 rotate(10)'/%3E%3Cpath d='M.038.113v.15l.15.088.15-.088v-.15L.188.025l-.15.088Z' stroke='%23c44900' stroke-width='.0375' transform='rotate(10)'/%3E%3C/svg%3E)
About Public Heritage & Community Engagement
The Public Heritage & Community Engagement (PHCE) degree combines the fields of Public History, Critical Cultural Heritage Studies, and Museum Studies to investigate the development, contestations, and implications of shared interpretation, valuation, and appreciation of places, buildings, natural landscapes, traditions, and objects. Program emphasis is placed on the critical role of community partnerships in these endeavors, helping students build the skills and networks that they will need for employment after graduation.
Mission
The Public Heritage & Community Engagement program seeks to educate tomorrow’s community leaders and citizens regarding the value of public heritage resources for the economic well-being of their communities and for the enrichment of their lives, the lives of their children, and visitors to the region.
Vision
The Public Heritage & Community Engagement Program aspires to be a regional hub for community-engaged cultural and economic development. It seeks to provide training for careers in municipal, state, regional, and federal government and agencies; museums and the arts; and non-profits dedicated to cultural and natural landscapes.
Funding opportunities are available from external organizations through competitive grant applications. These grants are available to students, faculty, or communities to support heritage programs.
Academic conferences, whether regional or national, give students an opportunity to expand their knowledge about public heritage and build their professional networks. Listed below are a few of the opportunities that students may wish to consider.
Internships - practical experience in the field - is an integral part of the PHCE degree. Students wishing to register for one of the internship courses should contact relevant faculty in each program (Anthropology, Art, etc.).
In addition to locally-arranged internships, several organizations offer additional internship or fellowship opportunities. Students should review the descriptions and deadlines carefully, and contact these organizations directly with any questions.
- Advisory Council on Heritage Conservation internships
- Latinos in Heritage Conservation summer internships
- Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute summer internships
- Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage internships
- Texas Historical Commission summer internships
- Friends of the Texas Historical Commission Preservation Scholars program