Department of History

Main Office 20th floor, 25 Park Place; 404-413-6385

Heritage Preservation Program

Department of History
20th floor, 25 Park Place Bldg.
404-413-6365
Chad Keller, Director, Heritage Preservation Program, ckeller@gsu.edu
Alexander Cummings, Director of Graduate Studies, alexcummings@gsu.edu
Robin Jackson, Graduate Program Coordinator, 404-413-6385, rmjackson@gsu.edu

The Master of Heritage Preservation (M.H.P.) degree program is designed to train professionals in the fields of cultural resource management and public history. The program seeks first to acquaint students with the broad range of disciplines that constitute the field of heritage preservation. Second, it seeks to develop skills in administration, research, analysis, field survey interpretation, and historic site management that will be necessary in professional practice. Third, it provides practical experience in heritage conservation and public history through classroom practica, team and individual research projects, and internships in the field.

The Program in Heritage Preservation offers a degree in which the student can choose to concentrate in either historic preservation or public history.

The program seeks to provide trained personnel for careers in (1) cultural resource planning and management on the local, state, and federal levels; (2) administration of historical sites, historical societies and commissions, and museums; and (3) historical research positions in public and private agencies.

The program consists of a series of overview courses in the field including archeology, public history, folklore, architectural history, and preservation planning that are complemented by specialized courses in preservation history, administration and law. Students can choose a specialty area for more coursework, such as archeology, planning, architectural history, public history, or historical research. Finally, students engage in research projects through an interdisciplinary research seminar and an internship with an agency or organization that specializes in historic preservation or public history.

Students in the Master of Heritage Preservation program must maintain a 3.0 grade point average in order to receive a degree.

Applicants may obtain additional information about the Program in Heritage Preservation by contacting the Director at the addresses above.

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Program in Heritage Preservation has the following requirements:

1. Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate the applicant’s potential to do graduate work.
2. A statement of educational and career goals.

Department of History
20th floor, 25 Park Place Bldg.
404-413-6385
Email: Director of Graduate Studies (DGShistory@gsu.edu)
history.gsu.edu

Michelle Brattain, Chair
Alexander Cummings, Director of Graduate Studies
Robin Jackson, Graduate Studies Program Coordinator

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree program prepares students to teach in junior, community, or small liberal arts colleges; for careers in the management and use of historical records in archives or museums and in historic preservation; and for admission into a doctoral program in history.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program prepares students for positions in junior, community, small liberal arts, and senior colleges and universities; for productive postdoctoral research in history; and for careers in public service.

Major fields of study for the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees include: Colonial/Early National United States; 19th and 20th Century United States; Early Modern Europe; Modern Europe; World History; Regional and Global History; and Public History. The department also offers a number of regional fields as well as topical fields in a variety of subjects, including legal and constitutional history, labor history, urban studies, women’s and gender history, transnational and postcolonial studies, history of science, and historic preservation.

Applicants may obtain additional information about the Department of History by contacting the Director of Graduate Studies at the addresses above.

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of History has the following requirements:

Master of Arts-Requirements for Full Graduate Status Admission

1. An undergraduate major in history or its equivalent, which includes survey courses in American, World, and/or European history.
2. Acceptable scores on the General (Aptitude) Test of the Graduate Record Examination.
3. A high standard of undergraduate achievement, especially in the major.
4. A statement of the applicant’s educational and professional goals.
5. A writing sample.
6. Three letters of recommendation from faculty members (preferably in history) with whom the applicant has studied.
7. Official transcripts of all previous college and graduate level work.

Doctor of Philosophy-Requirements for Full Graduate Status Admission

1. A high standard of undergraduate achievement, in undergraduate and graduate work, especially in the major field.
2. Ordinarily, the M.A. degree in history. Additional course work may be required if the department deems previous graduate work inadequate for Ph.D. study in history.
3. Acceptable scores on the General (Aptitude) Test of the Graduate Record Examination.
4. Language skills deemed adequate by the department. This will normally include evidence of proficiency in at least one alternate language.
5. Positive evidence of research aptitude and skill, such as the M.A. thesis, and a sample of the applicant’s research and written work.
6. A statement of the applicant’s educational and professional goals.
7. Recommendations from three faculty members (preferably in history), who have had the student in graduate courses.
8. Official transcripts of all previous college and graduate level work.

Combined Master of Arts/Doctor of Philosophy-Requirements for Full Graduate Status Admission

Admission requirements for the Combined M.A. / Ph.D. program are the same as for the Ph.D. track (omitting the M.A. in history), with the following additions:

1. Recommended, an overall Grade Point Average of at least 3.5
2. Recommended, a Grade Point Average in the major of at least 3.8.
3. Recommended, a score in the 90th percentile or higher on the Graduate Record Exam.

Procedural Rules:

1. The Department of History may require a personal interview with the Ph.D. applicant.
2. Admission to the Ph.D. program is not automatic on the completion of the M.A. in history at Georgia State University.
3. Normally, a student may not take three degrees-the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate-in the Department of History at Georgia State University.