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MA Program

The MA in Material Culture and Public Humanities requires a minimum of 30 credits. Students who wish to complete an optional thesis will take an additional 6 credits, for a total of 36 credits. All students take 5 core courses in addition to interest-driven electives. All students will also complete an internship/practicum in a museum, historical society, or other cultural organization, and submit a conceptual Report of their experiences. As they formulate their plan of study, each student will be mentored by at least one faculty member.

  1. Five (5) Required Core Courses (15 credits)

      All of the Following:

  • ART/HUM/RLCL 5104: Historical and Theoretical Frameworks in Material Culture and Public Humanities
  • ART/HUM/RLCL 5204: Research Methods in Material Culture and Public Humanities
  • HUM/RLCL 5304: Material Culture and Humanities in the Public Sphere
  • ART 5984: Exhibition, Design, and Display

       AND Either:

  • ITDS 5124: Preservation of Historic Interiors

     or  One (1) of the following public history courses:

  • HIST 5424 – Public History
  • HIST 5434 – Oral History Methods
  • HIST 5444 – Digital History Methods
  • HIST 5454 – Topics in Public History
  1. Three (3) Restricted Electives in the Core (9 credits):
  1. One of two rotating special topics courses (3 credits):
    • HUM/RLCL 5584: Topics in Public Humanities
    • ART 5584: Topics in Material Culture
  2. An additional two electives (6 credits), subject to approval by an advisor.
  1. Experiential Core Requirement (6 credits)

ART/HUM/RLCL 5904: Project and Report

The 6-credit Project and Report has two parts: 1) a 3-credit practicum internship experience (180 hours) in such places as historical societies, humanities foundations, cultural planning agencies, heritage or cultural tourism, museums, historic preservation offices, or community arts programs; 2) a 3-credit written Project Report. 

Final Project: The student’s Project Report will in most cases serve as their Final Project. Its write-up will be guided by the student’s advisor and two other MA Committee members. At the end of their last semester, the student will present the final project to their committee in an oral defense that the Committee will evaluate to determine of the student passes.

Students have the option of doing an additional 6 credits in the program should they choose the MA thesis option. In such cases, the MA Thesis will count as the final project (though the Practicum experience and write-up are still required).  

MCPH Certificate

This is a cross-disciplinary graduate certificate comprised of 9 credits of key coursework in the MA Program in Material Culture and Public Humanities. These courses focus on material objects and their placement in theoretical, cultural, and historical perspectives, as well as public representations of a wide range humanities-based knowledge. As such, the Certificate prepares students for careers in museums, historical societies, and other cultural organizations.

The MCPH Certificate is geared both to Virginia Tech graduates in other MA/PhD programs who wish to focus on themes of material culture and public humanities, and to scholars from outside the Virginia Tech community who may wish to pursue continuing education as “Commonwealth Campus” students in this non-degree program.

Most of the courses on the Certificate curriculum are either already accessible to distance learners or can be adapted for distance learners upon conversation with the instructor.

For more information contact Michelle Moseley.

Students already enrolled in other Virginia Tech graduate (MA or PhD) degree programs may apply for the 9 credit MCPH Certificate by filling out the Graduate Certificate Application form in consultation with Michelle Moseley.

Scholars from outside the Virginia Tech community who wish to pursue an MCPH Certificate can do so by applying for graduate study via the Commonwealth Campus. They will need to submit a transcript or a copy of their diploma for the highest degree attained. No graduate entrance exams are required.

After a student has successfully completed the 9 credits of certificate coursework, they will need to submit an Application for Degree or Certificate Conferral form.

The certificate requires 9 credit hours, distributed as follows:

3 Credits Foundational Coursework, either

ART/HUM/RLCL 5104: Research Methods in MCPH I (3H, 3C)
Investigation of methodologies with specific application to cultural objects situated in the public sphere.
Or
ART/HUM/RLCL 5204: Research Methods in MCPH II (3H,3C)
Topics cover steps for developing an installation, from analysis, archiving, to writing and interpretation for various audiences.

6 Credits Electives from the following courses:

ART 5584: Topics in Material Culture (3H, 3C)
Advanced seminar. Provides a comprehensive examination of various periods and subjects of material culture through rotating topics. Topics indicated by timetable. May be repeated for credit for a maximum of 9 credits. Graduate standing required.

HUM/RLCL 5584: Topics in Public Humanities (3H, 3C)
Advanced seminar on topics in public humanities, ranging from an exploration of how various humanities disciplines relate to public issues and concerns, to a study of region, regionalism, and place in public humanities. May be repeated with different topic content for a maximum of 9 credits. Pre-requisite: Graduate Standing required. 

HUM/RLCL 5304:  Material Culture and Humanities in the Public Sphere (3H, 3C)
Advanced seminar on material culture and humanities in the public sphere through an examination of humanistic approaches to civic spaces, applying critical turns to public debates.

RLCL 5124/ASPT 5124: Religion & Modernity in the West (3H, 3C)
A study of the relationship between religion and modernity in the West, with analysis of whether modern society is “disenchanted” or “secularized,” or whether religion has remained a potent force in western society and thought. Through a survey of some of the major thinkers and themes of modern religious thought, we will consider the philosophical, economic, political, and legal aspects of the location of religion in the modern world. Pre: Graduate standing.

ART 5564G: Exhibition, Design, and Display (3H, 3C)
Focus on the display and presentation of visual art, using local (including university) galleries and sites as venues for student-designed exhibitions. Provides experience in the public art arena, and practical knowledge about planning, designing and mounting exhibitions.

HIST 5424:  Public History (3H, 3C)
Introduction to the theoretical, interpretive, controversial, and practical issues facing public historians. Focus on interpretations and specific issues surrounding the presentation of history in museum exhibits, documentary films, photographic collections, community history projects, the Internet, and a variety of other public venues.

With permission from a MCPH co-director, any other 5000 or 6000-level course in VT’s Graduate Catalogue (including independent studies) can count toward the elective requirement.

Accelerated Master's Program

Undergraduate majors in the program in Art History and the Department of Religion can pursue an accelerated program for the MA in Material Culture and Public Humanities. Once accepted, students may double-count 12 credit hours toward undergraduate and graduate degrees (each credit hour counts toward both degrees at the same time).

Applicants must have
  • junior status and be entering their last 12 months of undergraduate work
  • attained in-major GPAs of at least 3.5 (overall 3.0)
  • completed the formal application to the Graduate School

Students must be accepted into the MA program prior to the beginning of the semester in which they enroll in courses to be counted toward the accelerated program.

  • A maximum of 12 credits of graded coursework may be counted for both undergraduate and graduate work
  • No more than 6 of the double-counted credits may be at the 4000 level; all others must be offered for graduate credit
  • A grade of B or higher must be earned in each course to be double counted
  • Courses must not be taken pass-fail if a graded option is available

Applicable courses include all 4000-level offerings in the Program in Art History and the Department of Religion and Culture.  All other double-counted units must come from the 5000-level Material Culture and Public Humanities courses.

For more information on the Accelerated Master’s Program, please visit this link.