The MA Public History will give students the opportunity to consider how history is created and understood in public contexts. The programme offers advanced-level teaching by leading practitioners and is delivered across both the historic Bloomsbury and new UCL East campuses, with all the resources that they have to offer.

About this degree

The MA Public History combines cutting-edge, research-led knowledge of the way history is produced and engaged with in public contexts, with training in the practices through which public historical understanding is created and communicated. Students will benefit from UCL’s rich experience working with national heritage institutions, museums, and media outlets, as well as local communities in London, and from the university’s own role as a public history provider (through its three on-campus museums and special collections). They will work with internationally recognized practitioner-researchers in the fields of oral history, documentary film and radio, exhibition curation, digital history, historical dramatization, and heritage-making. Students will also have opportunities to study with public history professionals from beyond UCL and thus gain exposure to a range of career pathways.

The approach of the MA in Public History is distinctively global and interdisciplinary. Students will be primarily based out of UCL East where they will work alongside those undertaking studies in the related fields of global urbanism, heritage studies, creative humanities, and media studies. They will first examine what public history means and how it changes over time and place, across distinct global contexts, exploring key concepts and debates centring on memory, heritage, history as activism, history as business, policy, and as institutional and community memory, as well as the arts and acts of remembrance. They will then focus on developing their practical public history skills in an area, or areas, of public history relevant to them, through project-based work in collaboration with one of UCL’s experienced practitioner-mentors. The programme’s emphasis on combining a theoretical framework with practice-based learning will allow students to critically self-reflect on their public history efforts as they produce them.

Who this course is for

The programme provides an ideal foundation for students interested in expanding their knowledge of public history and their skills in communicating historical research to diverse publics, or who are keen to pursue careers in various public-history related sectors, such as the media or heritage industries. The programme will also appeal to those with existing public history experience who are keen to further develop their critical and practical skills.

What this course will give you

UCL History enjoys an outstanding international reputation for its research and teaching.

The department is strongly committed to the intellectual development of all our students; if you come to UCL, you will receive individual supervision from leading historians.

The foundation of your career
Employability

The programme is designed to teach many of the transferable skills that history MA programmes offer, and which provide a strong foundation for those hoping to undertake PhD research and an academic career. On top of this, the programme provides the transferable skills necessary to pursue a career in media, heritage, education, the civil service, the arts sector, and business.