Gain a deep understanding of the forces that have shaped societies across time and place. You’ll develop critical research and analytical skills while exploring the connections between past events and today’s world, equipping yourself to make valuable, informed contributions in career paths like law, education, and public service.
Locations
- Statesboro Campus
- Online
Why Major in History at Georgia Southern?
Here at Georgia Southern, majoring in History is about more than studying past events—it’s about understanding the forces that shape our world and using that knowledge to influence the future.
Our history program takes you beyond memorization, emphasizing critical analysis, research skills, and effective communication, equipping you to succeed in fields like law, journalism, education, and public policy. Through an engaging curriculum that spans global and regional perspectives, you’ll learn to contextualize historical events and develop the analytical skills needed to navigate and impact today’s complex world. When you study history at Georgia Southern, you’ll have access to experienced faculty who are committed to your success, offering personalized mentorship and opportunities for hands-on learning through internships, research projects, and historical site visits.
Whether your goal is to pursue advanced studies, enter the workforce, or bring a historical lens to a different industry, a history major provides a versatile foundation for pursuits that benefit from thoughtful analysis and informed decision-making.
Ready to Apply?
What Can You Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in History?
The analytical, research, and communication skills gained through our history curriculum are valued highly in fields like education, law, government, and business. You’ll be equipped to pursue such roles as educator, archivist, museum curator, policy analyst, or consultant, leveraging your understanding of historical contexts to inform decision-making and problem-solving. A history degree prepares you to critically engage with the past while shaping your future in a range of professional sectors.
Where our graduates work:
- Academia
- Publishing
- Journalism
- Film and Television
- Law firms
- Museums
- News and media
- Government
- Education
What our graduates do:
- Historical Consultant
- Journalist
- Lawyer
- Museum/Gallery Curator or Educator
- Paralegal/Legal Assistant
- Political Advisor/Campaign Work
- Writer
- Academic Researcher
- Archivist
- Assistant to Anthropologists or Archaeologists
- Business Analyst
- College or University History Professor
- Government Analyst
- High School History Teacher
- Historic Buildings Inspector/Conservation Officer
What You’ll Learn
Explore the intricate connections between historical events, cultures, and societies, gaining a broader understanding of how the past shapes our world today.
As a history major at Georgia Southern, your studies will cover a deep diversity of time periods and regions, from ancient civilizations to modern history, equipping you with the skills to critically analyze primary sources, synthesize complex information, and communicate your insights effectively.
You’ll begin with foundational courses that introduce key historical concepts and methods, progressing to advanced coursework that delves deeper into specialized topics like social, political, and cultural history. This comprehensive curriculum not only prepares you for a dynamic career in fields such as law, education, journalism, or public service, it also helps you to develop critical thinking, research, and writing skills that are essential for success in any field.
Build Your Experience
Take your History studies beyond the classroom with out-of-the-box methods that fuel your curiosity and organized groups of like-minded history buffs.
The History Lab
An experimental space to develop projects and installations related to historical research, the History Lab at Georgia Southern opens the traditional classroom to the kinds of effects achieved in creative and cross-media knowledge spaces.
Engage in projects like True/False: The Indigo Garden, The Waddie Welcome Archive, and Open Sea: Reflections from a Port City. Student and faculty projects using WordPress blogging, Wiki sites, Google Maps and other widely available and public domain software applications are also facilitated and hosted through the lab.
The lab is also collecting video recordings of interviews with local public artists and historians. These interviews are archived through streaming video to build up a database of localized practices of public history.
Phi Alpha Theta
The Pi Alpha Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society, focuses on the intellectual and career development of students in the field of History. Founded in 1969, our organization currently has over thirty members, all of whom have excelled, academically, in the field of history.
Join in on history-related documentary and game nights, listen to featured guest speakers in the fields of history, and network with fellow history majors. Phi Alpha Theta at Georgia Southern University provides a unique and open environment to discuss and enjoy history.
The Right Resources
These crucial resources in research and writing are great not only for History Majors, but anyone taking an upper division history course.
