Bachelor of Arts

Program Description

Located on the RiverPark campus in uptown Columbus, Georgia, the department houses faculty with expertise in Latin American, African American, Medieval, Military and International, Native American, Islamic and United States history. Courses in Urban Geography, Cultural Geography and Geographic Information Systems enhance the research and employment opportunities of our graduates. Class size is small, and faculty members advise all majors and remain actively involved in their academic progress. The department organizes trips to local and regional historical sites, and makes available to all students numerous internships and other learning opportunities.

Only a handful of history majors become historians. Some grow to be history teachers, many others move on to a different career. Indeed, people trained in liberal arts, and in history in particular, are well equipped to succeed in a variety of fields, from business to law, from archive and library sciences to politics, from administration to art. And yet, a degree in history promises much more than a fulfilling job.

History students understand the complexity of the human experience. They are exposed to its diversity as they learn about peoples and societies around the world, and as they think about how these changed over time. They see how various individuals and groups interacted in different settings, and reflect on the reasons why people acted the way they did, and on the consequences of their choices. They respect these differences, while working to understand their origin and evolution.

Career Opportunities

A degree in history offers a wide variety of job and career opportunities ranging from teaching to business, from journalism to law school, from working in libraries/archives to museums.

Indeed, a degree in history offers a wide range of skills that can be applied very broadly.

Historians as Educators

Elementary Schools
Secondary Schools
Postsecondary Education
Historic Sites and Museums

Historians as Researchers

Museums and Historical Organizations
Cultural Resources Management and Historic Preservation
Think Tanks

Historians as Communicators

Writers and Editors
Journalists
Documentary Editors
Producers of Multimedia Material

Historians as Information Managers

Archivists
Records Managers
Librarians
Information Managers

Historians as Advocates

Lawyers and Paralegals
Litigation Support
Legislative Staff Work
Foundations

Historians in Businesses and Associations

Historians in Corporations
Contract Historians
Historians and Nonprofit Associations

Admission Requirements

There are no program specific admission requirements.

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the causes and consequences of major historical events and processes and situate these events and ideas within a broader historical and thematic context.
• Compare and contrast historical developments across time, space, and cultures.
• Analyze a variety of types of primary sources drawing on appropriate historical context.
• Critically evaluate (compare and contrast and explain the evolution of) different scholarly interpretations of historical evidence.
• Utilize resources including library catalogs, archives, and electronic databases to assemble primary and secondary sources relevant to a historical question.
• Frame answerable historical research questions and construct persuasive and clearly written historical arguments drawing on primary and secondary source evidence, using appropriate professional documentation methods.

Additional Program Requirements

Students seeking the B.A. in History must earn grades of C or better in all HIST and GEOG courses in Areas G and H.

Program of Study

Area A Essential Skills Required Hours: 9
ENGL 1101 (with a grade of "C" or better)
ENGL 1102 (with a grade of "C" or better)
Select one of the following courses:

Area B Institutional Options Required Hours: 4-5
COMM 1110
Select two of the following courses:

OR
Select one of the following courses:

Foreign Language 1001, 1002, 2001, or 2002
Any Area C-E course with a study abroad component.

Note: Students must complete Area B and Area D with a combined total of 15 credit hours within the following ranges: Area B, 4-5 hours; Area D1, 7-8 hours; Area D2, 3-4 hours. Any additional hours may be applied to Area F or beyond, depending on the program of study. Students should consult their advisors.

Area C Humanities/Fine Arts/Ethics Required Hours: 6
Select one of the following humanities courses:

Select one of the following fine arts courses:

*ITDS 1145, though listed under both humanities and fine arts, may be taken only once.

Area D Science/Math/Technology Required Hours: 10-11
D1: Select two science courses from the list below, one of which must include a lab.

D2: Select one of the following courses or a science course from above:

Note: Students must complete Area B and Area D with a combined total of 15 credit hours within the following ranges: Area B, 4-5 hours; Area D1, 7-8 hours; Area D2, 3-4 hours. Any additional hours may be applied to Area F or beyond, depending on the program of study. Students should consult their advisors.

Area E Social Sciences Required Hours: 12
Select one course from the following two courses:
HIST 2111
HIST 2112
Take the following course:
POLS 1101
Select one behavioral science course from the following courses:

Select one world cultures course from the following courses:

Wellness Requirement Required Hours: 3

PHED 1205
Select any one PEDS course.

Area F Courses Related to Major Required Hours:18
Foreign Language 1002
Foreign Language 2001
HIST 1111 World History to 1500
HIST 1112 World History since 1500

Select one of the following courses:
HIST 2111 U.S. History to 1865
HIST 2112 U.S. History since 1865

Select one of the following courses:

Area G Program Requirements Required Hours: 24
"C" or better required in each course
HIST 1000 (Five semesters)
HIST 3125 Historical Methods
HIST 4795 Senior Research Seminar

Select three of the following 3000 level courses. At least one course must be in U.S., European, and world history.

U.S. History and Geography

GEOG 3108 Cultural Geography
GEOG 3215 Intermediate Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 3556 Selected Topics in Human Geography
HIST 3101 Introduction to Native American History
HIST 3105 History of Georgia
HIST 3120 Introduction to Public History
HIST 3139 Introduction to African American History
HIST 3146 Introduction to US Military History
HIST 3148 The Gilded Age and Progressive Era
HIST 3149 Women and Gender in American History

European History
HIST 3130 Introduction to Modern Ireland
HIST 3156 Early Modern Europe, 1500-1789
HIST 3157 Modern Europe, 1789-Present
HIST 3158 Military History of Early Modern Europe

World History
HIST 3126 History on Film
HIST 3135 Introduction to Latin American History
HIST 3136 Indigenous Peoples of Latin America
HIST 3137 Latin America and the United States
HIST 3138 Introduction to Asian History
HIST 3165 The Making of the Islamic World

Select three of the following 5000-level U.S. history/geography/world history/European history courses
(At least one course must be in U.S. history and one must be either European or world history).

U.S. History and Geography

GEOG 5105 Urban Geography
GEOG 5128 Selected Topics in Geography
GEOG 5215 Advanced Geographic Information Systems
HIST 5111 New South
HIST 5112 American Slavery & Emancipation 1619-1877
HIST 5115 The Civil War
HIST 5116 World War II
HIST 5117 Memory and American National Indentity
HIST 5138 Race and Ethnicity in Colonial American History
HIST 5165 Jacksonian America, 1820 to 1850
HIST 5176 US in the Twentieth Century
HIST 5559 Selected Topics in United States History
HIST 5566 Selected Topics in Race and U.S. History
HIST 5576 History Topics
HIST 5708 The United States in the 1960s

European history and world history

Area H Program Electives Required Hours: 24
"C" or better required in HIST and GEOG courses used in this area.
Select 6 to 9 hours of HIST or GEOG courses 3000-level or above.
Select 15 to 18 hours within one of the following:
Minor other than History; European Union Certificate; African Studies Certificate; Latin American Studies Certificate; or courses leading to teacher certification

Area I General Electives Required Hours: 12
The department strongly encourages students to complete a Foreign Language through the 2002 level, especially for those who plan to pursue graduate study.

Total Hours Required: 123