Dec 05, 2025

2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Public History, B.A.

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Public History refers to various forms of applied history that serve and support the public. This includes museums, archives, national parks, oral histories, memorials and monuments, documentaries, ancestry, government histories, public policy, living history, and so much more. The Public History program prepares students for careers in these varied fields by combining the skills and learning objectives of the history program—complex and creative inquiry, critical analysis, and communication—with professional training. The coursework is both specialized and flexible, providing opportunities for interdisciplinarity and project-based, hands-on learning.

Public History, B.A. Learning Outcomes

Degree Requirements

Institutional Degree Requirements

Program-Specific Degree Requirements: To be eligible for graduation, students majoring in Public History must maintain a 2.0 grade point average in the course requirements of the major and receive a grade of 2.0 or better in all History courses.

General Education Requirement

First Year Seminar

FYS 100 First-Year Seminar 3 credit hours
FYS 102 Common Hour 0 credit hours

Foundations Requirements

Communication course:

FCO 105 Rhetorical Communication 3 credit hours

Advanced Communication course:

Satisfied by major (FCO 225 )

Choose 3 credits of the following Quantitative Fluency courses:

MAT 111 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Mathematics 3 credit hours
PHL 220 Principles of Scientific Reasoning 3 credit hours
PHL 222 Critical Thinking 3 credit hours
PHL 231 Logic 3 credit hours

Choose 3 credits of the following American Citizenship courses:

ECO 201 Principles of Economics (Micro) 3 credit hours
PS 101 American Government 3 credit hours

Choose 3 credits of the following Global Citizenship courses or students have the option to complete this requirement by successfully completing 6 credits of the same foreign language:

ECO 200 Principles of Economics (Macro) 3 credit hours
G 100 World Regional Geography 3 credit hours
PS 102 Contemporary Global Issues 3 credit hours

Disciplinary Perspectives Requirement

Humanities course:

Satisfied by major (HIS 101 )

Constellation Requirement

The Constellation requirement is met when a student completes four courses from a minimum of three disciplines within the Constellation requirements. Students who transfer in 60 credits or more at the time of admission to the college will be waived from the Constellation requirement, except for Education majors. The waiver applies to the requirement for graduation but does not waive the credits to graduate; students need to meet the overall bachelor’s degree credit requirement.

See Generation Next General Education Requirements for more information.

Required Courses

Core Courses

FCO 225 Interdisciplinary Communication 3 credit hours
HIS 101 The Foundation of the West 3 credit hours
HIS 102 The West in the World 3 credit hours
HIS 111 American History from Colonization to Civil War 3 credit hours
HIS 112 American History from Civil War to Global Power 3 credit hours
HIS 200 Methods and Theory in History 3 credit hours
HIS 485 Capstone Research Seminar 3 credit hours
OR
HIS 499 Senior Seminar in History 3 credit hours

Proseminar

Students must complete 3 credits of the following courses before registering for History Seminar (HIS 485 or HIS 499 ):

HIS 352 The Revolutionary Era in America 3 credit hours
HIS 363 Coming of the Civil War 1846-1861 3 credit hours
HIS 402 The Black Death 3 credit hours
HIS 420 The First World War 3 credit hours
HIS 421 Nazi Germany and the Holocaust 3 credit hours
HIS 460 The Civil Rights Movement 3 credit hours

Public History Electives

Students must complete at least 12 credits of the following:

HIS 303 Museum Studies 3 credit hours
HIS 304 Digital Public History 3 credit hours
HIS 307 Podcasting the Past 3 credit hours
HIS 386 Historical Geography of North America 3 credit hours
HIS 463 Policy and History in York, Pennsylvania 3 credit hours
HIS 480 Cooperative Work Experience in History 6-9 credit hours
HIS 495 History Internship 3 credit hours
HIS 496 History Internship 3 credit hours

History Electives

Students must complete 12 credits of History electives of which 9 credits must be at the 300 level or higher.

Skill Building Targeted Electives

Students must complete 6 credits each from any 2 of the following clusters, for a total of 12 total credits:

Administration and Government Cluster

BUS 350 Management of Not-for-Profit Operations 3 credit hours
PS 200 Non-Profits, Philanthropy, and Community Impact 3 credit hours
PS 242 State and Local Government 3 credit hours
PS 251 Public Administration 3 credit hours
PS 312 Politics of Public Policy 3 credit hours

Art History and Archaeology Cluster

ART 204 Survey of World Art I 3 credit hours
ART 205 Survey of World Art II 3 credit hours
ART 207 Introduction to Art Therapy 3 credit hours
ART 210 Design Fundamentals 3 credit hours
ART 387 The Art of World Building 3 credit hours
ART 388 History of Photography 3 credit hours
ART 389 History of Graphic Design 3 credit hours
ART 390 Art and Exchange in the Global Middle Ages 3 credit hours
ART 391 Visual Revolutions: Art and Change in a Global 19th Century 3 credit hours
ART 394 Art in the Modern World: Political and Social Change in Global Visual Cultures from 1900 to 1960 3 credit hours
ART 395 Art After 1960 3 credit hours

Communications Cluster

CM 225 Introduction to New Media 3 credit hours
CM 226 Introduction to Audio Production 3 credit hours
CM 242 Introduction to Video Production 3 credit hours
CM 324 Public Relations Events and Promotions 3 credit hours
CM 336 Advanced Audio Production 3 credit hours
CM 341 Documentary Filmmaking 3 credit hours
PR 221 Introduction to Public Relations 3 credit hours

Foreign Language Cluster

Complete two semesters (6 credits) of the same foreign language.

