Dusty Marie received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2007. In 2006, she completed a short internship with the university's Special Collections, located in the D. Hiden Ramsey Library, where she focused on archival digitization and metadata input. That same year, she submitted her original historical research, "'Tying the Knot': Marriage Traditions in Cherokee Society," for preservation in the University Archives. Related coursework completed in fulfillment of degree requirements, include:
- HIST 101 The United States to 1865
- HIST 102 The United States Since 1865
- HIST 151 World Civilization to 1500
- HIST 151 World Civilization Since 1500
- HIST 303 Colonial and Revolutionary America
- HIST 304 Jefferson's America
- HIST 315 North Carolina History
- HIST 318 The Modern South
- HIST 330 World War II
- HIST 342 The Roman Empire
- HIST 373 Public History
- HIST 381 Revolutionary China
- HIST 390 Historiography
- HIST 452 Senior Research Seminar
In 2023, she earned a Master of Arts in History with a concentration in Public History from Southern New Hampshire University. In fulfillment of university requirements, she completed the online exhibit, "This Period of Grave Crisis": North Carolinians Respond to Brown, 1954-1974, included on this site, along with a corresponding written capstone which included the historiography, methodology, specialized audience, topic research, ethical considerations, and budgeting for the exhibit. Relevant coursework toward completion of the M.A. included:
- HIS 501 Historiography
- HIS 502 Historical Methods
- HIS 510 Comparative History and Research
- HIS 520 Historical Lenses and Scholarship
- HIS 602 Era of the Civil War
- HIS 660 Introduction to Public History
- HIS 661 Public History Strategic Management
- HIS 662 Digitization of History
- HIS 664 Archival Management
- HIS 665 Museum Collection Management
- HIS 790 Research Seminar for Historians
- HIS 792 Capstone for Public Historians