This summer at the CSU Mountain Campus, students can explore the relationship between humans and the natural environment with courses in Environmental Humanities.
Bachelor of Arts in History
Students earning a B.A. in History at CSU develop research, critical analysis, communication and writing, historical empathy, and evidence-based reasoning skills needed to understand how people, ideas, and events have shaped our world.
Across our concentrations, you’ll gain hands-on experience through internships, independent studies, community history projects, and other experiential learning opportunities. Our graduates leave prepared for careers in education, public service, museums, historic preservation, government and more.
This degree can be completed as an accelerated option in 3-3.5 years for those concentrating in General History, Digital and Public History, and Language.
Concentrations
As a History major, you can choose between five specialized concentrations that align with your academic and career interests. Check sheets for each concentration are available to guide you through requirements and help you reach key milestones on your path to graduation.
General History
Develop advanced skills in research, critical analysis, evidence-based reasoning, written and oral communication, and historical interpretation while exploring a wide range of historical topics and perspectives. History majors who select the General History concentration expand their studies by completing an additional major or minor offered at CSU.
Digital and Public History
Build expertise in historical research, digital tools, data interpretation, public communication, and project development to make history accessible to a public audience. This concentration includes a required internship of at least 3 credits.
Language
Explore the connections between language, culture, and history while developing skills in historical research, cross-cultural analysis, communication, critical thinking, and regional expertise. Students pursuing this concentration develop language proficiency through the 201 level, which may be completed through Languages and Global Studies, transfer credit, or a placement exam.
Social Studies Teaching
Connect research and critical thinking in history, civics, and geography to build teaching practices grounded in content knowledge, instructional strategies, and communication skills needed to become an effective social studies educator.
Students also complete the requirements for the Social Studies Undergraduate Teaching Licensure through Educator Preparation in the College of Health and Human Sciences.
Social and Behavioral Sciences
This concentration is for the timely graduation of History majors in their third or fourth year of study at CSU, wishing to transition from the Social Studies Teaching concentration to another concentration. This concentration is designed for continuing students and is not open to incoming students.
Degree Requirements
As you begin exploring your path as a CSU History major, our curriculum is designed to support whatever direction you choose by engaging your interests, helping you connect with peers, and building relationships with faculty. We’re here to guide you not only to graduation but also to confidently launch your first step toward a meaningful career.
Core Seminar Courses
You’ll join fellow students passionate about history in seminar-style courses designed exclusively for majors, building a strong community of peers and mentors while strengthening your research, analytical, and professional skills.
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Year 1 Seminar
HIST 192: Introduction to the History Major
What do historians do, and why does history matter? This course introduces students to the history major through the study of a historical topic while building foundational skills in research, source analysis, citation, and writing. You’ll also explore career paths, internships, and key academic resources.
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Year 2 Seminar
HIST 201: Seminar Approaches to History
Introduces you to professional historical skills including research methods, citation, and writing via intensive investigation of a historical time period or theme.
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Year 3 Seminar
HIST 392: Seminar in Historical Methods
An introduction to historical methodology, where you’ll develop historical questions, analyze primary sources, place them in context, construct historical arguments, and use evidence to support those claims.
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Year 4 Seminar
HIST 492: Capstone Seminar
This culminating seminar explores specialized topics while strengthening your critical reading, analytical writing, and research skills. You’ll engage in meaningful discussions and develop well-supported historical arguments. Recent topics include The American West in Popular and Material Culture, Magic and Witchcraft in the Atlantic World, and Interpreting Modern East Asia.
Blaze Your Trail
Your time here is about more than completing degree requirements. We’ve created opportunities for students to explore their interests in depth, connect with other history majors, and work closely with faculty mentors.
Through our Blaze Your Trail initiative, you can dive into the historical topics that fascinate you, exploring themes such as war and diplomacy, women and gender, religion, environmental history, and more.
Advising Information
Are you a current student who would like to learn more about adding or completing a History major?
Schedule an appointment with one of our dedicated Academic Success Coordinators by contacting the College of Liberal Arts Academic Support Center.
Experiential Learning Opportunities
Internships & Independent Studies
History students gain hands-on experience through internships in archives, oral histories, and documentary work, supported by partners like CSU Libraries Archives and Special Collections, CSU Extension, and the Public and Environmental History Center.
Our majors also pursue independent research on topics they are passionate about, ranging from the post-war lives of Civil War veterans to the history of Colorado’s coal-mining communities. With faculty mentorship, students earn academic credit while building strong research, analytical, and communication skills valued by employers and graduate programs.
Alumni Stories & Reflections
From Civil War Interest to Real-World Researcher
“Recent History grad, Jackson Tucker Carpenter (‘24), took his interest in Civil War history and turned it into opportunity! His independent study project, on the post-war lives of Civil War sailors, earned him a spot at the Civil War Bluejackets Conference, and landed him a research role at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.”
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Undergraduate Research: Fulfilling the Pension Promise
Read More: Undergraduate Research: Fulfilling the Pension PromiseUndergraduate Work: Civil War Research Fulfilling the Pension Promise How the Pension Bureau Created Opportunity for Black, Immigrant, and Native-Born White Veterans, by Jackson Tucker Carpenter I love Civil War history. My dream is to be a professor of American history with the Civil War being my focus. Needless to…
Opening Doors to Public History Careers
“The PEHC opened doors for me that I didn’t even know existed. A history degree is so beneficial when finding a career in state or national parks, city government positions, museums, public engagement, and many other outdoor, team-work oriented fields. This experience has helped me figure out possible career paths that I want to take after graduating and has shown me how fun public history can be.”
Lauren Hennessey (B.A. ’23)
Public Engagement Specialist, City of Fort Collins
Faculty Profiles
Work closely with dedicated historians whose expertise stretches from medieval medicine to the modern American West’s environmental history, and everything in between.