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History
Degree
BA in History
Department
At a Glance
To fully understand today’s world, you need a deep comprehension of the past. TCNJ’s dynamic history curriculum will provide you with a thorough understanding of history and its contexts along with highly marketable skills in communication and analysis and the ability to synthesize data into argument and narrative. Student-centered learning is supported by strong faculty-student relationships and small, engaging classes with rich research opportunities that help prepare you for a breadth of career opportunities.
Undergraduate Program Options
MAJORS
History Secondary Education, BA
New Jersey teacher certification in grades 6–12
Inclusive Education (BS) and History Dual Major
New Jersey teacher certification in grades P–3 or K–6 and additional endorsements
THREE-YEAR OPTION
History Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree
Minors
Accelerated/Dual-Degree Program Options
Get a jumpstart and enter the workforce with a master’s or professional degree. Accelerated options get you there faster and more affordably through fewer semesters of classes. Dual degrees offer a streamlined path to earning two degrees, often with direct admission to the graduate portion.
LAW
History + Law, BA/JD
Third-year juniors may follow a six-year (3+3) accelerated pathway and graduating seniors may follow a seven-year (4+3) traditional pathway to gain direct admission to law school in this highly selective dual-degree program with Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law.
MEDICINE
History + Medicine, BA/MD
First-year applicants can gain direct admission to New Jersey Medical School in this Seven-Year Medical Program (3+4).
You’ll Benefit From:
- An emphasis on research and analysis to build evidentiary argument skills
- Opportunities for faculty-mentored research, internships, or study abroad
- First-rate instruction and close mentorship from experienced faculty
- A flexible curriculum that easily accommodates double majors
- A history secondary education program with strong placement rates
Careers
You’ll graduate with practical skills, insights, and experience that translate across industries and attract prospective employers and top graduate programs. Our history graduates have gone on to pursue a variety of careers, including law, business, web design, applied history, elementary/secondary education, international affairs, and much more. Some career paths will require additional education beyond the undergraduate level.
Recent Employers
- Japanese Exchange and Teaching
- John Wiley and Sons Publishing
- National Museum of American History
- New Jersey Public Schools
- Smithsonian
Recent Graduate Schools
- Fordham Law
- Rutgers University
- Universidad de Alcalá, Spain
- University of Pennsylvania
- Vanderbilt University
- Villanova Law
Course Sequence
History Thematic Fields and Courses
- Ancient Civilizations
- Atlantic World
- Cold War
- Gender and History
- Global Migrations
- Islamic World
- Religion and History
- Revolutionary Movements
The history major consists of 11 courses. The curriculum is cross-cultural, transnational, and comparative, enabling you to gain a global perspective.
TCNJ’s signature history course, Craft of History, explores various approaches to studying history by discovering how the interpretations, writing, and purposes of history have changed over time. You will study and apply various methods historians use to gather information and draw conclusions. Rather than understanding history merely as “what happened,” you’ll learn to understand history as a dynamic relationship between the present and the past in which people debate and disagree over the meanings and interpretations of historical events.
As a history major, you will need to complete three 300- or 400-level courses covering different geographical regions and two courses in the premodern (pre-1500) era to familiarize yourself with different parts of the world and different moments in the past.
You will also complete two reading seminars and a senior capstone. Seminars have limited enrollment (15–18 students) and are taught by faculty members on topics relating to their current research. Reading seminars involve directed readings, short papers, and oral presentations.
History faculty will work with you to customize your senior capstone to study an in-depth topic of your choosing and to write major research papers based on both primary and secondary sources. You may apply to undertake an honors capstone during your senior year; if accepted, you will enroll in a special research seminar emphasizing historiography and historical methods.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
- Group Research Seminars — Six students and one faculty member conduct original research together. Recent projects include Hurricane Sandy oral histories, Syrian Christians in New Jersey, and Trenton history.
- Mentored Undergraduate Summer Experience (MUSE) — Students pair with faculty members for intensive summer research. Students earn a stipend and live on campus with other MUSE scholars.
- History Capstone — All history majors produce a piece of original scholarship by the end of their college career. Students can apply to write an honors capstone, an intensive two-semester experience.
Internships
As a TCNJ history major, you’ll have access to New York City, Philadelphia, and Trenton internship sites, all within a convenient distance. The number of historical sites, museums, and archives in proximity offers a stunning array of opportunities to begin building your resume and career.
Recent internship sites include Battleship New Jersey, Monmouth Battlefield, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Trenton Free Public Library, William Trent House, and Yes She Can.
Study Abroad
- Faculty-Led Study Tours — Students can earn full course credit with a winter or summer course led by TCNJ history faculty.
- Semester Abroad —TCNJ Study Centers makes a semester away affordable. Recent destinations include Austria, England, and Japan.
- Teaching Abroad — Education majors can student teach abroad. Recent sites include Italy, Spain, and Thailand.
Faculty
TCNJ history faculty offer a broad range of expertise and experience. The TCNJ teacher-scholar model means that in addition to being master teachers, our faculty are also published scholars in their chosen fields. Students are mentored by a dedicated faculty advisor throughout the program.
