Is it right for you?

Are you:

Seeking to develop marketable history skills for a career outside the classroom?

  • We offer students the opportunity to gain diverse experience and skills in public history through courses, projects and internships in museology, archival management, heritage planning, GIS, material culture, historic conservation, educational design, oral history, social memory, and digital history.

Interested in communicating historical knowledge to the public?

  • Like traditional graduate students, Public History students still engage in archival research and writing, but the final products are much more diverse than academic papers. We teach students the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed for such tasks as writing for a broader audience, presenting history on the internet, public presentations, designing curriculum plans for schools and museums, and creating museum, archival, and interactive exhibits.

Seeking to combine technology and history?

  • Digital skills are also highly sought after in the job market. We provide students the unique opportunity to combine history with technology by blogging, tweeting, creating websites, wikis and smart board programs, and using GIS, museum and other software. Our digital lab supports our emphasis on digital history.

Hoping to build your resume and networks during graduate school?

  • In classes, students work with community partners to produce projects that are used by those organizations, and can be included in student portfolios of work. Between September-April, students have the opportunity research as Graduate Student Assistants with faculty or in community museums, archives and other heritage institutions. Our professional development series features guest speakers, workshops, and the opportunity to network with practicing public historians. In the summer, the internship allows students to further apply their skills in their real world, and mentor under professional public historians during 12 weeks of full-time work.

Looking to gain experience in group work and project management?

  • The professional world of Public History is a highly collaborative environment, where graduates will be expected to take on a variety of different roles. Our students have the unique opportunity to work in teams as well as individually. Students gain experience in project management, delegating tasks, establishing deadlines, managing budgets, and balancing stakeholder interests.

Innovative, entrepreneurial, flexible, engaging, experimental and interdisciplinary?

  • Like other historians, public historians research, write and teach, but to be successful, they also need to be able to network, create their own opportunities, be willing to learn new and changing technology, work independently and in groups, and be comfortable in related disciplines.

Explore our website, and see what makes Western's Public History field unique. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

    Mike F. Dove, Director
    Lawson Hall 1207
    519-661-2111 ext. 84996
    mdove2@uwo.ca