The History Department at UNCW offers a Master’s degree in history with a concentration in public history, preparing students for professional positions in a wide range of settings, ranging from institutions such as museums, historic sites, archives, special libraries, and preservation foundations to organizations specializing in exhibition design, contract research, cultural resource management, and heritage tourism.  The 30-hour program includes seminars, colloquia, and directed independent study which integrate historical content, theory, professional standards, and practical experience.  All students complete a semester-long internships and a thesis as the capstones of the program.

Public History means community involvement, and the Wilmington region offers a rich tapestry of opportunities.  Recent student/faculty projects include Wrightsville Beach Museum Web Page  and a tour guide, Wilmington’s African-American Heritage Trail.  Current projects include

 ·         Planning and installation of museum exhibit Across the Dye Ditch:  Remembering Delgado-Spofford Mill Hill

• ·         Preparation of National Register Nomination for Delgado-Spofford mill village
• ·         National Trust grant for interpretive and preservation planning for Oakdale and Pine Forest, Wilmington’s Victorian garden cemeteries
• ·         Oral histories on tobacco farming and specialty agriculture in New Hanover County
• ·         Publication of Women’s Work, A Century’s Worth, partnering with New Hanover Commission for Women

• ·         Development of WWII Heritage Trail brochure for Wilmington Homefront Heritage Coalition
• ·         Archiving photographic collections, Historic Wilmington Foundation
• ·         Save Outdoor Sculpture! National Endowment for the Arts grant for conservation treatment and preservation education of Kenan Fountain
• ·         Research support for environmental litigation
• ·         Accession and inventory, archives of the Jacksonville U. S. O.

The Department welcomes both recent college graduates and “nontraditional”  students and makes every effort to help students combine graduate study with paid employment.  Current students and alumni work in regional institutions and agencies including the Wilmington Railroad Museum, the City of Wilmington Planning Department, Bellamy Mansion Museum of History and Design Arts,  the U. S. S. North Carolina Battleship Museum,  Bentonville Battle Field, Tryon Palace, Onslow County Museum, and the North Carolina Humanities Council.   

     Established in 1989, the public history program includes two full-time and one part-time faculty. While the Department of History is currently in the process of hiring an additional Public History faculty member, until then the Public History team is unofficially headed by Dr. William D. Moore, former Executive Director, Enfield Shaker Museum, New Hampshire, and past Director of the Livingston Masonic Library and Museum, New York City.   A folklorist as well as architectural historian, Dr. Moore has wide-ranging interests in material culture and the built environment and serves on the Board of Directors of the Victorian Society in America and the Vernacular Architecture Forum. 

In designing their individual course of study, public history students may also work with consulting departmental faculty, including Kathleen Berkeley (women's history), Andrew Clark (oral history), Chris Fonvielle (Civil War) David La Vere, (Native American history), William McCarthy (maritime history), Melton McLaurin (southern history), Robert B.Toplin (history and film), and Alan Watson (North Carolina history).   In addition, students may take two  graduate electives outside the history department in fields such as historical geography, historical archaeology, and art history. 

     Admission Requirements:  3.0 gpa, satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record examination, writing sample, three letters of recommendation.  

 Financial Aid:  Fellowships, tuition waivers, assistantships

 For more information about the Public History Program please contact Dr. William D. Moore.  moorewd@uncw.edu  or 910.962.3692