Undergraduate Degrees in History
Table of Contents
Most students are required to study history in both elementary and secondary schools. At that level, students often are given the impression that the study of history simply requires memorization of names, dates, and other facts about events in the past.
At the college level, however, the study of history facilitates the development of research, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive skills. History majors learn how to:
- Locate and access a wide range of sources.
- Analyze historical evidence, including textual and visual sources.
- Evaluate historical interpretations.
- Develop and support their own interpretations.
The quantity of writing and discussion required in history courses also helps students to develop effective communication skills.
Meet with a History Faculty Advisor to discuss your options or visit our Advising Page for more information!
What is History?
Without knowledge of the past, we are, as one writer has phrased it, like victims of collective amnesia groping in the dark for our identity. History as a discipline is rooted in that fundamental human urge, curiosity. It confronts and weighs the relative significance of chance, inevitability, and choice in the passage of time.
History is humanistic in its emphasis on the influence of ideas and values, its capacity to both instruct and entertain, and as interpretive literature. In its investigation of social processes, groups and institutions, and the examination of human motivation, it is a social science. It acts as a bridge among disciplines, borrowing from all and contributing a sense of context and sequence to the perception of actions and individuals.
The American historian Carl Becker wrote: “The value of history is, indeed, not scientific but moral: by liberalizing the mind, by deepening the sympathies, by fortifying the will, it enables us to control, not society, but ourselves—a much more important thing; it prepares us to live more humanely in the present and to meet rather than to foretell the future.”
Majors
History, BA
If you like to read, write, and learn about the experiences of people in different places and times, you should consider the history major.
No other major prepares students for as many different careers. History majors’ strong communication skills are valued by all employers, including businesses and government agencies.
The research, analytical, and evaluative skills that history majors develop prepare them for graduate study in many humanistic disciplines, public affairs, and library science and for careers as journalists, government officials, and attorneys.
A growing number of history majors have made careers in the expanding field of public history. They work in museums, archives, and historical preservation.
History/Social Studies, BA
If you want to teach history or social studies in a middle or high school, you should consider the History/Social Studies major. However, this major also prepares students for a wider range of careers.
The knowledge students acquire and the skills they develop in their history courses and in courses in social sciences prepare them for law school, graduate programs in public policy and international affairs, and careers as journalists, government officials, and attorneys.
The History/Social Studies degree does not require that a student pursue a teaching certificate. History/Social Studies majors interested in Secondary certification must apply separately to the certification programs, such as those in Woodring College of Education.
History-Elementary, BAE
If you want to teach in an elementary school and are interested in history, you should consider the History-Elementary major. The History-Elementary major is designed for students who plan to become elementary school teachers.
In their history courses, History-Elementary majors learn how to locate and access a wide range of sources, to analyze historical evidence, including textual and visual sources, to evaluate historical interpretations, and to develop and support their own interpretations. The quantity of writing and discussion required in history courses also helps students to develop effective communication skills.
This major satisfies the academic major requirement for teacher certification with an endorsement in elementary education and must be accompanied by the professional preparation program in elementary education.
Minors
History Minor
If you are not a history major but like to read, write, and learn about the experiences of people in different places and times, you should consider the history minor.
History minors learn how to locate and access a wide range of sources, to analyze historical evidence, including textual and visual sources, to evaluate historical interpretations, and to develop and support their own interpretations.
In addition to the knowledge and skills they acquire in their minors, history minors develop strong analytical, evaluative, and communication skills that are valued by all employers, including businesses and government agencies.
Public History Minor
If you are interested in history but are not particularly interested in teaching, you should consider a public history minor.
Public History includes the production and presentation of historical interpretations for the general public and for more specialized audiences. Unlike history teachers, who often work as individuals to design and deliver their courses, most public historians work in cooperation with community members and professionals from other disciplinary backgrounds.
The public history minor can help to prepare you for a career as a historical consultant, museum professional, archivist, cultural resource manager, video and media producer, historic preservationist, or policy advisor.
