Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [History] From San Diego State University

History is the study of the past. It encompasses almost all aspects of human activity and behavior. The arts and sciences, technology and economics, ideology and social attitudes are all as much a part of history as politics and war.

History is the most universal of the humanities. It is not merely a body of facts to be learned, but is a series of arguments and points of view to be debated. Study of the ideas, attitudes, and actions of peoples in the past helps to sharpen a person's own sense of values, offering moral lessons in the search for a global future of creative achievement and international peace. It also helps to cultivate a more tolerant and compassionate spirit toward peoples whose way of life may be different from one's own.

The excellent training in basic skills and the broad range of information students receive in history courses prepare history majors for a wide variety of careers in law, government, politics, journalism, publishing, international business, and public history. Teaching at the elementary, secondary, or university level is an opportunity for history majors who continue their education at the graduate level.

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Arts program offers students a wide variety of courses and teaching methods to stimulate understanding of the past.

Preparatory work for the Bachelor of Arts program requires the completion of two semesters of World History and two semesters of Western Civilization, American History, or Comparative History of the Americas.

At the upper-division level, students will take courses in the following fields: Thematic, Comparative and Interdisciplinary History; The Ancient through Early Modern World; and The Modern World.