The Mission of the doctoral program in Heritage Studies is: To produce heritage professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to support the identification, assessment, preservation, interpretation, management and promotion of historic and cultural resources for non-specialist or "public" audiences.

Our Program: The program is interdisciplinary, using multiple perspectives to explore and understand the interrelationships of history, culture, and geography in a distinctive region, the Mississippi River Delta.

 

Our Concept: The concept of region is central to the Heritage Studies Degree.  Through case study of a region, the Mississippi River Delta, our students gain an understanding of cultural preservation and interpretation that is applicable in other settings.    While universal in scope and method, the Heritage Studies doctoral program uses the unique heritage, attributes, resources, and interests of the Mississippi River Delta as a laboratory.  Our students study regional history, anthropology, archaeology, folklore, regional and ethnic literature, and the social sciences.  They develop and refine the traditional doctoral-level research skills, but as heritage professionals their expertise will be applied, practical, and public dissemination of history and culture.