MA Public History at University of South Carolina

Programme overview

A master's programme in public history in Columbia, SC, with hands-on research and work experience with partner organisations locally, nationally or abroad. Most students receive full funding.

Faculty: McCausland College of Arts and Sciences | Department: Department of History | Duration: Minimum 30 semester hours (12 public history, 15 history core, 3 thesis); two-year funded programme | Intake: Fall | Study mode: full-time | Location: Columbia, SC, United States

What you will study

Students complete public history courses and the history core, a 145-hour internship, a portfolio of original research and a thesis, with courses focused on historic preservation, museums or public history more broadly. Students should demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language in most cases.

Career pathways

Archivist, historic preservationist, museum director, documentarian, professor, writer.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Application requirements: official transcripts, official GRE score, three letters of recommendation, writing sample and personal statement. Preferred application deadline January 6, which is also the funding-consideration deadline; fall entry only. International applicants have additional requirements.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate applications are accepted for Fall, Spring and Summer terms; Fall applications open the prior September, Spring applications open in January and Summer applications open in May.

The graduate application fee is $50 per primary application, reinstated effective August 1, 2026. Deadlines are programme-specific. The Moore School of Business, the Arnold School of Public Health and the College of Nursing use their own applications; the Moore School charges an additional $50 application fee for graduate programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://www.sc.edu/admissions-at-sc/applications/index.php

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