Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Major in History

As an undergraduate major, the discipline of History provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in our increasingly global society and economy. Emphasizing societies, cultures, and politics in the United States and around the world, the History Program helps to impart understandings of human motivation and interaction which form an essential background for all current activities whether they are in the realm of business, law, journalism, politics, education, or public history (i.e. National Park Service, museum work, historical restoration, etcetera). In addition to gaining knowledge in their subject areas, students also develop skills in intensive reading and expository writing, as well as in logical and analytical, evidence-based thinking. As a consequence, students acquire a variety of skills that make them highly adaptable and valued by today’s employers.The College of Liberal Arts provides students with the foundation for a liberal education, preparing graduates to think independently, to choose freely, to base personal and professional decisions on a broad understanding of history and culture, and to live full, rewarding lives. Recognizing the central importance of liberal education, the university requires that more than fifty percent of the general education core curriculum be taken in the College of Liberal Arts, and students increasingly declare majors or minors in one of the college’s nine departments or special programs.