Historians draw conclusions from the evidence they analyze. To present those conclusions convincingly, we organize information, formulate arguments, and present our findings coherently both in writing and speaking -- important skills in many fields outside of the historical profession. Names, dates, and events from the past matter only because they're part of a larger and much more important story. Historians master that story by learning how societies, nations, and institutions develop over time. We don't spend much time arguing about what happened. Why it happened, why it happened when it did, and why it matters are far more frequent questions, and they are questions that each generation asks to know itself more completely.

About Degree

Pittsburg State University's Bachelor of Arts in History students enjoy a great deal of flexibility in designing their program. With the assistance of their faculty advisors, students choose a minimum of 12 hours of American history and 12 hours of World history, and then they choose an additional 9 hours in their favorite content fields. Recent offerings include the histories of World War II, American Medicine, the American West, the Samurai, Modern Ireland, the Modern Middle East, and the Opioid Crisis. Our lecture courses, small colloquium/seminar sections, and internships (100 percent placement rate) all offer excellent student-teacher ratios and mentoring for students embarking upon that voyage of discovery.

Students in the program choose a minor based on their interests and their desired careers. Among the wide variety of minors available are Political Science, Geography, Philosophy, Art, English, Spanish, French, Women's Health, Multicultural Studies, and Military Science.

Career Options

Graduates of our Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Education programs have secured employment as records specialists, systems analysts, corporate managers, development supervisors, reference librarians, technical writers, editors, loan officers, contract managers, FBI agents, police officers, CIA area specialists, career military officers, insurance claims examiners, political campaign managers, and speech writers, to name a few options.

Those who have chosen to stay in the history profession serve as archivists, reference specialists, curators, and historians with museums, state historical societies, the National Park System, and the National Archives.