Overview
The History Department at Keene State College offers diverse and challenging courses along with a variety of advanced and hands-on learning opportunities.
More than looking good on a resume, this learning translates to real skills for the workplace. A recent survey of KSC History alumni showed 95 percent of respondents used skills they had learned as a History major in their workplace. The survey also gave high marks to the department for the individualized attention given to students, the expertise of the faculty, and the diversity of course offerings.
Program Options
The history major at Keene State offers specializations in war, peace, and society; gender, race, and class; ideas and beliefs; and media and popular culture. Students may also design their own specialization with their history faculty advisor.
Students interested in certification as a social studies teacher can pursue dual majors in history and education; consult the catalog for specific additional courses.
In addition to the history major and minor, Keene State offers an interdisciplinary minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS). This program includes faculty and courses from English, History, and Art History – including courses in medieval and Renaissance art, the Crusades, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and the European Conquest of the New World. Course offerings include several Integrative Studies classes that expose students to a variety of disciplinary and cultural perspectives.
Motivated history majors may have the opportunity to participate in the History Honors Program, an advanced program of study concentrating on professional research and writing skills. The program will require students to engage in an intensive study of relevant primary and scholarly secondary sources, formulate an original argument, and defend it in a substantial thesis project.
Request Information
In this Section:
Career Opportunities
KSC history majors are prepared for a wide range of careers including:
- teaching
- business
- banking
- management
- politics
- government
- law
and many other professions. Among KSC history alumni are public defenders, museum curators, marketing directors, bank vice presidents, presidential campaign directors, and even farm managers.
KSC history majors also go on to pursue graduate programs. Our alumni have gained admissions to prestigious programs and earned a range of advanced degrees from the likes of William and Mary, Boston College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, George Mason University, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, Harvard Law School and University of Michigan Law School, among many others.
Outcomes
The history program at Keene State College provides students with the skills necessary for a productive professional career as well as an intellectually fulfilling life.
Our history majors learn to think and read critically and analytically, to form conclusions and nuanced opinions based on logic and evidence, taking into account complexity and counterevidence. KSC history majors communicate ideas effectively. And perhaps most importantly, they acquire a body of knowledge and perspectives that will enable them to understand contemporary events and trends as well as understand and appreciate the myriad cultures and civilizations that make up the world community. Above all, the history major helps to provide students with the means for lifelong learning.
