History BA, Public History and Museums in the Digital Age Emphasis
The emphasis in Public History and Museums in the Digital Age is designed for students interested in pursuing careers in the fields of museums, heritage, and public history. It will familiarize students with the major issues confronted by cultural institutions that interpret the past for and in collaboration with public audiences and introduce students to the skills and digital competencies required for successful professional careers in these fields. Students are prepared to apply for graduate level work in Museum Studies and Public History.
General Education Requirements
History majors must meet the university and college general education requirements.
Majors may not take required history courses on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Students enrolled in variable credit reading courses for 5 credit hours must complete a seminar paper.
Students may take any language that fulfills the college's foreign language requirement.
Degree Requirements
Majors must complete at least 33, but not more than 45, hours in history with no grade below C-. Students are encouraged to move from introductory courses at the 1000 level to more advanced courses at the 2000 and 3000 levels then to research oriented courses at the 4000 level.
| 1000 Level | ||
| Select three courses at the 1000 level | 9 | |
| 2000 Level | ||
| HIST 2999 | Introduction to Historical Inquiry | 3 |
| HIST 2199 | Real History and Fake News | 3 |
| or HIST 2050 | Museums, Monuments and American Life: Introduction to Public History | |
| Select at least one additional course at the 2000 level | 3 | |
| 3000 Level | ||
| Select at least one course at the 3000 level | 3 | |
| 4000 Level 1 | ||
| Select at least two courses at the 4000 level | 6 | |
| Additional Coursework | ||
| Select at least two additional courses at the 2000-4000 level | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
- 1
Students may only count up to 3 credit hours of HIST 4001, Special Readings toward the degree.
Students seeking a degree with distinction must enroll in HIST 4100 for 5 credit hours to satisfy their 4000-level requirements, adding an additional 2 credits to the total number of degree hours.
Undergraduate majors must complete a residency minimum of 15 hours of 2000/3000/4000 level History courses including 6 credit hours of 4000 level courses at UMSL.
Alternative courses to satisfy the History requirements
Some courses may satisfy the History requirement even though they are not listed as such, depending the content. These include courses at the Honors College, and in other departments. If a course covers some aspect of History, a student may request to include it as satisfying a degree requirement. The student should obtain a description and syllabus and submit both to the History undergraduate advisor for approval.
Specific Requirements for the Emphasis Area
| HIST 2050 | Museums, Monuments and American Life: Introduction to Public History | 3 |
| HIST 1020 | St. Louis: People, Place, and Food | 3 |
| or HIST 3999 | Internship | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Candidates must also complete a three-hour elective course, which may include one of the following if not already taken for the core: | ||
| St. Louis: People, Place, and Food | ||
| Internship | ||
| Interpretation: Connecting Audiences and Meaning | ||
| Social Mapping for Change | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |