Skip to content

Graduate Program

Elizabeth Clement lecturing

Get Involved in History!

There are lots of great opportunities to get involved while you're a student in history, including events, clubs, collaboration, research projects with faculty, study abroad and career-building opportunities, and more!

Graduate Student Resources

Degrees Offered

The Department of History offers courses of study leading to the PhD, MA, and MS degrees, and has a particular strength in the history of the American West. In addition to the life of the Department, faculty and graduate students are engaged with the University's most exciting interdisciplinary programs. Among them are the American West Center, Gender Studies Program, the Middle East Center, the Asia Center, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Environmental Humanities Program, the International Studies Program, and the Tanner Humanities Center.

Graduates of the program not only learn about the past, they also develop a capacity for careful and rigorous thought, cultural competence, and abilities that promote success in careers throughout the global economy. These learning outcomes include content knowledge, habits of mind, and practical skills.

MA Program Information

We offer MA degrees in US History and Global Contexts. Global Contexts is intended for students who do not wish to specialize in US History or who would like to pursue a general course of study that does not require them to specialize in a time and/or place. This degree is also well-suited to students wishing to work comparatively on themes such as environmental history, gender and sexuality, colonialism and imperialism, and the history of science, medicine, and technology. Students wishing to specialize in aspects of Asian History, European History, Latin American History, or Middle Eastern History can enroll in the Global Contexts program, but will pursue their research interests in the context of global historical processes. The ability to specialize in a region will be contingent on course offerings and the availability of faculty to supervise the program of study.

Applicants interested in the Global Contexts MA will have to choose a track at the time of application. We offer a Global Contexts MA Portfolio track or Thesis track. Applicants should contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Elizabeth Clement to help determine which track is better suited to their goals.

 

Master of Arts in US History

Graduate students interested in US History will benefit from our department's internationally recognized strength in that field. In the final semester of the program, students will compile a portfolio and undergo a portfolio defense. MA in US History students do not write a thesis.

MA in US History Checklist

 

Master of Arts in Global Contexts: Portfolio Track

Graduate students wishing to focus on coursework should pursue the MA in Global Contexts: Portfolio Track. In the final semester of the program, students will compile a portfolio and undergo a portfolio defense.

MA in Global Contexts: Portfolio Track Checklist 

 

Master of Arts in Global Contexts: Thesis Track

Graduate students who would like to undertake intensive independent research should pursue the MA in Global Contexts: Thesis Track. In the final semester of the program, students will undergo an oral MA thesis defense.

 

Students pursuing the thesis track can write theses in aspects of Asian History, European History, Latin American History, or Middle Eastern History. They may also choose to pursue transnational or comparative topics. The department has thematic strengths in environmental history, gender history, colonialism and imperialism, and the history of science, medicine, and technology. Students must be accepted into this track by a faculty member able to supervise their research.

MA in Global Contexts: Thesis Track Checklist 

MS Program Information

The Master of Science degree in History is designed to provide broad competence in a selected field of historical study as well as an introduction to basic techniques of historical research and writing. The MS differs from the MA degree in that it requires no foreign language competency, has no thesis requirement, and allows a more liberal selection of course work. The MS in History is a terminal degree not intended to lead to the PhD program in History. In the final semester of the program, students will compile a portfolio and undergo a portfolio defense. 

Graduate students wishing to pursue a general course of studies that is not focused on US History should apply to the MS in Global Contexts program.

Master of Science in US History

Graduate students interested in US History will benefit from our department's internationally recognized strength in that field. In the final semester of the program, students will compile a portfolio and undergo a portfolio defense.

MS IN US HISTORY CHECKLIST 

 

Master of Science in Global Contexts

Graduate students wishing to pursue a general course of studies that is not focused on US History should apply to the MS in Global Contexts program. In the final semester of the program, students will compile a portfolio and undergo a portfolio defense.

MS in Global Contexts Checklist 

PhD Program Information

The Doctor of Philosophy program provides general instruction in the historian’s craft and intensive training in one major field and two minor fields of history. Candidates for the PhD are expected to obtain a broad historical knowledge, demonstrate expertise in the special area of their dissertations, and master fundamental research techniques and methodologies. PhD candidates should strive to make substantive contributions to historical scholarship in original research and writing, classroom teaching, or institutions of research and interpretation. 

The Department has a particular strength in the history of the American West and currently offers PhD training only in American history.

PhD Checklist 

Graduate Certificate in Public History 

The Graduate Certificate in Public History provides students with theoretical and methodological grounding to prepare them for a range of careers in the public arena, including museums, historical consulting, historic preservation and cultural resource management, archives, and government agencies. The certificate balances rigorous academic classroom work with hands-on experience at partner institutions both on and off campus.

What is the Graduate Certificate in Public History?

The focus of the certificate is to train scholars who are firmly grounded in the most universal methods of archival historical research and who also possess the interdisciplinary and alternative methods, interpretive skills, and intellectual self-confidence to work in the public arena.

