Undergraduate Programs

"Of all the disciplines, history -- the study of the folly and achievements of man -- is best calculated to foster the critical sense of what is permanent and meaningful amid the mass of superficial and transient questions which make up the day-to-day clamor."  - John F. Kennedy

History illuminates every aspect of the human experience -- politics, economics, religion, social issues, art, and war. Consequently, a history major comes to understand society in a comprehensive way. The study of history mines the storehouse of information about the past and orders that knowledge in logical and meaningful ways. It thus shapes our human memory and so equips us to think critically and constructively about the present and our connections to the past.

The Marquette advantage of undergraduate study in History includes:

• foundations in the development of western civilization and the United States, followed by specialized study in the history of ancient and medieval Europe, modern Europe, the U.S., and Asia, Africa, and Latin America 
• the development of crucial intellectual skills -- imagination and creativity, critical and analytical thinking, effective communication -- that will prepare you for a variety of career and life options after graduation 
• thinking globally about issues of justice and values 
• personal attention from professors who encourage student success 
• work experience in the junior or senior years through internships in historical, archival, or museum studies 
• learning from the professors who are doing the research. Courses are drawn directly from their scholarly work about the FBI, childhood and gender, Latin America, crime and punishment, and the Holocaust 

MU history graduates attend some of the best law and graduate schools in the United States, including:  American University, UC-Berkeley, Boston College, Boston University, University of Chicago, Georgetown University, University of Eastern Illinois, University of Iowa, Loyola University (Chicago), Marquette University, University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts, University of  Minnesota, University of  Nebraska-Omaha, New York University, University of Northern Illinois, University of Notre Dame, University of Oregon, Seton Hall University, University of Vermont, UW-Madison, and UW-Milwaukee

The learning outcomes for the history major:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the discipline of history, in particular the application of historical methodologies in the formulation of plausible interpretations of human behavior in past centuries.  

2. Demonstrate an understanding of how societies develop over centuries through the complex interaction of socio-economic, political, religious, and other cultural forces including historical memories constructed by successive generations.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of continuities and differences between the past and the present.

Requirements for history majors:

History Majors

American Military History Majors

Undergraduate Bulletin

Marquette University is home of Alpha Delta Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the International Honor Society for history.  Tim McMahon and Irene Guenther are co-advisors, while the president for 2008-2009 is Charles Keenan.  For more information on the organization, click here.

Department course offerings:

Spring 2009

Course descriptions:
Spring 2009