History

Return to: College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department Head: Ravi M. Gupta
Location: Main 323A
Phone: (435) 797-1196
FAX: (435) 797-3899
E-mail: ravi.gupta@usu.edu
WWW: history.usu.edu

Associate Department Head: Victoria Grieve, Main 321G, (435) 797-4175, victoria.grieve@usu.edu

Associate Department Head for Regional Campuses and Distance Education: Clayton Brown, Uintah Basin - Vernal, (435) 722-1772; clayton.brown@usu.edu

Graduate Program Coordinator: James Sanders, Main 323E, (435) 797-1294, james.sanders@usu.edu

Degrees offered: Bachelor of Science (BS), Bachelor of Arts (BA), Master of Science (MS), Master of Arts (MA) in History; Master of Science (MS), Master of Arts (MA) in Ancient Languages and Cultures (ALC)

Full details of the learning objectives, assessment plan, student outcomes and evidence of continuous improvement for these programs of study can be found at history.usu.edu/about/assessment.

Undergraduate Programs

Objectives

Undergraduate Program Learning Outcomes in the Department of History  

Historical Knowledge 

• Develop a wide range of historical information
• Identify the key events which express/define change over time in a particular place or region
• Identify how change occurs over time
• Explain historical continuity and change
• Describe the influence of political ideologies, economic structures, social organization, cultural perceptions and natural environments on historical events 
• Discuss the ways in which factors such as race, gender, class, ethnicity, region and religion influence historical narratives

 Historical Thinking

• Recognize the past-ness of the past
• Explain how people have existed, acted and thought in particular historical periods
• Explain what influence the past has on the present
• Emphasize the complex nature of past experiences
• Interpret the complexity and diversity of situations, events and past mentalities
• Compare eras and regions in order to define enduring issues 
• Emphasize the complex and problematic nature of the historical record
• Recognize a range of viewpoints
• Compare competing historical narratives
• Challenge arguments of historical inevitability
• Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation

Historical Skills

• Develop skills in critical thinking and reading
• Evaluate debates among historians
• Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations
• Assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources
• Develop research skills
• Formulate historical questions
• Obtain historical data from a variety of sources
• Identify gaps in available records
• Recognize the discipline’s standards for accurate and ethical research
• Develop the ability to construct reasonable historical arguments
• Construct a well-organized historical argument
• Support an interpretation with historical evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources

Career Opportunities

The Department’s “learning outcomes” suggest the ways in which historical study develops expertise in our discipline as well as broader skills in the liberal arts. In other words, our programs not only provide specialized academic training but also prepare students to work in a wide variety of fields. Historical study develops one’s ability to investigate problems, identify reliable sources, analyze information, contextualize complex questions—and communicate conclusions in a clear and thoughtful manner.

USU history graduates move into a number of employment areas, such as:

• multi-national companies and local businesses 
• public capacities (including Congress and the military)
• charitable organizations
• educational institutions
• public family history providers
• editors, researchers, writers
• law, medical, and other professional schools

History is a reading- and writing-intensive program.

Admission to the History Department

Students may apply for admission to the History program upon admission to the university.

1. Majors must maintain a minimum 2.75 overall GPA in order to remain in good standing in the History Department. Students whose GPA drops below 2.75 may be placed on probation and may be dropped from the major if their grades do not improve.
2. New freshmen admitted to USU in good standing qualify for admission to the History Department.
3. Students transferring from other institutions may be accepted into the major upon admission.

Requirements

Transfer Students

The History Department accepts all history courses taught by institutions within the Utah System of Higher Education. Students who are transferring may wish to consult with the Advisor.

AP Credit

The History Department does not accept AP credit for use towards its degrees. We do make allowances for the following considerations: If a student following the “History Major” track has passed an AP exam with a score of 3 or better, the equivalent lower-division course will be waived; however, the student must complete the equivalent number of credits in an upper-division course. If the student follows the “History Teaching Emphasis” track, the waiver stated above does not apply.

Using the same courses to meet Multiple Requirements

Students may not count any course taken to fulfill a basic General Education science requirement (BLS, BPS) toward the History BS track. History Majors completing minors in related areas may count one course in both the major and the minor. Exception for Social Studies Composite Majors.

Departmental Requirements

New freshmen accepted in good standing by the University may apply for admission to the History Department. Students transferring from another institution or another major will be admitted if they have a minimum 2.5 GPA in history courses and an overall minimum GPA of 2.5. A minimum 3.00 GPA is required for entry into the teacher education program.

