History
Bachelor of Arts, Accelerated Master's, Minor
About this program
The Bachelor of Arts in History teaches you how to think deeply, write clearly, and understand the world around you. You’ll study people, events, and ideas across time and place while learning to build arguments and analyze sources. This program helps you grow as a critical thinker and communicator, preparing you for many careers. History gives you tools to engage with others, reflect on the past, and shape the future.
Program Curriculum and Requirements
Program Scope
The study of history imparts skills that are applicable to all employment endeavors, as it fosters the intellectual rigor and curiosity that results in strong civic engagement.
Studying history makes us better citizens, stronger writers, better critical thinkers and more attuned to the lived experiences of those around us.
Whether you need to craft a strong cover letter, marketing copy, a legal brief, or make a coherent argument for why you deserve a raise, the critical thinking and communication skills you hone as a history major during your time at San Francisco State University will serve your well.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to express knowledge about a geographic and chronological diversity of human experiences, identities, and relationships, both between people and between humans and the natural world, to understand the world beyond themselves.
Students will be able to approach complex issues in the past from multiple perspectives, understanding causal relationships in a way that allows them to recognize alternate and resonant ways of being in the world across time and space.
Students will be able to critically assess how power has operated in the past, developing a keen sense of empathy and appreciation for the humanity of others afforded by a perspective informed by social justice and attention to diversity and inclusivity.
Students will be able to conduct their own research using primary sources to make compelling arguments about the past, situating their conclusions within the debates among historians.
Students will be able to organize evidence, communicate complex information, tell engaging stories, and persuade their audience using both written and oral forms of communication.
SFSU Accelerated Bachelor's + Master's
The SFSU Accelerated Bachelor's + Master's program in History is designed for motivated and exceptional history students to complete an accelerated BA and an MA in history in just five years, saving both time and money. Students will begin graduate-level courses in their senior year when they will be fully integrated into the MA program, which prepares students for doctoral study in history or for a variety of careers, including in public history, teaching, publishing, and law, among others. The MA program offers a broad range of course offerings and the mentorship of an engaged faculty of teacher-scholars.
Minor in History
The Minor in History adds depth to your studies by exploring human experiences across time and their meaning today. You’ll choose courses that match your interests and career goals while developing skills in research and communication. This program helps you understand diverse perspectives and make connections between past and present. It also complements many majors and can fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement for other bachelor’s degrees.
Learn more about the Minor in History