Certificate in Public History

BGSU’s Graduate Certificate Program in Public History offers advanced graduate training for professionals interested in the public history profession.  The program is practical and career-focused in its design, featuring courses in historical museum studies, digital history local history, and archival administration, taught by academic specialists and expert practitioners in the field.  The program of study features an internship to give students hands-on experience in the field.

Admission Requirements

Students who wish to be admitted to the graduate certificate program in Public History must hold a bachelor's degree in an appropriate field of study (History, American Studies, or other related field) with a 3.0 minimum grade point average.

Typically, students either complete the certificate in conjunction with a Master's degree in a related field at BGSU. Students may also earn the certificate on a stand-alone basis.

Application Process

Students currently enrolled in a BGSU graduate program who wish to add the Graduate Certificate in Public History to their degree program should contact the History Department Graduate Coordinator. Students interested in the stand-alone certificate must submit the BGSU Graduate College Online Application for admission.

In addition to the application required by the Graduate College, the admissions committee carefully reviews the following materials submitted in the application:

• One letter of recommendation from a recent instructor, employer, or other individual qualified to evaluate probable success in the program
• A personal statement of intent indicating the purpose for enrolling in the program and outlining career goals.

Roadmap to Completion

The certificate program consists of 14 to 15 academic credit hours of work. These must include 12 hours of course work (described below) plus two to three hours of approved internship credit.

The program of course work includes one required course, which is typically offered during the Spring semester of each academic year:

• HIST 6510 Introduction to Public History

The program of study also includes a requirement that students successfully complete any three of the following courses (3 credit hours each unless noted):

• HIST 6100 Local History
• HIST/ACS 6540 Museum Studies
• HIST 6560 Archives Administration
• HIST/ACS 6570 Historical Society Administration,
• POLS 5330 Non-profit Management and Leadership (*).
• Other relevant courses may be substituted with the written approval of the certificate program coordinator.

Finally, the program includes a requirement that students successfully complete an internship, to be arranged with the graduate directors of the History/ACS programs at an approved historical museum, historical society, or other professionally appropriate worksite.

• ACS 6890/7890 or HIST 6880 Internship (2-3 credit hours)

At least one certificate course is offered in fall and spring, allowing for completion of requirements in four semesters. Certificate coursework can also serve M.A. requirements. The certificate must be completed within six years from the semester date that the first course is taken. The hands-on instruction of this certificate is only offered in person.