Museums, Archives & Public History
Bachelor of Arts
To preserve the past is to save the future.
One of the few undergraduate majors in public history in the country, Nazareth’s program is distinct for combining rich historical study with experiential learning obtained through the required 12 credit hours of internship. Your classes and internships prepare you to pursue advanced degrees or careers in archives, digital humanities, documentation projects, film studies, government service, heritage tourism, historical house management, library science, museums, national park service, and preservation. Pairs well with a dual major in American studies, anthropology, art history, communications and media, history, marketing, music, public health, social science, theatre arts, and women and gender studies.
Highlights
Internships can be local, across the nation, or abroad; a popular semester program is in Washington, D.C.
Benefit from rich historical study with experts from various eras of history
Courses in museums & archives are taught by professionals in these fields
Experiential learning also includes project-based classroom activities, expert speakers, and trips to historical sites
Career Paths
- Archivist
- Historian in local, state, or federal government
- Museum curator
- Oral historian
- Special collections manager
- Travel guide
Internships
- 1816 Farmington Quaker Meeting House
- Genesee Country Museum
- George Eastman Museum
- Historic Pittsford
- Landmark Society
- Memorial Art Gallery
- National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
- Rochester City Historian
- Rochester Genealogical Society
- Rochester Museum and Science Center
- Smithsonian Institution
- The Strong National Museum of Play
Graduate schools
- American University, Washington, D.C.
- Cooperstown Museum Studies, Cooperstown, N.Y.
- George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
- School of Library and Information Science Simmons College, Boston, Mass.
- University at Albany, Albany, N.Y.
99%
of new Nazareth grads are employed or in grad school within six months of graduation
1,631
high-impact experiential learning experiences completed by the undergraduate class of 2024
$4,000
Our SPARK Grant provides up to $4,000 for you to pursue internships, research, and study abroad. SPARK details »
Center for Public History
The Center for Public History at Nazareth University connects Nazareth students with the larger community through projects that make the past useful to the public. These projects promote community dialogue, recall lost memories, and instill knowledge.
Program Director
Alumni Spotlight
Debbra Williams-Fernaays ‘17
Williams-Fernaays loves her job in collection management at Rochester Museum & Science Center. Interning there through the museums, archives, and public history program helped her decide on a museum career: “I get to help preserve the past for the future. I come to work every day knowing every day will be different!”
Of the five colleges she attended as a traveling military spouse, she said the Nazareth community was her most enjoyable. “The professors here are wonderful, they genuinely care about you.... (They) will discuss with you and guide you through anything. They will support you 100% if you are willing to put the work in." Professors Timothy Kneeland and Timothy Thibodeau were both influential, including offering support when she faced a loss in her family.