Master’s in Public History | Historic Preservation

Credit Hours

100% online, 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: January 19, 2026 | February 16, 2026 | March 23, 2026

Dedicate Your Career to the Preservation of Historical Sites and Artifacts with Liberty’s Online Master’s in Public History – Historic Preservation

Are you driven to preserve history for generations to come? Discover preservation techniques, cultural heritage, and public engagement methods so you can safeguard history for future generations. From historic landmarks in the U.S. to ancient sites in Europe, China, and Australia, history has left its mark on buildings, landscapes, and cities worldwide. With Liberty University’s online Master of Arts (MA) in Public History – Historic Preservation, you can study how to protect and preserve these important sites.

This program is designed to help equip you with the skills needed to conserve historical spaces and engage the public in preserving cultural heritage. Through Liberty’s online public history and historic preservation program, you can prepare to pursue careers in historic site preservation, museums, heritage management, national parks, and other fields dedicated to safeguarding history. Join us and explore how to preserve the past within the field of historic preservation.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Arts (MA) in Public History – Historic Preservation.

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Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

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Why Choose Liberty’s Online Public History Master’s in Historic Preservation Degree?

As a leader in distance education since 1985, we know what it takes to create an online degree program that’s both rigorous and flexible. Our MA in Public History – Historic Preservation is offered 100% online with no set login times or on-campus intensives, allowing you to balance your studies with your personal and professional commitments. If you would like to gain hands-on, in-person experience, you can choose to complete an archaeological field studies course.

Pursuing our MA in Public History could help prepare you for your individual or career objectives. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a master’s degree is typically required to enter the history field.* Our program can not only help you explore the past and share it with others but also help prepare you to pursue a career you’re passionate about.

Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), ensuring that our programs meet rigorous academic standards. Earning your public history degree with Liberty is more than a short-term investment – it’s a decision that can help equip you for the future.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, at Historians (viewed online Sep. 16, 2024). Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.

What Will You Study in Our Public History – Historic Preservation Graduate Program?

Our master’s degree in public history and historic preservation is structured into 3 key components: core courses, historic preservation courses, and elective courses.

In the core courses, you will dive into public history methods and public history theory. You’ll also explore topics such as conservation, local historical research, and digital history. Your digital history course will culminate in a professional digital project. Additional coursework will cover America’s Christian heritage and how it has influenced various aspects of the American character.

As part of your historic preservation specialization, you will study topics such as remote sensing, historic conservation and preservation, and building and landscape conservation. You’ll also be able to make a selection from available archaeology courses. Courses in this program can help equip you with specialized skills for conserving and managing historic buildings, landscapes, and cultural artifacts while also allowing you to focus on historical archaeology or participate in an archaeological fieldwork intensive for hands-on experience. Together, this blend of coursework and field study can deepen your understanding of how preservation and archaeology work together to protect historic sites.

Additionally, this degree allows you to select elective courses that can further focus or expand your degree. You can study a combination of history-related courses, or you can choose a thesis option and take courses focused on research and thesis defense. One available elective course is an optional internship, which will also give you the opportunity to gain real-world experience.

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Over the last 10 years, Liberty University’s Online Program has only raised its standard tuition costs by less than 5% – and most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors.

Graduate Full Time	$580/Credit
Graduate Part Time	$645/Credit
Military Graduate	$290/Credit

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Admission Information for Our Online Master’s in Public History – Historic Preservation

Admission Requirements

Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Unofficial College Transcript Policy

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
Cumulative GPA
A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Admissions Office Contact Information

Submit your application online or over the phone.

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Apply by phone: (800) 424-9595

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

Active Duty
Reserve/National Guard
Veterans/Retirees
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

Tuition discounts – $290 per credit hour for graduate courses
Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder*
8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Not applicable to certificates.

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Frequently Asked Questions for Our Master’s in Public History Online Historic Preservation Degree

What is public history?

Public history refers to the practice of presenting and interpreting history outside of traditional academic settings, with the goal of engaging a broader audience. It involves bringing historical knowledge to the public in accessible, interactive ways, often through museums, archives, historic sites, national parks, media, and community projects.

Public historians work to preserve cultural heritage, interpret historical events, and make history relevant to contemporary society. They may also be involved in historic preservation, oral history projects, documentary filmmaking, and heritage tourism, all with the focus of making history engaging and accessible for everyone.

What is historic preservation?

Historic preservation is the practice of identifying, protecting, and maintaining buildings, landscapes, artifacts, and other objects of historical significance. The goal of historic preservation is to safeguard cultural heritage and ensure that important aspects of the past are preserved for future generations.

This field often involves restoring historic sites to their original condition, conserving architectural elements, and using research and archival methods to document and interpret historical places.

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*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

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Online Master’s in Public History – Historic Preservation Explore How to Keep History Alive for Future Generations

Dedicate Your Career to the Preservation of Historical Sites and Artifacts with Liberty’s Online Master’s in Public History – Historic Preservation

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Online Public History Master’s in Historic Preservation Degree?

What Will You Study in Our Public History – Historic Preservation Graduate Program?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

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Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for Our Online Master’s in Public History – Historic Preservation

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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Frequently Asked Questions for Our Master’s in Public History Online Historic Preservation Degree

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