New Public History Degree
If you’ve ever walked across a battlefield, or stood outside the gates of a concentration camp – or reached out to touch a name you know on the Vietnam Memorial, or read a letter sent from a soldier in Europe back to his wife on the homefront, you know what it’s like to encounter history in a tangible way. The people who preserve history and help us understand its meaning are public historians. ACU’s newest track, the B.A. in Public History, will inspire you to share your love of history with others as a museum curator, archivist or other public history interpreter. Courses in this degree are deeply experiential, combining guided study of the theory and scholarship of public history with firsthand engagement with historic sites, libraries, museums, parks and archives.
Meet the Faculty
Our outstanding faculty share their expertise in the history of civilizations close to home and around the globe. They will challenge you to critically engage with the world, to forge new research paths and to share your findings with a wider community.
Dr. Amanda Biles
Abilene Christian University
Assistant Professor
Dr. Kelly Elliott
Abilene Christian University
Associate Professor
Department of History and Global Studies
Department Chair
Dr. Ronald Morgan
Abilene Christian University
Professor
Dr. Tracy Shilcutt
Abilene Christian University
Professor
Department of History and Global Studies
Associate Dean of the Honors College
Outstanding Alumni
When history major Kathryn Barnard was a sophomore at ACU, she decided she wanted to work in historical museums. For the next two years, she pursued that dream with the help of her professors, even creating her own film documentary for a military veterans’ museum. She learned oral interview methods, film editing and the ethics of producing historical content for the public.
That focused training paid off; she is now a senior content designer for a New York-based experience design firm that works with cultural, corporate and real estate clients.
Notable Internships
Recent internship placements for the Global Studies concentration include National Parks internships at Paint Rock, the Smithsonian Institution, the C.R. Smith Museum, the Grace Museum, the National WASP WWII Museum, Milliken Special Collections, and the 12th Armored Division Memorial. For Global Studies, students often intern with such organizations as World Wide Witness, the International Rescue Committee, and Heifer Project.
Undergraduate Programs
The Department of History and Global Studies seeks to help students comprehend the present state of the world through a study of some of the essential currents of the past and global complexities of the present.
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Science
- High School Teacher Certification – History, BS (HSTT)
- High School Teacher Certification – Social Studies, BS (HSST)
Minor