Public History, Ph.D.

The History Department offers the Master of Arts in History, Master of Arts in History with a concentration in Public History, and a Ph.D. in Public History.

For the most current information about the program, department policies, and admission standards, please visit the department website at www.mtsu.edu/history.

Please see undergraduate catalog for information regarding undergraduate programs.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public History program requires

  1. an earned master’s degree in history or a related field from an accredited university of college.
  2. completion of at least 18 semester hours of graduate or undergraduate history credit. Applicants who do not meet these minimums and are admitted conditionally have one year to satisfy the conditions of admission.
  3. an acceptable grade point average (GPA) in master’s degree work (and an acceptable GPA in undergraduate history classes).

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Application deadline for the Ph.D. is February 1. The History Department does not consider graduate students for spring or summer admission.

  1. submit application with the appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php). Once this initial application has been accepted, the applicant will receive directions on how to enter the graduate portal to be able to submit other materials.
  2. submit official transcripts of all previous college work;
  3. submit letters of recommendation from at least three public history professionals or academics that address the candidate’s potential for successfully completing a Ph.D. in Public History and describe the qualities that will make them an excellent public historian;
  4. submit an approximately 500-word letter of intent noting why applicant wishes to pursue a Ph.D. in Public History, why applicant wishes to do so at Middle Tennessee State University, and career goals after a Ph.D. in Public History is attained;
  5. submit a professional portfolio containing work that demonstrates mastery of research methods, historical analysis, interpretation, and presentation. The portfolio may include research papers, projects, publications, proposals, exhibits, and other public history-related work.

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy in Public History requires completion of 60-80 semester hours.

Once admitted to the program, each candidate must

  1. complete 60-80 hours of graduate history courses, all at the 6000 and 7000 level, with a minimum of 42 hours at the 7000 level (see Curriculum section below for specifics);
  2. fulfill a foreign language/professional skill requirement;
    Before filing a degree plan with the College of Graduate Studies, students must elect to satisfy the foreign language/professional skill requirement by choosing one of the following options:
    1. demonstrate reading proficiency in a foreign language for research purposes by passing the specific proficiency examination administered by the World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures ;
    2. elect an alternative research or professional skill such as GIS, oral history, quantitative analysis for history, American Sign Language, a specialized area of critical theory, or a professional level of competency in relevant information technology platforms. Students are responsible for finding appropriate courses or an expert willing to train them and test competency. The public history director, graduate director, and major professor all must approve petitions for alternative research or professional skills. Regardless of the option selected, a student will demonstrate proficiency in the professional portfolio.

    Curriculum: Public History

    The following illustrates the minimum coursework requirements. In addition, a maximum of 32 hours of dissertation research may be required to fulfill degree requirements.

    Required Core (15 hours)

    Public History Field (12-15 hours)

    History Field (9-15 hours)

    In order to practice public history effectively in any area of specialization, students must have an excellent grasp of historical context. Hence, in consultation with the public history director and dissertation advisory committee, each student will construct a history field focused chronologically, geographically, or topically, selecting courses from the history seminars offered by the department. Each student will demonstrate mastery of this field through qualifying exams.

    Interdisciplinary Field (9-12 hours)

    It is important that students understand public history practice from multiple perspectives. Hence, in consultation with the public history director and dissertation advisory committee, each student will design an interdisciplinary field that complements and strengthens his or her public history specialization, selecting potential graduate courses from history, anthropology, mass communications, recreation and leisure, business, or other departments as appropriate. Each student will demonstrate mastery of the interdisciplinary field through qualifying exams.

    Dissertation (12-32 hours)

    Note:

    No more than six hours of HIST 6910 , HIST 6920 , HIST 7910 , or HIST 7920 may be counted toward degree requirements.

    No more than nine hours of HIST 6930 or HIST 7930 may be counted toward degree requirements.

    No more than six hours of HIST 6994 or HIST 7994 may be counted toward degree requirements.

    Program Notes

    Students entering with a Master’s in History and extensive, recent, professional experience may have up to 12 credit hours applied after a determination that the content of previous courses and the nature of recent professional activities meet the student learning outcomes for graduate courses in history.