Through the study of history, students learn to analyze and compare past events critically and to apply lessons of the past to current situations.
Students focus their studies on American, European, and several non-Western cultures.
Graduates are prepared for careers in law, government, politics, education, business, libraries, archives, and journalism. Those planning to pursue a Ph.D. degree in history should prepare themselves in two foreign languages. Courses used to calculate the major index include only courses taken for letter grades in history and political science. Students must have a 2.00 index in the 12 units required for the major in order to graduate.