Experiential Learning

Public History students gain valuable professional experience during internships and residencies. Although the internship and professional residency are required components of our graduate degree programs, conferences and other forms of experiential learning and networking will always be a part of the professional development of public historians.

Conferences

Like most professional fields, public historians have opportunities to participate in a multitude of local, regional, and national conferences that provide forums to discuss new research and developments within the profession. Examples of organizations that regularly organize conferences include:

• Tennessee Conference of Historians
• Tennessee Association of Museums
• Society of Tennessee Archivists
• National Council on Public History
• American Association for State and Local History
• National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Society of American Archivists
• American Association of Museums
• Kentucky-Tennessee American Studies Association
• Tennessee Folklore Society

Career Placement

Faculty maintain various professional networks and assist graduates with career placement. MTSU graduates have been hired by state agencies, private consulting firms, historical commissions, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, State Historic Preservation Offices, exhibit design firms, universities, Main Street programs, and planning commissions throughout the nation. To assist with internships, residencies, and career placement, the Public History Program maintains these professional memberships:

• American Association of Museums
• American Association for State and Local History (Career Center)
• National Council on Preservation Education
• National Council on Public History
• National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Society of American Archivists
• Southeastern Museums Conference
• Society of Tennessee Archivists
• Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Tennessee Association of Museums
  Tennessee Preservation Trust
• U.S. Committee, International Council on Monuments and Sites