History

With a history degree, you can be an effective voice for growth and change in whatever career path you take. You’ll gain a broad understanding of the human experience over time and the critical-thinking skills needed to apply history’s lessons to the present. You’ll be prepared to form grounded opinions about current issues and events, from politics to public policy to social issues such as LGBTQ rights. Career paths are as varied as government, education, historical societies, archives, libraries, research foundations, media, and business.

History is the study of human change over time, but it’s so much more than that. History encourages a way of thinking unique among the traditional liberal arts disciplines. Skills developed as a history major include: public speaking, writing, research, analysis, organization, observation and attention to detail. Historians are trained to think critically and find facts to support a position, a quality highly valued by employers.

As a KU History major, you’ll receive valuable personal attention from faculty. Classes capped at 35 students are designed around students’ particular historical interests. You can take advantage of study abroad opportunities, internship options, and faculty-mentored research.

The Bachelor of Arts in History features such classes as:  

• History of Pennsylvania
• African American History
• America in the Sixties
• 20th Century Latin American Revolutions
• History of Africa
• Revolutionary America
• China's Golden Age
• American and World War II
• The History of France
• The World Turned Upside Down: Early Modern Europe
• Europe of the World Wars

Bachelor of Arts in History with Paralegal Studies

The B.A. History degree with Paralegal Studies major has a 90 percent successful placement and continuing education rate and is approved by the American Bar Association. The program focuses on the paralegal profession and the limitations imposed by the unauthorized practice of law. 

History students have the option of completing an American Bar Association-approved Paralegal Studies Program along with their B.A. in History through a cooperative program with Lehigh Carbon Community College. All paralegal classes are offered on the KU campus. This is an exclusive agreement. Students in the History with Paralegal Studies program will gain an understanding of what paralegals can accomplish, as well as the limitations imposed by the unauthorized practice of law statute. Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law.

Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education/Social Studies

The Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education offers qualified graduates provisional certification from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in Social Studies Education. Learn more about a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education/Social Studies.

Minor in History

Six history courses must be taken. At least nine credits of these must be taken at the 200 level or above.