Overview

Key facts:

The Humanities–including the disciplines of art, history, literature, and music–investigate how people make sense of and communicate about their worlds; we regard public humanities as a mode in which academics work for and with people in knowledge- and culture-making spaces beyond the university.
Material culture encompasses those tangible things–objects, landscapes, bodies–that humans have “shaped to their use and pleasure” (Babcock); our studies examine these artifacts and processes from critical, theoretical, and historical perspectives, viewing them as expressions of distinct cultural logics and the products of political struggles.
Students of the Material Culture and Public Humanities program of Virginia Tech participate in creative alliances with non-profit cultural institutions such as the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation (overseeing ‘Round the Mountain’ and ‘The Crooked Road’), Historic Smithfield, the Virginia Museum of Transportation, the Montgomery Museum, the Science Museum of Western Virginia, the Taubman Museum of Art, the O. Winston Link Museum, the History Museum of Western Virginia, and the Harrison Museum of African American Culture.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Historical and Theoretical Frameworks in Material Culture and Public Humanities

Research Methods in Material Culture and Public Humanities

Material Culture and Humanities in the Public Sphere

Exhibition, Design, and Display

Preservation of Historic Interiors

Public History

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-08-26 00:00:00

Apply anytime.

More details

February 15: To be considered for fundingRolling admissions for those not seeking internal funding

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

115

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TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

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IELTS

6.5

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Credits

30 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Blacksburg, United States

Disciplines

Liberal Arts View 415 other Masters in Liberal Arts in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

GRE^®

Required

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

115

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Undergraduate BS or BA degree, preferably in the humanities or design disciplines (e.g., American Studies, Architecture, Area Studies, Art History, Classics, Communication, Folklore, History, History of Design, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Landscape Architecture, Political Science, Religion and Culture)

A strong undergraduate GPA, ideally 3.5 in-major undergraduate, 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA.

Strong GRE scores, ideally at least at the 60th percentile on the Verbal sub-test and 40th percentile on the Quantitative sub-test

Degree applicants with work or internship experience in a related field will be given special consideration

For international students, a TOEFL score of 550 (written) or 213 (computerized) or 80 (IBT)

3 letters of recommendation. At least two should be written by faculty at your undergraduate institution.

A personal statement (~750 words) outlining your preparation and goals

Writing Sample (usually between 10 and 20 pages)

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

32622 USD / year

≈ 32622 USD / year
Out-of-State

32622 USD / year

≈ 32622 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

16232 USD / year

≈ 16232 USD / year

Living costs

Blacksburg

United States

1166 - 1906 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Financing

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Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Material Culture and Public Humanities.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Key facts:

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Blacksburg

Financing

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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