Master Histoire — Histoire publique

Tuition comes to 250 EUR per year.

Histoire publique is one of the specialisations offered within the Master Histoire at Nantes Université, a two-year programme based in Nantes, France, taught entirely in French. Public history, as a field, focuses on how historical knowledge is produced, communicated, and used outside the traditional academic setting, including in museums, archives, media, government agencies, and community projects. Students in a public history track typically study historical methodology and source analysis alongside more applied subjects such as heritage valorisation, exhibition and archival practice, digital history tools, oral history, and the communication of research to non-specialist audiences. Seminars often combine classic historiographical training with hands-on work on real collections, documents, or local heritage projects, and students are usually expected to complete internships or applied projects in addition to a research dissertation. This orientation suits students interested in bridging historical scholarship with public-facing institutions rather than pursuing a purely academic route, though it can also lead toward further research and doctoral work. Graduates commonly go on to work in museums, archives, cultural heritage agencies, local and regional government, media and publishing, or education, applying historical training to interpret and present the past for wider audiences. The programme runs for two years, begins in September, and carries a yearly tuition of 250 EUR. Because instruction is in French, applicants should be comfortable following lectures, participating in seminars, and producing written and oral work in the language throughout their studies.