Undergraduate Program Overview

Student Learning Outcomes are the skills that students are expected to master and demonstrate.  With the successful completion of the degree, a History major will be able to: 

1. Apply a body of knowledge in American, European and Global history to issues of intellectual, cultural, social or political inquiry.  (i.e., draw upon a broad base of historical information to understand, interpret, or challenge complex issues.)
2. Identify and accurately employ historical methodologies.  (i.e., develop an awareness of history as an interpretive process.)
3. Critically assess, differentiate, and analyze primary documents and secondary sources.  (i.e., develop the ability to selectively and appropriately employ various kinds of historical evidence, such as documents, films, diaries, images, oral histories, etc.)
4. Formulate a thesis for an original paper or project, and craft a well-organized argument from thesis statement to conclusion.  (i.e., hone the ability to formulate and defend a hypothesis.)
5. Employ correct citation format for footnotes and bibliographies.  (i.e., master the technical requirements of historical writing.)
6. Defend oral and written arguments with appropriate historical evidence.

• Foundations in the development of western civilization and the United States, followed by specialized study in the history of ancient and medieval Europe, modern Europe, the U.S., and Asia, Africa, and Latin America
• The development of crucial intellectual skills -- imagination and creativity, critical and analytical thinking, effective communication -- that will prepare you for a variety of career and life options after graduation
• Thinking globally about issues of justice and values
• Personal attention from professors who encourage student success
• Work experience in the junior or senior years through internships in historical, archival, or museum studies
• Learning from the professors who are doing the research. Courses are drawn directly from their scholarly work about the FBI, childhood and gender, Latin America, crime and punishment, and the Holocaust

MU history graduates attend some of the best law and graduate schools in the United States, including:

American University, UC-Berkeley, Boston College, Boston University, University of Chicago, Georgetown University, University of Eastern Illinois, University of Iowa, Loyola University (Chicago), Marquette University, University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska-Omaha, New York University, University of Northern Illinois, University of Notre Dame, University of Oregon, Seton Hall University, University of Vermont, UW-Madison, and UW-Milwaukee