Public History B.A.

As a Public history major at Messiah University, you’ll be able to:

• Participate in a major that offers a set of core courses in public history along with additional training in communications, business administration, computer and information sciences, and art history. 
• Intern with state and federal government offices, archives, public history organizations, museums, institutions of historic preservation and law firms. 
• Study historical archaeology and participate in archaeological explorations in Pennsylvania and the Mediterranean. Messiah is one of the few Christian universities to offer opportunities in archaeological fieldwork!
• Study abroad and visit cities rich in history like Barcelona, Paris, Rome and Athens. Or, consider studying in our nation’s capital. 
• Take advantage of the strong internship requirements to gain hands on immersive experiences in public history. 
• Complete undergraduate research supervised by a faculty member that can also be disseminated through honor's presentations, the Spring Humanities Symposium, conferences and workshops.
• Delve into our library’s substantial history collection, computer-based bibliographic and statistical resources, up-to-date set of major monographs in each historical field and a far-reaching interlibrary loan system. 
• Complete a minor in English, politics, economics, languages, journalism, communication or business.
• Pair this major with the B.A. in business administration as a secondary (double) major, if you wish. Within your primary field of study, learning critical business skills can open up additional opportunities for you after graduation. 
• Take challenging and thought-provoking courses such as the Age of Hamilton, Archaeology of Greece, Women and Gender in American History, Ancient Rome, among others. 
• Join Phi Alpha Theta, one of the oldest national honor societies in America, or the History Club.
• Learn to practice historically-informed ways of thinking about the world, looking at the root, causes and contexts. 
• Work with students from other disciplines on the Digital Harrisburg Initiative, a series of public history projects devoted to telling the stories of Harrisburg. 
• Study with professional historians while being grounded within a long tradition of Christian moral reflection.

As a graduate of the public history program, you’ll be able to secure positions such as:

• Public history associate 
• Museum curator
• Researcher
• Educator
• Historical preservationist
• Public historian
• Archivist
• Film/documentarian
• Librarian
• Digital media specialist

For more information on career planning for the biblical and religious studies program, visit the Messiah University Career and Professional Development Center.

Messiah’s nationally recognized programs place students in a variety of history internships. A few examples include:

• Public programs at a museum or national park
• Museum tour guide
• Museum exhibits
• Historical research
• Libraries
• Archives
• Government agencies
• Non-Governmental organizations