History

History can help us gain a better understanding of the world we live in by explaining how the past has shaped the present. It makes us better citizens and can help us become more engaged with our communities. The study of history provides us with several important skills that are useful in many professions such as writing, research, the ability to evaluate arguments and gather evidence, analytical skills, and critical thinking.

Additionally historians  learn both project organizational skills and the ability to manage records. While these skills are useful for the study of history, they are also in high demand in a number of other professions including business, law, government, non-profit organizations, and education.

History is more than a collection of facts about the past. At its most basic definition, history is the study of change over time.

Historians try to understand why this change happened, the impacts changes had on people and cultures, and what motivated people and societies to act. Historians examine and interpret a variety of source materials, the most important being primary sources.

Primary sources are materials created or written by people who were present and experienced an event or time period under study. Historians use primary sources to understand different perspectives of history by the people who actually experienced it, and to help draw conclusions about past events.

View our Social Sciences Major requirements in History or History: Secondary Education.
You can also view the requirements for a History Minor, if you have selected another major.