Applied History, Community History and Preservation, MA
The Master of Arts in Applied History with a focus in local and community history program trains you to apply the methods and approaches of professional historians to projects focused on telling the stories of local people, places, sites, organizations, and events. You may enter the program as a degree candidate or take individual courses as a non-degree student.
What Will I Learn?
This program focuses on learning to use a variety of sources and techniques, including archival research and oral interviews, to examine local history. It also examines diverse ways to share local stories through publications, public programs, exhibits and digital media. As a student of this program you'll have opporutunities to apply what you learn at several local historical sites and at the university's museum The Fashion Archives and Museum.
What Kinds of Experiences Could I Have?
Shippensburg is an ideal place to study history because of the many historic sites and resources nearby including Gettysburg National Military Park, the United States Army Heritage and Educational Center, the Pennsylvania State Museum, Shippensburg Station and the Cumberland Valley Railroad Museum, and the Fashion Archives and Museum of Shippensburg University.
Our faculty members each have unique interests and passions. They provide students with personalized attention and advisement through great hands-on experiences such as:
- Involvement with student groups and activities
- Research
- Internships
- Volunteer work
- Service-learning
What Types of Careers Could I Get With This Degree?
This concentration is ideal for librarians, local historians, family and church historians, students wishing to explore community history and pursue advanced training in historical research methods, or individuals seeking a foundation for additional graduate or doctoral studies.
Graduate credits can fulfill Act 48 requirements and can be applied toward permanent certification in teaching or toward work on a doctorate or other advanced degree.