Master of Heritage Studies & Public History

Response cards from Owning Up: Racism in Minneapolis Housing

Driven to advance social justice, the Heritage Studies and Public History (HSPH) graduate program addresses the critical need for diversity and inclusion in the heritage fields, both in terms of the pasts that are represented and in the practitioners that are employed.

Program Details

Interdisciplinary collaboration
As an HSPH student you will contribute to the project of democratizing heritage by collaborating with communities to bring multiple perspectives of the past into conversation. An interdisciplinary  program, HSPH blends elements of archival research, archaeology, material culture studies, architecture, preservation and digital humanities. In HSPH, history and heritage fuel the activism and learning necessary for a more just and equitable future. 

Partnership in practice
The Heritage Studies and Public History program is made possible by a partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS). This partnership enables all HSPH master’s students to complete two paid in-semester internships and a paid summer fellowship. Working together, HSPH and MNHS combine theory and practice to foreground diversity, interdisciplinary inquiry, experiential learning, and community engagement. Minnesota Historical Society staff and leadership contribute to the program by teaching courses, mentoring students, and sharing knowledge about professional practice. The program combines rigorous scholarly training with hands-on professional development, preparing graduates for careers as curators, public historians, historic preservationists, archeologists, preservation planners, and community organizers. 

Specialized tracks
All students in the HSPH program take a common core curriculum and focus their studies in one of three tracks: archaeological heritage, public history, or historic preservation. Students engage in experiential learning through embedded internships and the design and execution of a community-engaged capstone project.

Tracks

The Master of Heritage Studies & Public History degree offers three tracks for students to choose from: archaeological heritage, public history, and historic preservation. Regardless of which track you choose, you will have overlapping coursework and numerous opportunities to collaborate with your peers in other tracks and disciplines. HSPH students are encouraged to find and take classes, wherever they may be found at the University, that advance their academic and professional interests, provided they are selected in consultation with their track advisor. 

Archaeological Heritage Track

Y1 Fall Semester (10cr)

  • HSPH 8002: Core Practices in Heritage Studies and Public History (3cr)
  • HSPH 8003: Race and Indigeneity in Heritage Representation (3cr)
  • Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Y1 Spring Semester (10cr)

  • HSPH 8001: Who Owns the Past? (3cr)
  • ANTH 5448: Applied Heritage Management (3cr)
  • HSPH 8101: Internship (3cr) or Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Summer: Paid professional fellowship

Y2 Fall Semester (10cr)

  • Elective (3cr)
  • Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8101: Internship (3cr) or Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Spring Semester (7cr)

  • HSPH 8004: Capstone in Heritage Studies and Public History (3cr)
  • HSPH 8101: Internship (3cr) or Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Archaeological Heritage Example Electives

  • HSPH 8006/HIST 8031: Doing Digital History
  • HSPH 8XXX/HIST 8XXX: Archives
  • GIS 5576: Spatial Digital Humanities
  • FNRM 5480: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western Natural Resource Management
  • ESPM 3014/5014: Tribal and Indigenous Natural Resource Management
  • ANTH 5028: Historical Archaeology
  • ANTH 5601: Archaeology and Native Americans
  • ANTH 8004: Foundations of Anthropological Archaeology
  • ANTH 5402: Zooarchaeology Laboratory
  • ANTH 8244: Interpreting Ancient Bone
  • ANTH 5269: Analysis of Stone Tool Technology
  • ANTH 5444: Archaeological Ceramics
  • ANTH 5405: Human Skeletal Analysis
  • ANTH 4101/8510: Decolonizing Archives

Public History Track

Y1 Fall Semester (10cr)

  • HSPH 8001: Who Owns the Past? (3cr)
  • HSPH 8002: Core Practices in Heritage Studies and Public History (3cr)
  • Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future of Historical Organizations (1cr)

Y1 Spring Semester (10cr)

  • HSPH 8003: Race and Indigeneity in Heritage Representation (3cr)
  • HIST 8122: Public Histories (3cr)
  • HSPH 8101: Internship (3cr) or Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Summer: Paid professional fellowship

