spring creating an archival database for a town near my college. My college is a small liberal arts school in MI so it's not really a well connected. 

The schools I have looked at so far are University of Massachusetts Boston and University of Connecticut. What other good programs would I have a chance of getting into? Idealy any program I attend would have good fellowships and internships available as finance is a concern and I want lots of experience. 

[emhafe]

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! :)

[kateogan]

@emhafe This is very helpful! Thank you!