Public History

Overview

The MA in Public History at Queen’s University Belfast offers an opportunity to study how historical knowledge is produced, mediated, represented and consumed in public spaces, in a region where the past continues to resonate powerfully. The close relationship Queen’s enjoys with a broad range of partners across the country, from national cultural institutions, heritage organisations and media through to community-led initiatives, provides an unparalleled opportunity for first-hand experience of how history works and is put to work in many different ways. The close involvement of partner organisations in the delivery of the course through practitioner workshops, guest lectures, field trips and events, as well as the 30-day placement, provides first-hand, practical experience of the wide range of issues, challenges and opportunities faced by the public historian.



This course approaches public history from many perspectives ranging from the local to the global. The city of Belfast offers an exciting opportunity to engage with key issues surrounding contested histories, national narratives, memory, commemoration and community history in a very real and meaningful way, and to gain first-hand understanding of the relationship between history, heritage and public audiences at a local and national level. A global understanding of public history is encouraged through taught modules on difficult public history in a range of national contexts.



Students will carry out 30-day placements in one of a wide range of museums, archives, heritage sites or visitor experiences across the country.



The course combines academic training in historical theory and research methods with specialised topics relating to history in the public sphere, such as negotiating contested pasts, oral history, heritage and tourism, or digital curation, thus linking the analytical and critical approaches of traditional academic history with innovative ways of creating and disseminating histories for a diverse variety of public audiences.



Course Structure

Students may enrol on a full-time (1 year) or part-time (3 years) basis. Individual modules may be studied as a short course. Part-time students typically complete one or two modules per semester. Full-time students typically complete three modules per semester.



Full-time students take five modules across two semesters and work on their dissertation over the summer.



In the Autumn semester they take two required core modules: 'History and its Audiences', which is exclusive to students on the MA in Public History, and 'Historian's Craft' which is taken with the students on the History MA. For their third module students can choose between taking the 'Individually Negotiated Topic' (an extended research essay on a topic of their choice), or the interdisciplinary module, 'Belfast: Place, Identity and Memory in a Contested City'.



In the Spring semester full-time students take the 'Case Studies in Public History' module and their double weighted internship module.



The MA is awarded to students who successfully complete six taught modules (120 CATS points) and a 15,000 - 20,000 word research dissertation (60 CATS points).



Exit qualifications are available: students may exit with a Postgraduate Diploma by successfully completing 120 CATS points from taught modules or a Postgraduate Certificate by successfully completing 60 CATS points from taught modules.

The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2024/25). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.



Year 1

Core Modules

• Dissertation (60 credits)

• Public History Internship(MA Public History pathway) (40 credits)

• The Historian's Craft (20 credits)

• History and its Audiences (20 credits)



Optional Modules

• Belfast: Place, Identity and Memory in a Contested City (20 credits)

• Difficult Pasts (20 credits)

• Individually Negotiated Topic in History (20 credits)

• Culture and Society from Antiquity to the early modern period (20 credits)

• Major themes in US History (20 credits).

Normally a minimum of a 2.1 Honours degree or above, or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in a Humanities or Arts subject or an acceptable cognate discipline.



Applicants who hold a 2.2 Honours degree in one of the disciplines specified above or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University, who can demonstrate relevant professional experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.



Further criteria may be applied as placements are limited. This will include ranking applications on the basis of academic performance and/or an interview.



International Students

Please see International Student's link below.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally no later than 15th August 2025 for courses which commence in late September.



In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal prior to the deadline stated on course finder.



Notifications to this effect will appear on the application portal against the programme application page.

Assessment is by coursework:

• essays

• projects

• critical commentaries on primary sources;

• portfolio and reflective essay

• blogs and placement related assessment

• power point presentations

• practical work on documents or placement related assessment

• and a dissertation

1 year (Full-time)

3 years (Part-time)



Teaching Times

Teaching takes place at a variety of times from 12-6pm Monday – Friday.

Entry Year: 2025/26

Career Prospects

Introduction

The Public History MA can be regarded either as an end in itself, culminating in the distinction of having obtained a postgraduate degree and enhanced your employability skills as a researcher, or as a stepping stone to the higher research degree of PhD. Many graduates have gone on to PhD programmes . Others go into a wide variety of employment including careers in museums, archives or libraries; journalism or media related work; teaching; private and public administration; economic development and the voluntary sector.



The MA in Public History provides you with the essential skills and in-depth knowledge of history and its public audiences for career development at any stage – from students straight from an undergraduate degree with limited to no priori professional experience to those seeking continued professional development. The programme enables you to broaden your horizons, providing you with a competitive edge in a global graduate market in a wide variety of areas, such as museums, archives, heritage, culture and tourism, or media.http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/