2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Nov 10, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

History (B.A./B.S.)

Location(s): Brookings Main Campus


Blue rectangle with triangles.

Apply Now Request More Information

Students in class.

Program Coordinator/Contact

Dale Potts, Associate Professor of History
School of American and Global Studies
Lincoln Hall 215, Box 2212
605-688-6345

Program Information

As a foundational discipline, history bridges different fields across the campus, providing students with multiple approaches to, and increased engagement with, a complex world. The sequence of survey courses in the B.A. and B.S. degree in history grounds students in U.S. history, western civilization, and world civilizations. Upper-division courses provide opportunities to learn about different eras and cultures throughout history. Major/minor and double major combinations that incorporate modern languages, global studies, political science, American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Religion, and English can prepare students for work in a variety of fields that promote interactions with the cultures of the world. Each of the emphases below, through their focus on research and critical analysis, provide the necessary foundation for graduate school programs or specialized professional occupations, as well as the communication and professional skills today’s employers demand. Students majoring in history will complete one of the following five emphases:

  • Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Emphasis - focuses on the period before 1700 to understand how modern cultures and societies developed from and are influenced by their early origins.
  • Conflict and Society Emphasis - focuses on conflict as a continual factor in history while trying to understand its causes and potential resolutions.
  • Cultural History Emphasis - focuses on examining history through different cultural points of view across time and place to promote better understanding of similarities and differences.
  • Professional History Emphasis - combines the study of history with a focus toward developing practical skills, application, and experiential learning.
  • America and the World Emphasis - focuses on a more traditional but flexible balance between US and World history courses.

Course Delivery Format

The program provides courses online and face to face on campus and at various off-campus attendance centers.

Student Learning Outcomes


Students with a major in History will be able to:

  • Demonstrate a knowledge of the most important historical events in U.S. History, including an in-depth study of issues facing minorities within the U.S.
  • Demonstrate a knowledge of the most important historical events beyond the United States.
  • Interpret the past in context; contextualize the past on its own terms.
  • Develop a disciplined, skeptical stand and outlook on the world that demands evidence and a sophisticated use of information. This includes recognizing the difference between strong and weak arguments based on evidence, seeking use of proper citations and peer review in other works.
  • Demonstrate an awareness that knowledge is often incomplete or imperfect, and thus multiple alternatives must be considered and conclusions are subject to change.
  • Know the difference between primary and secondary documents, demonstrate how and when to cite in the format of the profession.
  • Identify and summarize the historical arguments of other scholars.
  • Frame a historical question and develop research strategies to address it, generate historical argument that is reasoned and based on evidence selected, arranged and analyzed.
  • Effectively navigate the library and online databases, as well as the archives or in the community for primary sources, peer-reviewed literature and book reviews.

Academic Requirements


No grade below a “C” in history courses and no more than 6 credits in HIST 491 - Independent Study (COM) HIST 494 - Internship (COM) , and HIST 496 - Field Experience (COM)   may be counted toward the major or minor.

Requirements for History Major: 120 Credits


Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Science

System General Education Requirements


College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Requirements


  • One declared minor outside of the major discipline OR a second major OR a teaching specialization. The minor may be a traditional minor within one department or school or it may be interdisciplinary involving more than one department or school. The minor can be in a different college. The minor must be declared no later than the student’s third semester of enrollment.
  • Capstone course in the major discipline
  • Upper division coursework Credits: 33

Bachelor of Arts Requirements: 6+

  • Modern Foreign Language Including the 202-Level Credits: 6+ 

Bachelor of Science Requirements: 10+

  • Natural Sciences  Credits: 10+
    • Any two lab sciences.
    • Coursework must include 2 prefixes.
    • MATH and STAT courses do not count toward the science requirement.

System General Education and/or major coursework may satisfy some or all of the above requirements. Consult program advisor for details. See the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  for additional information about Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science specifications.

Elective Requirements


18 credits total are required within one of the following emphasis categories below: Ancient, Medieval, & Early Modern; Conflict & Society; Cultural History; Professional History; or America & the World. A maximum of 6 credits from a non-HIST prefix will be accepted towards the elective requirements. Credits: 18

Cultural History


Select 18 credits from the following. Credits: 18

America & the World


Students pursuing the America & the World emphasis must select 6 credits of 300-400 level U.S. History, 6 credits of 300-400 level World History, and 6 additional credits of 300-400 level History from the US or World History Electives list. Credits: 18

Electives


Taken as needed to complete any additional degree requirements.

Total Required Credits: 120


Summary of Program Requirements


Bachelor of Arts

System General Education Requirements* 30 Credit Hours
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Requirements** 6+ Credit Hours
Major Requirements 39 Credit Hours
Electives*** 45 Credit Hours

Bachelor of Science

System General Education Requirements* 30 Credit Hours
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Requirements** 10+ Credit Hours
Major Requirements 39 Credit Hours
Electives*** 47 Credit Hours

*System General Education Requirements for students pursuing a baccalaureate degree shall include a minimum of 30 credit hours. Some general education coursework may be counted for Major Requirements, Supporting Coursework, and College Requirements.
**System General Education Requirements, Major Requirements, and Supporting Coursework may satisfy some or all of the above requirements.  
***Taken as needed to complete any additional degree requirements.

Academic Advising Guide Sheet


The goal of the academic advising guide sheets and sample plans of study is to promote undergraduate student success by guiding all students to timely completion of an undergraduate degree. Students are not limited to the course sequence provided for their academic program. Instead, the sample plan of study is one possible path to completing your degree and is meant to be used as a guide for planning purposes in consultation with an academic advisor. The plans also help students prepare for meetings with their academic advisor and track their progress in their selected academic program.