Master's in History - Museum Studies

Turn your passion for history into meaningful public engagement with UNC Greensboro’s M.A. in History with a concentration in Museum Studies. Recognized as North Carolina’s leading museum studies program, UNCG combines graduate-level historical training with immersive museum experiences that prepare you for careers in museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions.

From your first semester, you’ll apply classroom learning through collaborative projects that serve real organizations and audiences. Students develop exhibitions, create interpretive resources, plan public programs, and gain professional experience through internships and partnerships across the region and beyond.

Graduates leave with both advanced historical knowledge and a portfolio of practical museum work that sets them apart in a competitive job market.

Masters in History Museum Studies Concentration Highlights

• Combine historical scholarship with museum practice. Develop advanced historical knowledge while exploring the theories, methods, and professional standards that guide museums, historic sites, and cultural organizations.
• Build expertise in public history and interpretation. Examine how museums and heritage institutions preserve collections, engage communities, and bring historical stories to life for diverse audiences.
• Follow an applied path to your degree. Complete a professional internship and a six-credit capstone project rather than a traditional thesis or comprehensive examinations.
• Customize your preparation for the museum field. Gain specialized training that supports careers in museums, historic sites, archives, historic preservation organizations, and other public history settings.
• Graduate ready for professional success. Develop the knowledge, skills, and practical experience needed to enter the public history workforce with confidence.

THE Museum Studies Masters STUDENT EXPERIENCE

• Create projects with real-world impact. Develop exhibitions, digital history projects, collections initiatives, and interpretive resources for museums, historic sites, and community organizations.
• Collaborate across disciplines. Work alongside students and faculty from areas such as Interior Architecture and Media Studies to design engaging exhibits and public-facing experiences.
• Gain valuable internship experience. Build professional skills and industry connections through placements at museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions across the region and nation, such as the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, Greensboro Historical Museum, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and Gettysburg National Military Park .
• See your work reach public audiences. Contribute to projects for organizations such as the Historic Magnolia House, International Civil Rights Center & Museum, North Carolina Council on the Holocaust, and Greensboro Science Center.
• Join an engaged community of public historians. Connect with faculty, alumni, community partners, and fellow students while building a professional network that extends beyond graduation.

AFTER GRADUATIng with a Masters in History – Museum Studies Concentration

After graduating with an M.A. in History with a concentration in Museum Studies, you’ll be prepared to preserve, interpret, and share history in museums, historic sites, archives, and cultural organizations. The program’s combination of historical scholarship, museum training, internships, and applied project work helps graduates transition successfully into public history careers.

UNCG alumni have built successful careers at institutions including Colonial Williamsburg, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, the President James K. Polk Historic Site, and the Museum of the Aleutians in Alaska.

Potential Career Paths