Georgia Southern University Writing Center
Purdue Online Writing Lab: Developing a thesis statement
The Writing Center of the University of Wisconsin – Madison: Conducting research, organizing material, and writing a research paper
University of Maryland: Online guide to writing and research
Purdue Online Writing Lab: General information and tips on writing, including grammar, punctuation, citation, different types of writing and other writing-related topics
Turabian Quick Guide: The official University of Chicago Press short guide to citation according the rules found in Kate L. Turabian’s Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
Formal vs Informal Writing: Brief guide for students to help them differentiate writing styles for assignments.
Zotero: The official site for downloading Zotero, a Firefox add-on that enables you to collect, organize, and cite (in Microsoft Word) bibliography found on the internet, whether from library catalogues, journal databases, or even Amazon. The site also includes tutorials—look under “documentation.”
The C.R.A.P. Test: a guide to determining the Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose of online sources.
Online tutorial for JSTOR: Video tutorial for using JSTOR to find academic articles.
Online tutorial for Project Muse: An online tutorial for using Project Muse to find academic articles.
The National University Library System: Links to tutorials and other information on JSTOR, Project Muse, and other academic databases.
Helpful Documents
Below are several rubrics that will assist you while enrolled/completing the Methods and Senior Seminar courses.
Citation-Bibliography Rubric for Historical Methods and Senior Seminar.
Title Page for Papers (HIST 2630 and HIST 4635)
Portfolio Review Rubric to assess the portfolio each student must submit for graduation.
History with Honors
The Honors College has implemented a curriculum with three pathways for completing upper-division Honors requirements. The History Department offers the traditional Honors thesis option and the Capstone Experience option.
The Honors Program prepares you with critical research and analytical skills, which are beneficial for various academic and professional pursuits. Recent graduates have successfully moved on to advanced studies and diverse careers, such as graduate programs, legal studies, archival services and military roles.
Take Action
Follow these steps to complete the Georgia Southern application:
- Create an application account.
- Complete our online application using the PIN you received after creating your application account.
- Once complete, pay the $30 application fee or upload a valid fee waiver. Previous Georgia Southern applicants and dual enrollment students do not need to pay the fee.
You can check your application status at My.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/admissions three days after completing your application. This page contains live information about your admission status, including a checklist of missing documents we need to make a decision.
Apply to the Master's program Transfer to Georgia SouthernPut a historical lens on your studies with a History Minor, available as a skill-set enhancement for various majors.
Select one of the following courses:
- HIST 2400 The American Military Experience
- HIST 2500 Explorations in History
- HIST 2630 Historical Methods
Take four additional HIST courses (12 credit hours). These are upper-level courses (3000-5000 level), which do not have prerequisites, offering flexibility in choosing courses.
Learn MoreStudent Testimonial
Faculty Feature
“I have a passion for history. Growing up in North Carolina, I loved family vacations where I could imagine what it was like to be a Revolutionary soldier fighting at Guilford Courthouse, learning how people made baskets at Tryon Palace, about the Wright Brothers’ first flights at Nags Head, and Blackbeard the pirate on Ocracoke Island.
In high school, instead of working retail or lifeguarding like my brother and sister, I worked summers in costume at Old Salem, a living history museum, where I split shingles, dyed wool, and worked a blacksmith’s forge. When I got to college, I started without a notion of what my major might be or what I might do for a living when I finished. Unsurprisingly, I gravitated to my passion and never looked back. And as a result, because I loved what I did, while my friends were struggling through the majors they chose because they were “practical,” I flourished in my courses.
And what I discovered when I graduated was that there were almost too many opportunities, that the skills I learned through History, how to research, evaluate, and communicate, meant I had to choose between careers in business, law, museum work, archaeology, philanthropy, and on and on. I considered all many fields, but in the end stuck with my passion, and decades later, I’m still doing what I love, studying the past and trying to discern what it means for society today.
Yes, I’d say I definitely have a passion for History.”
Christopher E. Hendricks, Ph.D., Professor of History
Related Programs
Take the Next Step
Ready to gain a deeper understanding of how history shapes the future? Learn more about Majoring in History at Georgia Southern University.
Contact Us
College of Arts and Humanities
Georgia Southern University
P.O. Box 8142
Statesboro, Georgia 30460-8142
Phone: 912-478-2527
Fax: 912-478-5346
Email: cah@georgiasouthern.edu