About Public History at CSUSB
History isn’t just found in textbooks — it’s in the museums we visit, the monuments we preserve, the documentaries we watch and the stories we tell as a community.
At Cal State San Bernardino, the Bachelor of Arts in Public History prepares you to make history meaningful and accessible to the public. Whether you're drawn to museums, archives, cultural resource management, historic preservation, or media and film, this program equips you with the knowledge and skills to share the past in ways that shape our future.
Careers in Public History
Here are some titles you might hold once you’ve earned your bachelor’s degree in public history:
- Archivist
- Librarian
- Historian
- Writer/journalist
- Curator
- Educator/teacher
- Researcher
Sample Courses
United States History to 1877
Survey of the history of the United States from the colonial beginnings to 1877.
Introduction to Public History
Introduction to public history, focusing on museums, historic sites, libraries, and archives, and the issues involved in oral history, interviewing techniques, and diverse media and technologies.
Archival Practices
Applied approach to archival methods, the accessioning, de-accessioning, cataloging, calendar composition, storage of objects and archival materials, loan procedures, policies and legal issues.
Meet Professor Jeremy Murray, Ph.D.
Opportunities for Students
Public history students at CSUSB can serve their communities and gain valuable hands-on experience through our internship program. Students have interned with libraries, museums, historic sites, state parks, historic homes, government, and at oral history projects.
Students have also had the opportunity to study abroad, including assisting in research at the Wadi el-Hudi Expedition, an archaeological site in Egypt’s Eastern Desert. In addition, our department publishes History in the Making, an annual journal in which students can get their research published. The department also helps students secure scholarships for history students.
Similar to Public History
With more than 50 undergraduate degress at CSUSB, we offer a variety of programs that reflect the Coyotes' passion for learning. Check out where your curiosity will take you at CSUSB.