The required foundational courses of Tier 1 provide students with broad foundational knowledge of research and interpretive methods employed by public historians. The electives in Tier 2 help students to identify current debates over methodology in public history.

Students will construct a portfolio of work that illustrates advanced public history methodologies and interpretive practices. 

Why would I want the Graduate Certificate in Public History?

The Graduate Certificate in Public History provides students with theoretical and methodological grounding to prepare them for a range of careers in the public arena, including museums, historical consulting, historic preservation and cultural resource management, archives, and government agencies. The certificate balances rigorous academic classroom work with hands-on experience at partner institutions both on and off campus.

Careers

This "Tips for Getting a Job in the Public History Field" video was produced by NCPH, UTEP, & AASLH.

NCPH maintains a jobs listing page, which is a free service their organization provides to the public history profession. Job seekers can search by field, position type, and location. Jobs are updated weekly.

Careers for Students of History - American Historical Assocation

How do I pursue the Graduate Certificate in Public History?

Students who are interested in pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Public History should review the requirements for the certificate (listed below) and begin pursuing courses.

If you have any questions, reach out to the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Elizabeth Clement.

The certificate requires a total of 18 credit hours and includes a core course in Public History methodology and two required internships along with elective courses drawn from across the University.

Course Catalog

Students MUST submit the certificate completion form. This form must be completed no later tha two months prior to the students anticipated graduation date.

Certificate Completion Form

The certificate will consist of 18 units divided into 3 tiers, as follow:

Tier 1
Complete NINE credit hours:

HIST 5100 - Internship in Public History

***TWO internships required.

HIST 6360 - Careers in Public History

Tier 2
Complete ONE of the following courses:

HIST 5080 - American History and Its Publics

HIST 5090 - Methods and Topics in Material Culture Studies

HIST 5110 - Archeological Field School

HIST 6000 - Archaeology as History

HIST 7010 - Oral History

HIST 7020 - Archival Principles and Methods

 

Tier 3
Complete TWO of the following:

ANTH 6169 - Ethnographic Methods 

ANTH 6345 - Cultural Resources Management 

ANTH 6381 - Archaeological Practice 

ANTH 6611 - Preparation of Grant Proposals in Anthropology

ARCH 6239 - Topics in Architectural History 

ARCH 6500 - Preservation Theory and Practice 

ARCH 6535 - Field Methods in Historic Architecture 

ARCH 6570 - Building Condition Assessment and Preservation Technology 

ARCH 6581 - Main Street” Revitalization” 

ARCH 6840 - Utah Architecture and Cities 

ARCH 6852 - History and Theory of Architectural Preservation since the 19th Century 

ARTH 4310 - Art and the Public Sphere 

ARTH 4740 - Museum Practices 

ARTH 6810 - Visual Intersections: Critical Approaches to Art and Visual Culture 

CMP 4030 - Leadership and Community Engagement 

CMP 4260 - Land, Law & Culture 

COMM 3100 - Introduction to Documentary Studies 

COMM 3170 - Introduction to Organizational Communication 

COMM 3770 - Cross Cultural Documentary 

COMM 5380 - Interdisciplinary Applications in Community Engagement 

COMM 5555 - Documentary Photography 

COMM 6555 - Documentary Photography 

COMM 6490 - Communication and Social Justice 

EHUM 6102 - Field Methods in Environmental Humanities 

EHUM 6120 - Environmental Humanities Internship 

ENGL 4991 - Internship 

ENGL 4992 - Service-Learning 

ENGL 5995 - Digital Humanities 

ENGL 7850 - Seminar in Digital Humanities 

GEOG 6139 - GIS Fundamentals and Applications 

GEOG 6140 - Methods in Geographic Information Systems 

GNDR 3695 - Community Engagement and Service Learning 

POLS 3300 - Introduction to Public Administration 

POLS 3320 - Introduction to Public Policy and Analysis

POLS 3601 - Community Engaged Learning 

POLS 4900 - Internship: Local 

POLS 4901 - Internship: Utah State Legislature 

POLS 4902 - Internship: Washington, D.C. National 

POLS 4903 - Internship: International 

POLS 4904 - Senator Bennett Seminar 

POLS 4905 - Resident Scholar Think Tank with John Price 

POLS 6004 - Qualitative-Interpretive Research Methods 

POLS 6320 - Public Policy Theories and Applications 

POLS 6322 - Environmental & Sustainability Policy 

POLS 6525 - Engaging Volunteers in Public & Nonprofit Organizations 

POLS 6550 - Nonprofit and Nongovernmental Organizations 

POLS 6570 - Management of Nonprofit Organizations 

WRTG 3040 - Digital Storytelling 

WRTG 5830 - Digital Publishing and Editing 

WRTG 6610 - Internship 

WRTG 7001 - Grant Proposal Writing 

Last Updated: 10/2/24