The Public History program at the University of Western Ontario is a 12-month Master's degree program consisting of two academic terms of coursework, a Professional Development Series, a public history placement during the academic year, and a 12-week full-time summer internship. It trains students in historical research and interpretation, digital history, archival science, museology, heritage management, social memory, material culture, and oral history. The program's uniqueness lies in the combination of the theory and history of Public History with the teaching of hands-on practical skills, particularly in digital history. Each year, students complete projects in conjunction with community partners such as museums, archives, living history sites, cultural and architectural organizations, and heritage planners. The program attracts students from across Canada and internationally. The program is supported by the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation.
Contents
History of UWO's Program
The Public History program at UWO is Canada's longest running Public History program. It was developed in 1984 by professors George Metcalf, Bruce Bowden and Robert Hohner, and officially approved by UWO's Faculty of Graduate Studies in 1985 for a three-year trial period. The first four students entered the fall academic term in 1986. The First Hussars' Museum (London), George Weston Limited (Toronto) and Parks Canada hosted the first internships. Originally developed as a two-year program, in 1993 it was reduced to a 12-month degree, consisting of two terms of courses and a summer internship. The last year students were admitted for the two-year degree was 1991. Approximately 12 students are accepted each year. Previous Directors have included George Metcalf, Bruce Bowden, Janet Trimble, J.J.B. Forster, A.M.J. Hyatt, Alan MacEachern, William Turkel, and Michael Dove. Its current Director is Michelle A. Hamilton and the Internship Co-ordinator is Michael Dove.
Alumni
Alumni work in many government agencies such as Parks Canada, Library and Archives Canada, the Department of Canadian Heritage, in national, provincial, and local museums and archives, at universities, as independent historical consultants, in popular historical publishing, and in media companies.
Public History in Canada
Other early graduate programs include the program at the University of Waterloo (on hiatus since 2005), the now-defunct program at Simon Fraser University, and more recent programs at Carleton University and Université du Québec à Montréal. Concordia University offers an undergraduate degree in Public History. In both Canada and the United States, Public History grew in popularity because of the decline of academic jobs in the 1970-80s, and the importance of the federal and provincial governments as employers of public historians. As well, the professions of museology and archival science began to be professionalized in Canada during the 1980s, two disciplines which share aspects of Public History.