• Program Overview
• Career Opportunities
• Degrees

Program Overview

Historical interpreters help the public to understand and make connections to historic sites and museums. They must be skilled communicators, accomplished researchers, and professional historians. Graduates from this program will be excellent candidates for jobs in Arkansas and Oklahoma state park systems as well as the National Park Service. This degree program offers the only historical interpretation degree in the United States. Developed in collaboration with the National Park Service, Arkansas State Parks, and the National Association for Interpretation, the degree requires 36 hours of history courses and 32 hours of courses in interpretation.

Career Opportunities

The National Park Service anticipates that many historic interpreters will retire within the next ten years while adding new park units of historical significance. Additionally, state park systems hire full-time interpreters each year. Local and private museums and historic sites hire interpreters as well. Historical Interpretation graduates can seek employment in a variety of settings and apply interpretive skills to a wide range of challenging and rewarding tasks.

See UA Fort Smith Career Planning and Placement for more options.

Degrees

• Historical Interpretation — Bachelor of Arts