Public History Advanced Certificate

What is public history?

History made practical

Public historians bring history to general audiences outside of academia. Working in museums, archives, archaeological sites, media organizations, corporations, government bodies, community groups, and many other places, public historians undertake wide-ranging professional activities that include museum curating, oral interviewing, archival collection, documentary making, and historical preservation.

This advanced certificate program prepares graduate students for successful and rewarding careers in public history.  Students enrolled in this program improve their academic expertise, enhance their historical knowledge, and learn professional skills and methods. Additionally, they gain invaluable practical experience working at one of the many cultural institutions, museums, archives, and historic sites in New York City through our internship program.

The Public History Advanced Certificate

The certificate helps students get jobs in museums, historical societies, parks, and wherever history is presented to the public.  The program is designed for working professionals and recent graduates and can be completed in a year and a half for a total of 20 credit hours.  Historical methods, public history fundamentals and two specialist courses in topics like museums, oral history, and the history of New York culminate in an internship at a cultural institution in New York City, which often leads to jobs. For more details, see our ideal schedule.  The classes are all offered in the evening and are often online. 

The Public History Advanced Certificate and the History MA

It is designed for persons who want to commence or advance a career in public history and who already possess a BA degree in History or a related subject. The certificate can be taken by itself or in conjunction with the MA in History degree at CSI; students seeking to obtain the MA and Public History certificate simultaneously need to complete 36 credits in total.  The classes are all offered in the evening and are often online.  The program is designed with the needs of adult professionals in mind and will help you to achieve your goals.

Public History Videos

• Hear about students’ internship experiences.
• Learn more about the Advanced Certificate in Public History by watching this information session video
• A CSI Public History Graduate's Path to Becoming a Public Historian
• A CSI Public History Graduate Shares His Story at the Conference House

Public History Blogs

Public history students reflect on what sparked their passion for public history and how the advanced certificate is helping them reach their goals.  Read their blogs here.

For information on admission requirements, see our graduate catalog