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Undergraduate Degree and Minor in History

Gain the Perspective of Centuries of Human Experience with a Bachelor of Arts in History Degree from BSU

The study of history at Bridgewater State University allows you to understand our past through a global lens. As a history major or minor, you’ll have the opportunity to take courses in all periods of U.S. and European history, as well as learn about the history of Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, East Asia and Canada.

Faculty in the Department of History specialize in gender, religious history, economic history, military history, intellectual history, political history and social history. Their diverse expertise exposes you to various ways to engage with the past.

As an undergraduate student in BSU’s history bachelor’s degree program or minor, you’ll acquire the skills of gathering, synthesizing and analyzing large amounts of information and expressing it in clear and accessible language — skills that will serve you well in virtually any career you choose. Our alumni also report that prospective employers value how well the bachelor’s degree in history program has prepared them to collaborate and work in teams.

History Undergraduate Program Highlights

A student smiling in history class talking to another student

Pursue the Gretchen Stone Cook Award

As work toward your bachelor’s degree in history, you could be eligible to win the Gretchen Stone Cook Award for students who want to teach history in elementary or secondary schools. It’s the largest single award given at Bridgewater. 
History professor gesturing while talking to his class in front of a white board with notes on feudalism

Learn from a devoted and dynamic faculty

Program faculty are passionate teachers, engaged with their respective fields and committed to teaching history as a living, dynamic field rather than a static body of knowledge.
Dr. Sarah Wiggins smiling and gesturing as she talks to a group of students in a history class

Benefit from small class sizes

Class sizes in our Bachelor of Arts in history program are small enough so that you can get to know your professors, ask questions and receive advice and guidance on course options, research opportunities, and career paths. Gain insight to bachelor’s in history jobs you may be interested in.

Learn outside the classroom

Join our faculty in study tours abroad or intern with museums, archives and government offices. Experiences like these offer a worldview of people and cultures that enhances your undergraduate classes, whether you’re in the bachelor’s degree in history program or minor.

Participate in undergraduate research

Conduct in-depth research with faculty members, then complement your work in the field with course seminars and capstone projects. You’ll join other undergraduate students in the history bachelor’s degree program or minor for lively group discussions and debates.

Earn your law degree

BSU now has a 3+3 program in partnership with UMass Law. Through this accelerated program, you may complete your bachelor's degree in history at Bridgewater and your JD law degree at UMass Law in a total of six years, instead of the usual seven.

Bachelor of Arts in History Program of Study

We keep our history program relevant to today with new courses in African American history, the Holocaust, and the Roaring Twenties. You can also take interesting courses offered to undergraduates in both the bachelor’s degree in history program and the minor:

  • Western Civilization to the Reformation
  • World History to 1500
  • World History Since 1500
  • US History and Constitutions to 1865

Click any link below to reveal each program's course detail.

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Program details from 2024-2025 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog

Bridgewater State University's history program is excellent. The professors were challenging but fair and always expected and encouraged the best from their students. The work was relevant to current events and helped foster critical analysis skills necessary for fulfilling careers in historic preservation and law.”
Jonathan Ames, '16
BA, History

Bachelor’s in History Jobs and Careers

After earning your bachelor’s in history, jobs you could pursue span almost any field or industry. History majors work in a wide range of careers but are especially qualified for roles such as:

  • Historian
  • Documentary filmmaker
  • Librarian
  • Museum archivist
  • Writer
  • Researcher
  • Journalist
  • History professor
$89,357

is the average annual wage for bachelor’s in history jobs in the United States, according to DataUSA.

A BSU graduate admissions representative giving a student information

Continue Your Education Beyond Your Bachelor’s Degree in History

If you earn your bachelor’s in history degree and you’re interested in teaching history in middle school or high school, BSU also offers a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), History, developed for teachers who have an initial license and are seeking a professional license in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.