This graduate certificate emphasizes the broad applications of public history in modern society from historical museums and state archives to federal agencies and entertainment. While historical practices may be similar, all sectors of the heritage industry require distinct approaches to curating historic and heritage resources. In your courses, you’ll study historical practices and techniques that support your career goals. You’ll enhance your knowledge in areas such as:
- Archival training.
- Cultural resources management.
- Digital humanities and methodologies.
- Historic preservation.
- Historical administration.
- Local and community history.
- Museum studies.
- Oral history.
- Scholarly publishing.
Who’s a good candidate for this program?
This public history graduate certificate can complement a variety of backgrounds from history and the humanities to education and the social sciences. As an ideal candidate, you’ll have an interest in advancing your career in the heritage industry, whether you already work professionally in the field, volunteer or want to make a career shift. You may also be a K-12 teacher seeking skills to foster student engagement with history.
Additionally, this program can enhance your graduate studies in degree programs such as ASU’s online Master of Arts in history, Master of Arts in World War II studies or any humanities master’s program. The master’s in history in particular emphasizes public history and adding this certificate can provide you with an educational credential in this area.
What can you do with a public history graduate certificate?
Formalized knowledge and training in public history can open doors to career opportunities in various settings, including museums, university archives, national parks and the private sector. You’ll also have enhanced employability in libraries, archives and municipal governance in the preservation sector.
The heritage industry is an in-demand field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for archivists, curators and museum workers is expected to grow by 10% between 2022 and 2032, which is much faster than average. This public history certificate is designed to support your career path in any sector of the growing heritage industry.
Are you passionate about engaging communities with the production, curation and interpretation of history? If so, you may be an ideal candidate to pursue this graduate certificate in public history online from Arizona State University. This program empowers you to apply advanced historical techniques and methods within national parks, film and media, museums and other areas of the heritage sector.
This certificate is designed for flexibility. In the program, you’ll complete two core courses, one of which is a professional field experience at a historical institution of your choosing. Your remaining courses will be electives in your interest areas, covering topics such as genealogy, archives, historic preservation and communicating history in the public sphere.
From Royal Society and American Academy Fellows to Marshall and Barry Goldwater Scholarship recipients, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is home to prestigious students and faculty members who include:
- Fulbright American Scholars.
- Guggenheim Fellows.
- MacArthur Fellows.
- Nobel laureates.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences takes a transdisciplinary approach to education with a vast spectrum of degrees in the social sciences, natural sciences and humanities. We inspire students to become socially aware critical thinkers and global citizens.
students enrolled as of fall 2024
in research expenditures in FY23
interdisciplinary schools and departments
undergraduate degrees
graduate degrees
for humanities research, according to the National Science Foundation
Applicants to the graduate certificate in public history must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
It’s desired that applicants have a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA in the last 60 hours of their bachelor's program. Alternatively, applicants should have a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA in an applicable master's program.
Note: The committee reviews applications holistically. You may still apply with a GPA less than 3.00, but please address this in your personal statement.
All applicants must submit:
- Graduate admission application and application fee.
- Official transcripts.
- Personal statement.
- Additional questions.
- Up-to-date curriculum vitae or resume.
Your personal statement should explain your academic background and training, interest in studying public history and motivation for pursuing graduate study at ASU.
In addition to your personal statement, you’re required to submit a brief statement (about 500 words) that addresses the following:
- How you have already or would like to put history to work in the world.
- How ASU’s public history program might help you to accomplish your career and/or intellectual goals as a historian.
An applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of current residency) must provide proof of English proficiency.
No, Arizona State University’s certificates and diplomas don’t specify whether you earn them online or in person. All certificates, diplomas and transcripts simply say “Arizona State University.”