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MA in Public History

Tuesday, 1 February, 2022

The MA Public History draws upon the established strength and expertise of the UCD School of History. Within this program you will work closely with historians who are active in the practice of public history and commemorations. This course offers you the opportunity to build a tailored skillset that will allow you to disseminate history across multiple media, to explore how history can inform public discourse, and to shape policy in culture, education, politics, and the media. Through a mix of academic and practical modules, you will be guided through the theory and application of public history. The course also offers the opportunity for students to undertake relevant work experience in podcasting, publishing, policy, and print media.

The internship is an option and students can choose any spring offering level 4 history module in lieu. 

The course consists of a mixture of traditional history and public history modules. A built-in internship module offers students the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to a variety of real-world settings. Previous internships have been arranged at Marsh’s Library, Century Ireland, Newstalk FM, the Gallery of Photography Ireland, the National Folklore Collection, and UCD’s own History Hub. Students will develop the ability to understand historical problems in a comparative framework, while the dissertation module develops significant research skills.

Module offerings include:

  • Disseminating History
  • Politics and Communication: Internship
  • Practising Public History
  • An Introduction to Public History

For more information and to apply, please follow this link.

What You Will Need for Your Application

Applicants are required to provide the following in their applications:

  • An academic writing sample, eg. an essay (there is no word limit)
  • A most recent transcript
  • Contact details of two academic referees (professors who taught you)
  • Two written academic references outlining your academic history, interest and performance in class.
  • A letter of motivation/personal statement
  • An application fee
  • An English language test score (if English is not your first language). Please follow this link for more information.