Public History

If you are interested in interpreting history in non-school settings, such as museums, archives and other public institutions, Western Michigan University's public history major is designed for you. The program includes studies in public history, museum studies, archival management, historic preservation and local history research techniques.

Beyond the classroom

As a public history student at WMU, you will have the opportunity to join the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. You will also complete an internship and a series of other courses in history and other humanities and social sciences.

After you graduate

Recent WMU graduates with degrees in public history are working as:

  • Archivists
  • Historic preservationists
  • Biographers
  • Museum curators
  • Research assistants
  • Writers

Among the organizations they work for are:

  • Studebaker National Museum, South Bend, Ind.
  • Star Spangled Banner Flag House, Baltimore
  • Northern Indiana Center for History, South Bend, Ind.
  • Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum, Baltimore
  • National Park Service, Harper's Ferry, West Virginia
  • Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Rapids, Mich.
  • Monroe County Historical Society, Bloomington, Ind.

Career Outcomes

Where is this program offered?

  • Kalamazoo

Other programs of interest