Undergraduate Program
The History Department offers a traditional major, a minor, and elective courses for non-majors. Undergraduate majors must choose one of three areas of geographic specialization—United States, European, or Global History. These specializations may be linked to course work in interdisciplinary concentrations such as Asian Studies, Holocaust Studies, or Women’s Studies. The Department also offers an Accelerated B.A./Master's Degree Program.
The major exposes students to different fields of knowledge, offering training in critical thinking; the accumulation, organization, and analysis of information; and in clear and concise writing. The major provides an excellent background for graduate school, teaching; careers in law, government, journalism, international affairs, museum, library, and archival work, and business. With courses on every major geographical area of the world, and with conceptual approaches ranging from political and diplomatic to social, intellectual, and cultural, the History Department offers a rich and diverse curriculum.
Read about some of our recent undergraduates.
The Honors Program in History
The honors program provides outstanding majors with a challenging set of advanced courses and the opportunity to pursue independent research on a topic of their choice. By the time they become juniors, most History majors have discovered a particular topic that fascinates them, and some decide to explore that topic in greater depth by choosing the Honors option. Completion of the Honors Program is also one of the requirements for admission to the department's accelerated degree program.
The History Honors Program is demanding. Requirements include the completion of a 40-50 page Honors Thesis during the senior year. While challenging, Honors can be immensely rewarding and enjoyable because of the excitement of original research and the chance to work closely with a professor on an individual basis.
For more detailed information about the Honors Program, please stop by the History Department to pick up a brochure describing the program.