Foreign Cultures Minor
If you are studying French, Spanish, or Russian, the foreign cultures minor will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the histories of the parts of the world in which these languages are spoken.
The minor will also allow you to develop your ability to analyze historical sources and your ability to communicate effectively in writing.
Related Programs
Latin American Studies Major with History Concentration or Spanish Concentration
The United States and the different countries of Latin America have shared a critical history since the nineteenth century. Currently, close to 60 million Latino/a/x people are part of the U.S. society. Latino/a/x constitute 18 percent of the nation’s total population. The histories of Latin America are part of the histories of the United States and the histories of the United States are indeed part of the histories of Latin America. Courses in this major help students to develop analytical, interpretive, and evaluative skills. Divided in two concentrations this major seeks to address important themes that pertain to linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as the impact of the ensuing and continued contact among indigenous people, Africans, and Europeans as a result of the encounter, slavery, displacement, and immigration.
Latin American Studies Minor
If you are interested in the literature, history, and cultures of Latin America, you should consider a Latin American Studies minor. This minor will help you to see the connections between your courses in Latin America literature, history, and anthropology. This minor is especially suitable for Spanish, anthropology, or history majors.
Contact Luis Portugal (portugl@wwu.edu) in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures for more information.
Canadian-American Studies Major
Canada and the United States share a continent and are linked by deep economic ties, several common historical experiences, and many cultural similarities; they are also marked by real and important differences. The Canadian-American Studies major helps students better understand the impact of these similarities and differences as well as how they affect key cultural, environmental, and economic issues in North America today and in the future through three specializations: Canadian-American relations; Canadian Histories/Cultures/Identities; and Francophone Canada.
Canadian-American Studies Minor
This minor combines well with other majors and minors to add depth and international expertise. Examples include combining Canadian-American Studies with: environmental science and policy, international business, geography, anthropology, political science, marketing, communication studies, journalism, history and foreign languages.
For more information, contact Christina Keppie (canam@wwu.edu) in the Canadian-American Studies Department.
East Asian Studies Major
The Program in East Asian Studies offers interdisciplinary study of the area, primarily the countries of China and Japan. Under special advisement, Korea and Mongolia are also subjects for study. The major offers students an opportunity to prepare for positions in cultural organizations, diplomatic offices, companies engaged in international business, and in educational institutions.
East Asian Studies Minor
The following minor may be combined with a major in history or in political science for a major concentration or may be elected as a minor by majors in other fields.
For more information, contact Dr. Emi Bushelle (foulke@wwu.edu) or visit the East Asian Studies Department.
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Major
WGSS students become innovative thinkers and engaged citizens who understand the increasingly diverse world in which they live. They learn the most in-demand skills for the current job market including critical thinking, effective writing skills, public speaking, collaboration, and leadership skills that can be applied to various careers including, but not limited to, psychology, education, environmental science, law, healthcare, public policy, and the nonprofit sector. A WGSS degree can be partnered with any other major or minor on campus.
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor
This minor provides students with the skills to critically and actively engage with the world around them. Our plan of study equips students in various ways: to understand, apply, analyze, and critique key concepts and theoretical positions in feminist, gender, sexuality, race, indigeneity, ethnic, class, ages, disability, national and religious studies; to assess and denaturalize identities and experiences as embedded in and produced by interlocking and intersectional systems of power and inequalities; to integrate liberatory analysis into a variety of scholarly, social, political, creative, and activist practices.
For more information, contact wgss@wwu.edu or visit the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department.
Political Science Major
Political Science is one of the oldest fields of academic inquiry. Social ideals and their realization through law were systematically studied in ancient Greece. In an increasingly interdependent world, the study of politics and government has flourished as the relations between persons, groups, and nations have become more complex, and questions of freedom and authority have challenged every citizen. Modern Political Science is equally concerned with questions of political philosophy and with the pursuit of social scientific research. These concerns are reflected in a broad and diverse curriculum.
