Core Courses: (15 hours from the following courses)
- HS7003 Introduction to Heritage Studies, Research, and Writing (3 hours)
- HS7103 Concepts of Culture (3 hours)
- HS7113 Regional Cultures: History of the Mississippi River Delta (3 hours)
- HS7123 Management Issues in the Heritage Professions (3 hours)
- HS7133 Cultural Resource Methods (3 hours)
Most students will take all five core classes, one of which will be applied to the Specialty Area or the Enrichment classes explained below. Some students may have taken a class equivalent to one of the five core courses and with the permission of the student's doctoral advisory committee will be permitted to take only four core classes.
Specialty Area: (12 hours)
- Four courses that demonstrate the doctoral student's area of specialization within Heritage Studies. Under the direction of the candidacy committee that is chaired by the individual student's graduate adviser, the four courses will establish an area of expertise that combines interdisciplinary emphasis and multicultural content with professional training (in archiving or museum work, for example).
- A maximum of one internship for three credit hours may be applied to the Specialty Area.
Enrichment: (12 hours)
- Four courses that demonstrate study and professional training beyond the individual student's Specialty Area.
- Under the direction of the candidacy committee, these four courses will address areas that will enrich the student's research and work in Heritage Studies with special attention to expanding interdisciplinary skills and knowledge.
- A maximum of one internship for three credit hours may be applied to Enrichment.
Required Capstone:
- HS7213 Research Seminar (3 credit hours)
Practicum:
- Students must complete 300 work hours as a quasi-professional in a culture, heritage, or public history environment.
- After completion of this work experience, students will provide a written assessment of the Practicum.
- At the discretion of the candidacy committee, adjustments may be made for students with extensive professional experience in public heritage programs.
Qualifying and Candidacy Exams:
- After completion of the curriculum and the practicum, the doctoral advisory committee will schedule a qualifying examination of the student's work in the doctoral program.
- Successful completion of this qualifying examination will allow the committee to schedule a candidacy exam. The format of the qualifying and candidacy exams for all students is established by the Heritage Studies Program Committee. Successful completion of the candidacy exam which includes approval of a dissertation proposal allows the student to be formally recognized as a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy in Heritage Studies.
Dissertation: (18 hours)
- Each candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy in Heritage Studies must execute an original and rigorous research project culminating in the completion, public presentation, and defense of a dissertation.
