Expertise
Faculty represent a wide range of specializations, and are excellent educators and engaged scholars.
Bachelor of Arts in History
It is more than studying the past. History at the 91ÖÆƬ³§. Thomas gives you the tools to look at the world from multiple perspectives. You broaden your horizons by studying how the past informs the present, learning to think critically and write skillfully while challenging your perspective of the world in the process.
Why Study History at St. Thomas?
Our program gives you the opportunity to acquire broad and deep knowledge of different parts of the world, including Europe, the United States, East Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. We also offer courses on topics like environmental history, slavery and more. Our professors are teachers and active researchers in all of those topics and many others as well. You will develop your critical thinking skills and learn how to create persuasive, evidence-based interpretations of historical people and events.
Learning How the Past Informs the Present
Course Requirements
You complete a total of eleven courses (or 44 credits) in history, two of which are 100-level surveys. From there, you take one course in areas focusing on ancient and medieval history, U.S. history, European history and the history of Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Middle East. You complete four elective courses in any area, and ultimately finish your time at St. Thomas with a capstone course.
Four-Year Plan
We recommend completing the 100-level history courses in your first year or by the end of your first semester of your second year. You will need to take one or two upper-level history courses each semester from there, totaling ten courses. You will then complete your capstone course in your senior year.
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Arts in History
- Minor in History
Community Engagement and Internships
You have the opportunity to engage with the community through your courses, and students can intern with organizations like the History Museum, National History Day Program and various other local organizations.
Course Requirements
Course Requirements
You complete a total of eleven courses (or 44 credits) in history, two of which are 100-level surveys. From there, you take one course in areas focusing on ancient and medieval history, U.S. history, European history and the history of Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Middle East. You complete four elective courses in any area, and ultimately finish your time at St. Thomas with a capstone course.
Four-Year Plan
Four-Year Plan
We recommend completing the 100-level history courses in your first year or by the end of your first semester of your second year. You will need to take one or two upper-level history courses each semester from there, totaling ten courses. You will then complete your capstone course in your senior year.
Degrees Awarded
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Arts in History
- Minor in History
Community Engagement and Internships
Community Engagement and Internships
You have the opportunity to engage with the community through your courses, and students can intern with organizations like the History Museum, National History Day Program and various other local organizations.
It’s More Than Studying the Past
Our faculty, students and alumni apply their knowledge on a daily basis in their research and professional work.
Dr. William Cavert
Dr. Cavert is an early modern European historian and studies how people engage with their natural environment, particularly in Britain between 1500 and 1800. His book, The Smoke of London, describes how the city suffered from air pollution. He is currently researching how people lived with animals in England’s rural areas, where farmers became hunters of “vermin” like hedgehogs, foxes and sparrows.
Emma Rudd ‘14
Emma graduated from St. Thomas and then received a master’s degree in architecture and a certificate in historic preservation from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She works for Quorom Architects, Inc. in Milwaukee, which focuses on adaptive reuse and renovations to the existing built environment in the city. She says her history degree made her a go-to person for writing proposals, National Register applications, research and written communication.
Eamon Naughton ‘20
Eamon has taken advantage of faculty mentorship to conduct archival research into the Sons of Liberty, a group supporting colonial opposition to English taxes on tea, paper and other daily goods, but refused to support the Revolutionary War. He described his visit to the Boston Archives as a very special experience because the letters and journals he found revealed economic, familial and legal reasons for their refusal to support the revolution.
Career Paths
History students have a wide variety of career paths available to them. The skills you gain from our program prepare you to tackle a wide range of fields.
- Museums
- Libraries
- Journalism
- Law
- Education and academia
- Government & corporate research
Get Engaged
History students have an abundance of opportunities available to them. Whether it means getting involved with faculty-led research or community project, we have resources for you to engage with your peers.
Award-Winning
Our students have received awards for their performance in regional and national undergraduate conferences.
Admittance
Our students get admitted into nationally-recognized graduate programs in law, history and public policy.
Faculty With Real Experience
Dr. Shaherzad Ahmadi
Dr. Ahmadi is a Middle East historian specializing in the socio-economic independence of the borderlands of modern Iran and Iraq.
Dr. David Williard
Dr. Williard is a United States historian focusing on the transformative effects of war on the meaning of citizenship, especially in the Civil War era.
Dr. Kari Zimmerman
Dr. Zimmerman is a Latin American historian specializing on the social and economic history of Brazil, as well as gender and African slavery in the Atlantic World.
A Close-Knit Community of Scholars
History students support each other throughout their college journeys. Not only do they collaborate with each other in clubs, but they also engage in research with faculty and across campus with other students.
The World Is Your Classroom
Students learn outside of the classroom with opportunities like the “We March for Justice” trip to Memphis sponsored by Excel! Scholars, HECUA and internships in the Twin Cities.
See the World
Students can study abroad with programs like Mediterranean Crossroads: Peoples and Environments from Sicily to Rome with Dr. Ivancica Schrunk, archaeologist and historian of the world. She may even take you on an archaeological dig!
The Need for Versatility
Divine Zheng ’18 delivered the student address at her commencement ceremony. Her speech, “The Persistent Necessity of a Liberal Arts Education,” explored the need for critical thinking and interdisciplinary skills in a polarized world.
Address Real Problems
Bontu Gemeda ’19 went to Memphis for a summer research project addressing the history of desegregation in the rural South. “We think integration is a done deal, but parts of the rural South were never fully desegregated,” she says.
Discover History
Our students don’t just study history, they discover it. Elena Ryan ’18, working with Dr. Williard, used her computer science skills to transcribe and annotate more than 80 Civil War letters from a collection never seen by the public before.
Opportunities Abound
Our department prides itself on providing opportunities for students and faculty inside and outside of the classroom.
Dr. Zsolt Nagy’s East-Central Europe course challenged students to create avatars and write diary entries to investigate the complex history of the region from various lenses. Students wrote from Polish, Czech, Slovak or Hungarian perspectives.
Dr. Jaymin Kim (@JayminKim) is active on Twitter and presents a variety of projects to his followers. His hashtag #TodayInQing narrates events happening on this date during the Qing dynasty between 1636 and 1912.
A history major or minor is great preparation for the ever-changing job market. Employment surveys demonstrate how employers value workers who think critically, have strong communication skills and robust cultural competencies.
The Past Informs the Present
History at St. Thomas gives students the unique opportunity to acquire a broad and deep knowledge about different parts of the world. Our curriculum fosters a career-ready skill set that prepares students to succeed in multiple industries.
Take the Next Step
There is more to learn about St. Thomas; including our ranking as a Best Value School by U.S. News & World Report, the many classroom and extracurricular activities that will be part of your student experience and so much more. Schedule a visit to see our beautiful campus or start your application today.