Graduate Program in Public History

The teaching mission of the Public History Program is built upon the Masters in Public History, a professional degree meant to prepare students for positions in various historical venues, government agencies, business enterprises, and educational institutions.  The degree also is excellent preparation for the traditional PhD in History.  In addition to the twenty or more majors and minors in public history, CPH also recruits other graduate students to participate in its outreach and research programs.

The research activities have three goals:  to train good research historians, to develop the history of Houston and the Gulf Coast region, and to provide funds to sustain the CPH.  Students and faculty have carried out significant research on several important local and regional institutions: the Harris County Commissioners , METRO, Manchester Terminal Corporation, the Houston Bar Association, the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the Hilton Hotels, Gulfport Shipyard, the Houston Park System, and the Graduate School of Social Work and the School of Architecture .

Students also have participated in the completion of the Historic Structures Survey:  Gulf Bank Road Area for the Texas Department of Transportation (1992).  Several graduate students assisted Dr. Melosi in research for the NEH-funded project entitled “The Consequences of Growth:  Technology, Environment, and the City Building Process, 1840-1980” from 1988 to 1992.  In 1989-90, students completed A Survey of Historical Sources on Houston and the Gulf Coast Region (1991), a project to develop the first major historical database for the region. 

Since 1997, several students have been engaged in projects funded by the Environmental Institute of Houston related to the environmental history of Galveston Bay , the bayous, and other local environs under the direction of Dr. Martin Melosi.  Students also have participated in the research and writing of several corporate histories of the Houston area under the direction of Dr. Joseph Pratt, including histories of Shell Oil, Brown and Root, Baker & Botts law firm, and many others.

The Course of Study for the M.A. track includes a two-semester survey of readings and applied research in public history, a methodological speciality (such as oral history, archives and records management, public policy, material culture, or historic preservation), courses in history of a major geographic area, an internship, and a thesis.

The primary objective of the Public History Program is to train graduate students for history-related positions in the community through rigorous, professional training leading to a 30-hour M.A. in Public History or a minor for both the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Every attempt is made to design an individually tailored curriculum for each student.

Students must also demonstrate competence in a foreign language (reading skill) or computer science. For the minor, the reading course and two other courses approved by the director are required.

Requirements for the Master of Arts in Public History

COURSE WORK: Thirty (30) semester hours of credit is required, including the following courses:

1. History 6381: Readings in Public History (3 credits)

2. History 6382: Research in Public History (3 credits)

3. One of the following methodology courses (or an agreed upon alternative from outside the department) (3 credits):

History 6380: The Uses of Quantitative Methods by Historians
History 6383: Topics in Public History (varies)
History 6384: Oral History
History 6385: The Uses of Psychology by Historians
History 6387: Historical Archives and Records Management
History 6388: The Material Evidence of History

4. Nine (9) semester hours of course work in a major field.

The Public history student must indicate a major area of study from one of the following: United States , European, or Latin American History. In consultation with the Director of the Institute for Public History, the student will select an appropriate set of courses in the major field.

5. History 6651: Public History Internship (6 credits)

6. History 6399: Master's Thesis (6 credits)

The thesis committee will conduct an oral examination in defense of the thesis after the student has completed the final draft.

7. Foreign language requirement: Before a student can be approved for degree candidacy, he or she must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language relevant to the major area. Course credit in a foreign language does not count toward the hours required to complete the degree.

A. A quantitative option may be substituted for the foreign language requirement. After consultation with the Director of IPH, the student may petition the Graduate Director, and if approved, must complete two (2) courses from a list of courses approved by the department with grades of B or better.

Note: With the permission of the Graduate Director, each student may enroll in not more than six (6) hours of special problems courses. The Graduate Director also may approve up to six (6) hours of course work in another department.

 Requirements for a Minor in Public History

An MA or PhD candidate in History can complete a Minor in Public History by taking nine (9) semester hours, three (3) of which must be History 6381: Readings in Public History. The remaining six (6) hours must be in courses approved by the Director of IPH.

Course Descriptions

INTRODUCTORY SEMINARS
Usually offered once every third semester. If possible, they should be taken in order. However, this is not a requirement.

6381: Readings in Public History (3 credits)
Introduction to the major venues and audiences of public history, professional opportunities for public historians, and ethical issues and problems facing historians in the course of their work.

6382: Research in Public History (3 credits)
Application of historical techniques and methods to either individual or team research projects normally conducted within the Houston community. The course also may include discussion of research and writing theory.

METHODOLOGY COURSES
The following courses are offered periodically and fulfill the degree requirement for a methodology course. In some cases, courses taught in other departments may be substituted for the following if they prove unavailable or if other courses better meet student needs. Alternative courses need to be approved by the director of the Public History Program.

6380: The Uses of Quantitative Methods by Historians (3 credits)
Introduction to quantitative and computer-assisted research methods in history.

6383: Topics in Public History (3 credits)
Application of methods of public history to public policy, business decision making, community studies, cultural resources management, historical editing, and related themes. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

6384: Oral History (3 credits)
Oral history as a research tool: selecting subjects, interviewing, transcribing, editing, and interpreting interviews. Legal and ethical aspects of oral history also will be discussed.

6385: The Uses of Psychology by Historians (3 credits)
Study and evaluation of theories of dynamic psychology available to the historian and criticism of applications of psychology to history.

6387: Historical Archives and Records Management (3 credits)
The selection, retention, acquisition, and management of historical records, including the records generated by contemporary organizations and corporations as well as by organizations and individuals in the past.

6388: The Material Evidence of History (3 credits)
The selection, organization, preservation, and interpretation of buildings, tools, objects of fine and decorative art, handcrafts, clothing, toys, and other physical objects that together with written records constitute the evidence of history.

THESIS AND INTERNSHIPS

6399: Master's Thesis (6 credits)

6651: Public History Internship (6 credits)
Supervised assigned work experience outside the Department of History equivalent to approximately 20 hours per week for 13 or 14 weeks. Can be paid or unpaid.

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