Since history can be classified in both the humanities and the social sciences, majors may receive either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. However, because history primarily involves the study of written documents, the department encourages students to choose the BA, which requires proficiency in a foreign language.

Candidates for a degree must earn a grade of C or better in all history courses used to meet the requirements for a history major or minor, a history teaching emphasis or teaching minor, or a classics minor.

Sample Four-year Plans

Students should consult with their advisors to develop a plan of study tailored to their individual needs and interests.

Academic Opportunities

University Honors Program

The University Honors Program offers students in all colleges and majors the unique opportunity to deepen their educational experience with hands-on practical applications of their academic knowledge. The Honors Program admits incoming, transfer, and existing USU students based on application. High achieving students with at least one year remaining are encouraged to apply. See the University Honors Program catalog entry and website (honors.usu.edu) for more information.

Phi Alpha Theta

History students with a minimum GPA of 3.1 in history classes and an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 are eligible for membership in the national history honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. Those interested should consult the faculty advisor for Phi Alpha Theta, Tammy Proctor (tammy.proctor@usu.edu).

Undergraduate Teaching Fellows

The UTF program is designed to provide students, particularly potential teachers, with the opportunity to assist professors and, thereby, learn first-hand about the nature of the profession. UTFs must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and be sponsored by a professor. Application forms are available in the History Department office and on the History Department website, history.usu.edu.

Additional Information

For updated information concerning programs and courses offered by the Department of History, visit the departmental web page at history.usu.edu.

Major requirement sheets, which provide detailed information about requirements for the History major, can be obtained from the department.

Financial Support

Scholarships, grants-in-aid, and work-study programs are available through the University. The History Department offers scholarships to outstanding students. In addition, undergraduates may be employed as research assistants and clerical assistants within the department. For current information on scholarships and employment opportunities, see the History Department website at history.usu.edu.

Graduate Programs

Admission Requirements

Graduate applicants may be admitted to the program for either the Master of Arts or Master of Science in History if they meet the following qualifications: (1) hold a baccalaureate degree; (2) have at least a 3.0 overall GPA over the last 60 credits of undergraduate work, with a 3.5 GPA in history courses recommended; (3) submit three letters of recommendation from persons acquainted with the applicant’s academic performance and potential; (4) submit a brief statement of proposed fields of interest and career goals; and (5) submit an example of the student’s historical writing, such as a paper (about 15-20 pages in length) written for a seminar or upper-division course. Students may submit the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test scores, but this is not required for admission to the program.

The Department of History also strongly recommends that applicants have either an undergraduate major or minor in history or a closely related field. Familiarity with one or more foreign languages is highly desirable and is required for the Master of Arts degree and for master’s level research in many fields of history.

The final recommendation for admission will be made upon consideration of all the above factors by the department to the School of Graduate Studies.

Financial Assistance

The primary financial assistance offered by the Department of History is through graduate assistantships. Each year, the History Department offers to qualified students, on a competitive basis, a limited number of graduate assistantships. These assistantships entail approximately 20 hours of work per week, assisting faculty members with departmental introductory survey courses. The award carries a stipend and an out-of-state tuition waiver. To keep their assistantships, graduate assistants must maintain a GPA of 3.0 (or a B average) and be a full-time student, as noted in the School of Graduate Studies  section. While enrolled in the MA or MS program, graduate assistants may hold graduate assistantships for a maximum of two years.

Competitive grants to support travel and research are also available to history graduate students.

The application deadline for both fellowship and general admission is January 1, for the upcoming academic year.

Additional Funding

In addition to graduate assistantships and a limited number of research assistantships, the School of Graduate Studies awards a limited number of scholarships. To be eligible for these awards, all students should complete the application for admission and send it to the School of Graduate Studies by February 1. A financial aid application form (which may be obtained from the History Department) should be returned to the History Department by February 1.

Students interested in establishing eligibility for federal loans and work-study will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit it to: Financial Aid Office, Utah State University, 1800 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84322-1800. Questions about eligibility should be directed to the Financial Aid Office at (435) 797-0173.

Career Opportunities

Some graduates of USU’s master’s program continue their formal education in PhD programs or law schools. Others find employment in the two-year college or secondary school systems, as teachers or administrators. Still others work for historical societies, museums, publishing firms, and a variety of enterprises in the private sector.

Additional Information

Current announcements and other information are posted to the History Department website at history.usu.edu.

HA Faculty  
 

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