Public History at VT

The History Department offers a Graduate Certificate in Public History.

Students pursue challenging, interdisciplinary coursework in addition to their Master’s education in History, Education, or other related fields. Upon completion of the program, receive a certificate recognizing their training in and understanding of public history.

To qualify for the certificate, students must complete 12 credits of graduate level coursework in History, with no less than 9 of these credits chosen from the department’s public history offerings.

Up to 6 credits of the certificate may be double-counted towards another degree.


HOW PUBLIC HISTORY STUDENTS SPENT THEIR SUMMERS

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Graduate student Bethany Stewart working with community member Marva Hickman on identifying archival material.

What Public History Students are up to

  • In the Fall 2021, public history students completed oral history interviews, interpreted content, and designed graphics for the Calfee Community and Cultural Center.

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    Public history professor Dr. Jessica Taylor and graduate student Katie Gibson digitizing archival materials.
  • Noah Crawford (Class of 2021) created a walking tour pamphlet for the Wilderness Road Regional Museum in Fall 2019.
  • Students in the “Politics of Memory” class created the virtual exhibit “The Land Speaks” about the history of the Monocan Nation in Spring 2020.
  • Iris Swaney (Class of 2021) conducted multiple oral histories of the staff at the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley.
  • Iris Swaney curated and designed the exhibit “Unknown Origin” in remembrance of April 16, 2007.
  • Jessica Brabble (Class of 2021) created and designed an exhibit about the Pulaski County enslaved for the Wilderness Road Regional Museum in Fall 2019.
  • Emily Stewart (Class of 2020) helped public history professor Jessica Taylor created Voices of Virginia.
  • Clay Adkins and Iris Swaney helped conduct oral history interviews for the Fries Textile Collection Oral Histories in Fries, Virginia.
  • In Spring 2017, students researched Virginia political history and wrote and produced episodes of a podcast series.

For more information on Public History at Virginia Tech, please  follow them on Twitter @VTPublic History.

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