Bachelor of Arts in History
Our bachelor’s degree in history puts your future on a strong trajectory.
Contrary to what you might have heard, a degree in history offers an abundance of good career opportunities. History majors from Oakland University have gone into every field you can imagine, from law and business to entertainment, marketing, government leadership, education and journalism. You’ll learn to communicate persuasively and use information effectively, skills you can apply in almost any profession. Our history degree features small classes and extensive interaction with faculty, giving you excellent preparation for a graduate history degree, an MBA, law school or a teaching credential.
Contrary to what you might have heard, a degree in history offers an abundance of good career opportunities. History majors from Oakland University have gone into every field you can imagine, from law and business to entertainment, marketing, government leadership, education and journalism. You’ll learn to communicate persuasively and use information effectively, skills you can apply in almost any profession. Our history degree features small classes and extensive interaction with faculty, giving you excellent preparation for a graduate history degree, an MBA, law school or a teaching credential.
Bachelor’s Degree in History: The Oakland University Advantage
Oakland University’s history major combines the scope and resources of a large university with the intimate, one-on-one instruction of a liberal arts college. You’ll learn in small classes from senior professors, getting a level of faculty attention and professional training that’s more common in a graduate history program.
Our bachelor’s degree in history also provides:
- Practical workforce preparation. Oakland history majors excel at writing, research, organization, critical analysis and independent thinking. These skills are constantly in demand, and they won’t become obsolete as technologies and economic trends evolve.
- Superior instructors. You’ll take all your history courses from accomplished historians (not graduate students) who publish widely, travel internationally and command broad respect from their peers. Few history degrees of comparable size offer the same level of faculty face-time for undergraduate history majors.
- Academic freedom. Our degree in history provides wide latitude in course selection, enabling you to specialize in whatever slice of history most interests you. Our faculty includes experts in a broad range of historical movements, periods and regions, including niches such as labor history, women’s history, African American history, world religions, modern Asia, modern Europe and more.
- Real-world experience. Southeast Michigan offers excellent internship opportunities for history majors. Oakland’s department of history has strong connections with museums, libraries, preservation organizations and similar entities, enabling you to gain workplace experience, deepen your education and build your resume.
- Outstanding teacher training option. If you’re interested in a career as a history teacher, Oakland’s fifth-year Secondary Teacher Education Program enables you to qualify for a teaching license immediately after completing your degree in history. You’ll spend one extra year on campus and in local classrooms, getting high-caliber, highly marketable education training.
What Can You Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in History?
History majors at Oakland University frequently go on to graduate degree programs in history, law, business, public administration and related fields. If you’re headed directly into the job market, national surveys show that employers in nearly every sector prefer new hires who write clearly, think logically and solve problems creatively. You’ll become proficient in all these skills with a degree in history, while also learning to make good use of technology and developing a multicultural perspective that fits the global information economy.
Because you can pursue so many careers with a history degree, it would be impossible to list them all here. Some of the more common career paths for history majors include:
- Journalism
- Government administration
- Nonprofit leadership
- Teaching
- Law
- Business management
- Banking
- Marketing
- Library and museum careers
- Data science and statistical analysis
Bachelor’s Degree in History: What You’ll Study
The history major at Oakland totals 44 required credits. There are dozens of history course options, and you have wide flexibility to select courses that focus on the time period(s) and geographic region(s) that most interest you. The only mandatory courses for the degree in history are:
- Historical Thinking and Writing
- Historical Research Seminar
- One course in American history
- One course in European history
- One course in the history of Africa, Asia, the Middle East or Latin America
In addition, history majors are required to take two additional upper-division electives and two lower-division electives.
Bachelor’s Degree in History Resources
Programs Related to the Bachelor’s Degree in History
Not sure if the history major is right for you ? Check out these other undergraduate degree programs at Oakland, and contact our admissions team to discuss your options.
- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
- Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
- Bachelor of Arts in Journalism
- Bachelor of Arts in International Relations