“Human history is the sad result of each one looking out for himself,” said writer Julio Cortázar. This bachelor's degree provides students with perspectives from which to agree or disagree with this observation. The program offers flexibility for students to customize their program of study based on the period or type of history in which they are interested. A language requirement enhances and expands upon the core curriculum.
History is more than names and dates; it is the study of the human experience in all its facets-not just what happened, but how and why. If you're curious about the whys behind landmark events like the fall of Communism or Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon, then our history program will interest you.
Learn to think critically, develop research skills, and communicate more effectively. Clarify your understanding of human behavior-past, present, and future. Experience our multi-disciplinary program and be informed by voices from diverse groups. You will build a foundation for careers in settings such as libraries, museums, and other cultural enterprises-or prepare for further academic study. Our full range of courses explores history across the continents, with traditional scholarship and contemporary focuses on race, gender, ethnicity, and environmental history.
To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.
The full policy can be viewed here.
In addition to University Requirements:
Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 120 |
| Major GPA | 2.5 |
| Highest Mathematics Required | MAT 114 |
| Foreign Language | Required |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Optional |
| Study Abroad | Recommended |
| University Honors Program | Optional |
| Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan | Optional |
| AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A | Recommended |
| Progression Plan Link | View Progression Plan |
Purpose Statement
A Bachelor of Arts in History provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in civic life, in graduate study, and in a variety of careers. Our program emphasizes the complex tensions and synergies between human agency and larger historical forces in order to inform honest debate on past and current events as members of engaged, critical, and dynamic communities. Historical perspective is an essential component of responsible and informed citizenship and provides significant advantages to students in a multicultural world and workplace. Our graduates attain the writing skills, research methods, and critical and analytical thinking necessary not only for history professions, but for a wide variety of career paths, such as management, law, and education in both academic and public settings.
Our curriculum trains students to find, evaluate, and employ primary and secondary sources as evidence to frame and answer questions through analysis, interpretation, and critical engagement. Students therefore learn to reach sound judgments and construct persuasive arguments through research rather than by relying on hearsay or presumptions. Students further develop appreciation for the diversity of the human experience and consciousness of how local and global histories inform one another in both past and present, and how historical research can transform those relations. To this end, students also acquire proficiency in a language other than English to facilitate interaction with communities different from their own.
Student Learning Outcomes
Historians portray the past with all its complexity, illuminating the tensions and synergies between human agency and larger historical and environmental forces in order to inform honest debate on past and current events by engaged, critical, and dynamic communities.
The Tools of a Historian’s Discipline
This major requires 55 units distributed as follows:
Take the following 39 units with a grade of "C" or better in each course. These courses must be completed with a minimum GPA of 2.5.
HIS 300W, HIS 498C and at least 18 additional units must be taken at NAU including at least 6 units at the 300-level and at least 6 units at the 400-level.
History - Introductory Surveys (12 Units)
You must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English that is equivalent to four terms of university coursework in the same language. You may satisfy this requirement by taking language courses or through credit by exam. (16 units)
Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.
You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.
We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.
If you meet the following criteria, you become eligible to receive History Departmental Honors when you graduate.
To obtain Departmental Honors, you must:
The History Department strongly encourages you to study abroad or intern abroad. For more information on global learning opportunities, benefits, or requirements, please consult the History Department website and your advisor.
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.