Bachelor of Arts in Historical Studies

“History is philosophy teaching by examples.”

— Henry St. John Bolingbroke

To understand current national and global issues, we often turn to historians for perspective. Historians provide a base layer of understanding for today’s challenges and caution us against mistakes of prior civilizations.

Careers in Historical Studies

The combination of creativity, collaborative communications and critical thinking skills fostered by the School of Arts and Humanities makes this degree applicable to a variety of occupations. Aside from the mainstream career paths of teaching or working in archival and museum settings, students with a historical studies degree may find employment in government, nonprofit or social science organizations. Many history majors successfully complete law school, thanks to the solid writing and critical thinking foundation they receive in their undergraduate studies.

The University’s Career Center is an important resource for students pursuing postgraduate employment. Licensed counselors are available to provide strategies for mastering job interviews, writing professional cover letters and resumes and connecting with campus recruiters, among other services.

High School Preparation

To successfully obtain a bachelor’s degree in historical studies, you should be proficient at reading and synthesizing information rapidly, and be able to construct well-formulated research papers and projects. Potential high school preparation includes four years of English and social science, including geography, government and history; two to three years of foreign language; and one year of fine arts courses, among other subjects.

Historical Studies at UT Dallas

Students must successfully complete 120 hours to graduate, with 42 hours from the University’s core curriculum and 45 in the major. Students are encouraged to focus their work in historical studies on a particular time or place; a significant theme, topic or problem; or an approach to learning such as literature, the arts, ideas, science and technology or the social sciences. They may choose from courses designed around historical themes, issues and ideas in American, European, Latin American, African and Asian studies.

Students may also be certified to teach history and/or social studies and/or English through the UT Dallas Teacher Development Center or by completing a Master of Arts in teaching in humanities.