History — Public History (M.A.P.H.)
The M.A. in Public History (M.A.P.H.) is a professional degree for students seeking careers in museums, at historical societies or historic sites, in cultural resource management, in nonprofits, in government agencies, and in allied fields. It is also appropriate for secondary school teachers who seek to gain experience in project-based, community-engaged pedagogy. The M.A.P.H. degree can be completed in two years of full-time study.
Admission Requirements
Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School. Earning a graduate degree is an undertaking which requires a considerable commitment of time and financial resources. The Department of History expects applicants to its graduate program to arrive well-prepared to undertake a rigorous course of study.
The department normally considers only applicants whose undergraduate grade point average is at least 3.00 overall and at least 3.25 in a minimum of eighteen semester credits in history and related subjects at the advanced undergraduate level. The department requires that all applicants submit a statement of purpose, a writing sample, two letters of recommendation (at least one should be from a former instructor; the other may be a professional reference from a supervisor for a history-related internship or other employment), a resume or curriculum vitae, and copies of transcripts from each college or university previously attended. Please consult the Department of History graduate handbook for detailed instructions for preparing application materials.
Application deadlines are October 15 (for Winter admission), January 15 (for Fall admission with funding consideration), and April 15 (for Fall admission without funding consideration).
Program Requirements
For the Master's in Public History degree at least 33 credits are required, as follows:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIS 7830 | Methods and Research in History | 3 |
| HIS 7835 | Public History | 3 |
| HIS 7855 | Memory and History | 3 |
| HIS 7998 | Internship in Public History | 1-3 |
| HIS 7999 | Master's Essay Direction | 1-3 |
| At least one 8000-level HIS seminar | ||
| At least two additional HIS courses numbered 5000 or above | ||
| At least two public history electives | ||
Students may either develop a specialization composed of the three related courses (as approved by their advisor and the Graduate Director by their signatures on the student’s plan of work) or concurrently complete one of three graduate certificates: Archival Administration, Nonprofit Management, or Museum Practice.
Candidacy must be established by filing an official Plan of Work with the Department when twelve credits have been earned.
Academic Scholarship: All course work must be completed in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
HIS 7261 (African American History and Memory) can be taken in place of HIS 7855.
Public History Electives: https://clas.wayne.edu/history/docs/publichistory_electives.pdf
History AGRADE Requirements
The History department’s M.A. and M.A.P.H. degrees both offer the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' Accelerated Graduate Enrollment (AGRADE) program to qualified undergraduates. AGRADE provides the opportunity for top students to enroll simultaneously in an undergraduate and graduate degree program, and to apply a maximum of 16 credits toward both their undergraduate and master’s degrees in the student's major or closely aligned field.
Students electing AGRADE programs may expect to complete both their bachelor's and master's degrees in only five years of full-time study. This allows students to save both time and money as they pursue their undergraduate and graduate degrees simultaneously, making the most of their experiences at Wayne State. Students must apply for the AGRADE program during the semester that they earn 90 credits toward an undergraduate degree (typically during junior year). Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 and final approval from their major department. In addition, the Department of History requires the following materials for application to AGRADE:
- completion of the WSU History AGRADE application; a copy of the student's unofficial transcript(s);
- a copy of the student's HIS 3000 paper or another paper based on primary source research;
- a one-page single-spaced letter of interest that conveys clearly and concisely the student's proposed area(s) of study, including period, region, topic, and/or approach, tentative career goals, and the faculty member(s) with whom the student would like to work and why;
- a letter of recommendation from a faculty member (the faculty member should email their recommendation directly to the Director of Graduate Studies).
More information about AGRADE is available through CLAS.