Y2 Fall Semester (10cr)

  • Elective (3cr)
  • Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8101: Internship (3cr) or Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Y2 Spring Semester (7cr)

  • HSPH 8004: Capstone in Heritage Studies and Public History (3cr)
  • HSPH 8101: Internship (3cr) or Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Public History Example Electives

  • HSPH 8006/HIST 8031: Doing Digital History
  • HSPH 8XXX/HIST 8XXX: Archives
  • GIS 5576: Spatial Digital Humanities
  • FNRM 5480: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western Natural Resource Management
  • ESPM 3014/5014: Tribal and Indigenous Natural Resource Management
  • HIST 5381: Minnesota History Workshop
  • HIST 5797: Methods of Population History
  • HIST 5890: Problems in American Indian History
  • HIST 5910: Topics in U.S. History
  • HIST 5920: Topics in African History
  • HIST 5980: Topics in Comparative Women's History
  • HIST 8025: Politics of Historical Memory
  • HIST 8240: Topics in Research in Gender, Race, Class, or Ethnicity in the United States
  • HIST 8390: Research in American Indian History
  • AMST 8201: Historical Foundations of American Studies
  • AMST 8202: Theoretical Foundations and Current Practice in American Studies 

Historic Preservation Track

Y1 Fall Semester (10cr)

  • HSPH 8001: Who Owns the Past? (3cr)
  • HSPH 8002: Core Practices in Heritage Studies and Public History (3cr)
  • ARCH 5671: Introduction to Historic Preservation (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Y1 Spring Semester (10cr)

  • HSPH 8003: Race and Indigeneity in Heritage Representation (3cr)
  • ARCH 5673: Historic Property Research and Documentation (3cr)
  • HSPH 8101: Internship (3cr) or Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Summer: Paid professional fellowship

Y2 Fall Semester (10cr)

  • ARCH 54XX: Architectural History elective (3cr)
  • Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8101: Internship (3cr) or Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Y2 Spring Semester (7cr)

  • HSPH 8004: Capstone in Heritage Studies and Public History (3cr)
  • HSPH 8101: Internship (3cr) or Elective (3cr)
  • HSPH 8005: Leadership and Future or Historical Organizations (1cr)

Historic Preservation Example Electives

  • HSPH 8006/HIST 8031: Doing Digital History
  • HSPH 8XXX/HIST 8XXX: Archives
  • GIS 5576: Spatial Digital Humanities
  • FNRM 5480: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western Natural Resource Management
  • ESPM 3014/5014: Tribal and Indigenous Natural Resource Management
  • ARCH 5672: Historic Building Conservation
  • ARCH 5674: World Heritage Conservation
  • ARCH 5678: Preservation and Sustainability
  • ARCH 5677: Preservation of the Vernacular Built Environment and Cultural Landscape
  • ARCH 5410: Topics in Architectural History
  • ARCH 5435: History of American Architecture
  • ARCH 5452: Baroque Architecture
  • ARCH 5412: Architecture: A Global and Cultural History
  • ARCH 5423: Gothic Architecture
  • ARCH 5424: Renaissance Architecture
  • ARCH 5432: Modern Architecture
Credit Overview

Master of Heritage Studies & Public History Degree Options

Students pursuing the M.HSPH degree have two separate degree plans to choose from. Plan B is only available to students pursuing the Archaeological Heritage Track and is designed to prepare students to join the Register of Professional Archaeologists. Plan C is open to all tracks and provides a strong, course-based option for working professionals. 

Plan B (Archaeological Heritage Track Only)Plan C
  • 37 total credits
    • 31 major credits
    • 6 elective/minor credits
  • Required project
  • 2 years (full-time)
  • Final oral and written examination
  • 37 total credits
    • 31 major credits
    • 6 elective/minor credits
  • Required project
  • 2 years (full-time)
  • No final examination
Full Requirements & Course Descriptions
Questions?

Learn more about the M.HSPH by contacting the program's director, Greg Donofrio.