The perspectives, content, and skills you will gain as a History major or minor will improve your understanding of the complex global world around you and strengthen your professional abilities in many areas. Employers, whether in business, government, education, international organization, or any other field, are looking for employees who can read carefully, write clearly, think logically, learn independently, work with people across cultural and geographical perspectives, and analyze problems within the appropriate critical contexts. The study of history cultivates all of these skills as well as your pathways of humanistic empathy and understanding of the world around you, your scientific skills of objective investigation, and your creative skills of expression and interpretation.
The Political Science BA has a general degree track, and three tracks representing important sub-fields of political science: American Politics/Public Law, Global Politics, and Public Administration. All four tracks are designed to prepare students for professional careers in the public or private sector, or graduate or professional study. Federal, state and local governments are important employers of political science graduates. In the private sector, including nonprofits, the increasing interaction with government creates a growing demand for graduates with an understanding of political systems, domestically and internationally. Political Science, Law, and Public Administration are common graduate fields of study for our graduates.
The History department and Political Science department offer a double major for students interested in majoring in both degrees.
General Information
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History and Political Science requires the following:
- A minimum of 30 credit hours of HIST course work. At least 18 of those hours must be upper division (courses numbered 3000 or higher).
- A minimum of 30 credit hours of PSCI course work. At least 21 of those hours must be upper division.
- A grade of C or better in all HIST courses applied to the major.
- At least 30 hours of PSC courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. No grade below a C- may apply to the PSCI major.
- A minimum 2.0 GPA must be maintained in all HIST and PSCI course work.
- No more than 60 credit hours of HIST and PSCI course work may apply to the bachelor’s degree.
- Students must complete at least one Summit course between the two majors. Summit options are HIST 4990, PSC 4020, PSC 4210, OR PSC 4470.
Additional course work is required to complete the History and Political Science, BA degree. Please see advising guide on the Academic Advising website for more information.