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Bachelor's in History (BA)

A major in history is one of the most flexible liberal arts degrees you can obtain. In addition to history, you’ll learn critical reading, writing and thinking skills that prepare you for any position requiring research, writing and analysis. You will learn to examine historical forces, people and events from multiple perspectives and with global awareness, all while honing your communication skills.
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Location: Chicago
Start Term: Fall, Spring, Summer
Program Type: Major, Minor

With an opportunity to study social and cultural history in the heart of downtown Chicago, history students at Roosevelt will explore the dynamic histories of race, class and gender with a faculty committed to social justice. Transformational learning projects, internships, visits to Chicago neighborhoods and institutions, study-abroad courses and lectures by outside scholars and activists encourage students to see how history is applied in local, national and global communities. Small class sizes allow students to work closely with faculty on research projects and forge close mentoring relationships with them.

Expectations & Requirements

Standards

Students can expect a curriculum that emphasizes research and writing; close engagement with primary sources, the building blocks of history; and the development of oral presentation skills. In their courses, they will explore the causes and consequences of past events; discover how to contextualize sources; and learn to question assumptions about how and why the world looks the way it does.

Minor Requirements

The minor in history requires 18 semester hours (see minor requirements for details). It makes an excellent companion to majors in criminal justice, economics, journalism, international relations, political science, policy studies, psychology, sociology, women's and gender studies, among other disciplines.

Sample Courses

  • Lives & Times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt
  • Lives, Memories, Stories, History (oral history)
  • The Spanish Conquest
  • History of Epidemics
  • Women and the Russian Revolution
  • 1960s America
  • Immigration, Ethnicity and the American Experience
  • History & Memory of the Civil War
  • White City & Black Metropolis
  • Imperialism & Nation in 19th Century Central America
  • History & Memory of World War Two in the U.S. and Europe (Travel Abroad Course)
View Program Requirements View Minor Requirements

Outcomes

Career Options
  • Advocacy — lobbyist, advertising executive, public relations staffer
  • Arts — consultant
  • Business or nonprofit management — analyst, consultant, foundation staffer
  • Government and civil service — analyst, congressional aide
  • Human resources — personnel manager
  • Journalism — broadcaster, editor, journalist
  • International relations — foreign service, intelligence agent
  • Law — legal assistant, lawyer
  • Library science — librarian, information specialist
  • Museum work and archival management — archivist, researcher
  • Politics — campaign worker
  • Policy analysis
  • Teaching
Grad Schools Attended By Our Alumni
Northwestern University; University of Illinois at Chicago; Loyola University Chicago; University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of Kansas at Lawrence; Dominican University; University of Rochester; Grand Valley State; Eastern Michigan University; DePaul School of Law; John Marshall Law School

Testimonials

"The Roosevelt history department shaped my understanding of the history of work in the United States, which helps me in my job as a union organizer where I help higher education faculty and staff organize. At Roosevelt, I took an intersection of classes on slavery, women, African Americans, feminism, the environment and labor. Faculty members taught these classes to me as a unique individual and not just a student learning outcome."
​Haley Leibovitz - History BA '12
“Studying history at Roosevelt, founded on the principles of equity and justice, in the center of a city with a vibrant history of democratic social movements, provides our students with a sense of not only what was, but what is — and what can be — possible.”
Margaret Rung
Associate Professor of History, Roosevelt University