History

History

Visit History's Website   →

Bachelor of Arts in History

Top 5 Reasons to Study

01

Want a future-proof degree? History sharpens critical thinking, judgment, and ethical reasoning skills needed to thrive in the AI era.

02

Proven Career Success: Data confirms history majors earn mid-career median salaries equivalent to or higher than most degrees.

03

Professional Launchpad: Our training makes history a top springboard for law, medicine, and business schools.

04

Versatile Multitool Graduates: We produce adaptable leaders with sophisticated research and analytical skills that 90% of employers demand.

05

Global Leadership and Citizenship: We foster the cultural literacy and empathy required for ethical leadership in an interconnected world.

Core
Skills

  • Investigating Complex Questions
  • Analyzing Difficult Problems
  • Communicating Complex Ideas

Sample
Jobs

  • Management Consultant
  • Attorney
  • Teacher
  • Policy Analyst

Successful Career Outcomes

High Earning Power History majors move into specialized leadership roles within companies.
Proven Career Stability History majors can rely on long-term demand for their skills.
Launchpad to Professional Programs Because history training focuses on logic and intensive analysis, our majors are highly sought after by grad schools.

Top
Employment
Industries

  • Management and Business
  • Policy and Government
  • Legal Professions
  • Education

Brag
Points

  • Our graduates attend elite graduate programs around the world.
  • Our majors have access to world-class archives.
  • Our award-winning faculty are on the cutting edge of historical analysis.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

MSU is home to the U.S. Grant Presidential Library, where you can volunteer, intern, and research in a one-of-a-kind, world-class institution. We are also home to one of the largest and most important collections of Abraham Lincoln materials anywhere in the world. 

History

2025-2026 Major Map

Bachelor of Arts in History

Get the Courses You Need

1st Year

Begin introductory-level History courses in world, U.S., or European history, or in the History of Science. You will need 12 hours of 1000-level History courses taken in two, 6-credit pairs. 

2nd Year

Begin or continue language courses. As a History major, you will need three semesters of a foreign language before graduating. Maybe pick one up while studying abroad? Start taking upper-division History classes in your areas of interest.

3rd Year

Explore your interests in upper-division, specialized history courses. Take classes in everything from the Cold War and Military Intelligence to the Civil War and Modern Africa. You will take a total of 9 upper-division courses in a wide range of subjects. 

4th Year

The capstone class for majors is Historiography & Historical Methods, where you will develop an important question, conduct research in primary sources, and write a substantive and original final paper. Most take this as a junior or senior. 

Hands-On Learning

1st Year

You can volunteer at the U.S. Grant Presidential Library as a docent or processor. This work can start as early as your freshman year. 

2nd Year

Explore internships at libraries, archives, public history organizations, law firms, or businesses across the state and around the nation.

3rd Year

Our history majors love studying abroad. Whether traveling with an MSU group or with another school, we will help you find meaningful off-campus experiences that put you in the places where history happened. 

4th Year

Upper-division History classes require research into primary sources, which puts you in front of original documents either in area archives or through the internet. 

Connect with Community

1st Year

Building Your Intellectual Home: Find your people and learn the landscape of the department. Join the History Club or a related student organization to meet peers who share your curiosity about "how we got here."

2nd Year

Contribute and Collaborate: Volunteer for a role within a student or local organization. 

3rd Year

Develop Personal and Professional Connections: Volunteer with a local museum, historical society, or non-profit. Apply for membership in Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society with a thriving MSU chapter. 

4th Year

Lead: Take a leadership role in a student organization.

Explore the World

1st Year

Expand Your Lens: intro-level courses show you a world beyond what you learned in high school classes. Attend lectures by visiting speakers and identify global regions and time periods that spark your interest.

2nd Year

Connect the Local to the Global: Research and analyze the history of a local community or explore the origins of a global movement through local, regional, and digital archives.

3rd Year

Immersive Exploration: Participate in a study abroad program or an intensive summer internship that focuses on the history of a specific city, country, or time period.

4th Year

Synthesizing Your Historical Connections: Show the world what you have learned. Present research at conferences or contribute to a digital humanities project that connects history to modern audiences around the world.

Launch Your Career

1st Year

Identify your interests, strengths, and weaknesses. Have a penchant for telling short, powerful stories? Need help with writing? With the help of our faculty, you will begin developing skills that will be nurtured over four years. 

2nd Year

Make connections, build a resumé. Your classes, extracurriculars, and personal relationships will propel you toward future career opportunities. All the while, you are building skills that will make any career choice a possibility. 

3rd Year

Internships, research opportunities, and professional shadowing are all ways you can begin broadening or narrowing your career choices. 

4th Year

You will refine skills in thinking, analyzing, writing, speaking, and problem-solving, making you a competitive candidate for jobs and graduate training. 

Alumni
Success

Our graduates are strategic problem-solvers who use the lessons of the past to navigate the complexities of the future. They do so as entrepreneurs, policy analysts, doctors, business strategists, professors, consultants, teachers, and in a host of other professions. 

Student
Testimonial

"Mississippi State’s History program did more than just launch me into an Ivy League graduate program, it also taught me how to think in complex ways and to approach issues from different perspectives.”  --Seth C.

Learn More

BA in History degree requirementsApply to MSU