Geographic Information Systems Cluster

G 261 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 3 credit hours
G 361 Applied GIS ‐ Solution to Unsustainability 3 credit hours

Written Communication Cluster

PR 321 Writing for Public Relations 3 credit hours
WRT 280 Research Methods in Writing Studies 3 credit hours
WRT 305 Rhetorical Theory 3 credit hours
WRT 315 Civic Rhetoric and Writing 3 credit hours
WRT 320 Digital Writing: Theory and Practice 3 credit hours
WRT 321 Document Design: Theory and Practice 3 credit hours
WRT 341 History of Women’s Rhetorics 3 credit hours
WRT 410 Editing and Style 3 credit hours

General Elective Courses

Students must complete 24 credits of free elective courses.

Suggested Course Sequence:

Freshman Year

Fall Semester (15 credits)

FYS 100 First-Year Seminar 3 credit hours
FYS 102 Common Hour 0 credit hours
HIS 101 The Foundation of the West 3 credit hours
HIS 111 American History from Colonization to Civil War 3 credit hours
Disciplinary Perspectives - Social and Behavioral Sciences course 3 credit hours
Foundations - American Citizenship 3 credit hours

Spring Semester (15 credits)

FCO 105 Rhetorical Communication 3 credit hours
HIS 112 American History from Civil War to Global Power 3 credit hours
Foundations - Quantitative Fluency course 3 credit hours
Elective courses 6 credit hours

Sophomore Year

Fall Semester (15 credits)

FCO 225 Interdisciplinary Communication 3 credit hours
HIS 102 The West in the World 3 credit hours
Disciplinary Perspectives - Arts course 3 credit hours
Skill-Building Elective course 3 credit hours
Elective course 3 credit hours

Spring Semester (15 credits)

Foundations - Global Citizenship course 3 credit hours
Disciplinary Perspectives - Natural and Physical Sciences course 3 credit hours
Public History Elective course 3 credit hours
History Elective course 3 credit hours
Skill-Building Elective course 3 credit hours

Junior Year

Fall Semester (15 credits)

HIS 200 Methods and Theory in History 3 credit hours
History Proseminar course 3 credit hours
Skill-Building Elective course 3 credit hours
Constellation course 3 credit hours
Elective course 3 credit hours

Spring Semester (15 credits)

Constellation course 3 credit hours
Public History Elective course 3 credit hours
History Elective course 3 credit hours
Skill-Building Elective course 3 credit hours
Elective course 3 credit hours

Senior Year

Fall Semester (15 credits)

Constellation course 3 credit hours
Public History Elective courses 6 credit hours
History Elective course 3 credit hours
Elective course 3 credit hours

Spring Semester (15 credits)

HIS 485 Capstone Research Seminar 3 credit hours
OR
HIS 499 Senior Seminar in History 3 credit hours
Constellation course 3 credit hours
History Elective course 3 credit hours
Elective course 3 credit hours
Elective course 3 credit hours

Public History, B.A.

Degree Requirements

General Education Requirement

First Year Seminar

Foundations Requirements

Communication course:

Advanced Communication course:

Choose 3 credits of the following Quantitative Fluency courses:

Choose 3 credits of the following American Citizenship courses:

Choose 3 credits of the following Global Citizenship courses or students have the option to complete this requirement by successfully completing 6 credits of the same foreign language:

Disciplinary Perspectives Requirement

Humanities course:

Choose 3 credits of the following Arts courses:

Choose 3 credits of the following Social and Behavioral Sciences courses:

Choose 3 credits of the following Natural and Physical Sciences courses:

Constellation Requirement

Required Courses

Core Courses

Proseminar

Public History Electives

History Electives

Skill Building Targeted Electives

Administration and Government Cluster

Art History and Archaeology Cluster

Communications Cluster

Foreign Language Cluster

Geographic Information Systems Cluster

Written Communication Cluster

General Elective Courses

Suggested Course Sequence:

Freshman Year

Fall Semester (15 credits)

Spring Semester (15 credits)

Sophomore Year

Fall Semester (15 credits)

Spring Semester (15 credits)

Junior Year

Fall Semester (15 credits)

Spring Semester (15 credits)

Senior Year

Fall Semester (15 credits)

Spring Semester (15 credits)