Course Overview

Our MA Public Histories will introduce you to key aspects and issues of the practice of public history. It will provide you with the necessary theoretical and practical skills to undertake critical assessments of public history projects and interventions - as well as to create your own. Its focus on public history in practice will provide you with a wide range of examples of different types and methods of public history, from museums and material culture to public history in the media, to the role of history in policy making. This course aims to give you a sense of the wide range of public history, the variety of roles played by historians in public, and the importance and impact of public history in politics, culture, and society.

The course provides relevant training for careers in media, education, museums and heritage, publishing, and policy, and it also provides rigorous training in the historical discipline suitable to prepare you for further personal or professional research, or research at MPhil/PhD level.

Graduates can pursue career paths in research and archiving, education, the heritage industry, publishing, media, journalism, and the charity sector. Possible professions include:

• historian

• higher education lecturer

• archivist

• journalist

• heritage manager

• politician’s assistant

• academic librarian

• museum/gallery curator.

We offer a comprehensive Careers Service - Birkbeck Futures - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education, and future ambitions.

General Eligibility

The usual requirement is a second-class honors degree (2:2) or above in a humanities subject, as well as references. We may request writing samples or ask you to attend an interview, if you don't meet the entry criteria but have non-traditional educational or professional qualifications/experience.

Part Time Work Details

20 hours of work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this course is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.5 in each of the sub-tests and at least 7.0 in writing.