Political Science Minor
Many others who are not majors take political science courses as an essential part of their liberal arts education. Further, students with a Political Science Major or Minor can go on to law school, graduate school in international business, international relations, public policy and teaching. In sum, political science complements a number of other majors across the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and professional degrees, and can enrich inquiry into the problems of sustainability, cultural diversity, and internationalization.
For more information, contact politicalscience@wwu.edu or visit the Political Science Department.
Holocaust and Genocide Studies Minor
The minor provides a solid foundation for further study of mass atrocities present and past, including the Holocaust. It prepares you to be knowledgeable, successful, and engaged members of society, and will enable you to work in and across disciplines to identify and creatively solve key societal problems, both local and global. Western Washington University is the only public institution in the state of Washington with a minor in Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
Human Rights Minor
The minor in Human Rights will contribute to the development of students as well-educated, active, and engaged citizens through a vibrant learning community. The minor works off and expands the core values of Western and supplements academic majors in all programs/departments of the university. Human rights education integrates exploration of the questions of human freedom at the core of traditional liberal arts education with a critical examination of the institutions designed to promote and protect human freedom in the past and the contemporary world.
For more information, contact wolpow.institute@wwu.edu or visit the Ray Wolpow Institute.
Ethnic Studies Major
A major in Ethnic Studies trains students to understand the social dynamics that govern communities of color, teaches them about diverse histories of resistance and liberation movements, and empowers then to enact social change towards a more just world and the betterment of the lives of BIPOC and minoritized people. Ethnic Studies majors will have opportunities to work in and advocate for communities of color in ethical and responsible ways. It prepares students for a range of careers in social work, diplomacy, journalism, law, medicine, and health, by giving them the tools to analyze, communicate, and produce knowledge.
Black Studies Minor
The program in Black Studies provides students with an interdisciplinary approach to the history, culture, and politics of peoples of African descent. In addition, this program offers a closer examination of Black leaders, activists, feminists, writers, artists, and scholars and their contributions to the development of the United States. Courses range from in-depth studies on specific issues in Black Studies to classes on comparative political and cultural issues including social movements, activism, representation, and identity formation. Together, they provide context for understanding the varied experiences of Black people in American society. This minor program can be combined with many major designations.
Native and Indigenous Studies Minor
The minor in Native and Indigenous Studies provides students with in-depth understanding of the cultures, traditions, arts, and current social issues facing Native and Indigenous peoples in Turtle Island. The minor encourages ethical and respectful collaborations with Native and Indigenous peoples in our communities on educational, environmental, creative and political projects. This minor is interdisciplinary and allow students to combine it with many major designations.
For more information, contact ethnic.studies@wwu.edu or visit the Ethnic Studies Department.
Humanities: History of Culture Major
The humanities include the disciplines which study philosophy, religion, history, literature, and the arts. The department supports study of cultural history on a global level, including Europe and the Americas, East Asia South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and predominantly Islamic areas.
Religion and Culture Major
Students in this major acquire skills broadly applicable to professional careers. While preparing students for knowledgeable participation in civic life, these also provide a solid foundation for careers in both public and private settings.
Humanities: History of Culture Minor
This minor provides globally engaged and interdisciplinary study of the humanities (philosophy, religion, history, literature and the arts).
Religion and Culture Minor
This minor provides scholarly, critical, nonsectarian study of religions.
Digital Humanities Minor
This minor involves a combination of computing and humanities research.
African Studies Minor
This minor is designed to provide students a broad understanding of the African continent, past and present, through disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Arabic and Islamic Studies Minor
This minor intermediate instruction in Arabic, an introduction to the history of Islamic civilization, and upper division electives from several academic departments.
South and Southeast Asia Minor
This minor builds significant knowledge of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia through the study of culture, religion, history, literature, gender, art, film, and other disciplinary approaches.
For more information, contact ghr@wwu.edu or visit the Global Humanities and Religions Department.