History

Learning Format

On-Campus

Types

Bachelor's, Minor
History

Learn From The Past To Help Shape The Future

Studying history helps us understand the world around us. Through imaginative and interpretative encounters with the past, we are able to better understand who we are and how we came to be. 

As a student in our department, you will hone critical and analytical thinking skills, learn to communicate your ideas with precision and impact, develop an appreciation and understanding of diverse perspectives, and master a wide array of research tools and technologies. These essential skills are your ticket to career opportunities involving cutting-edge research, data analysis, and creative problem-solving.

A BA in History is a flexible degree that can prepare you for a wide variety of careers. FSU History graduates are employed in law, government, market research, education, journalism, libraries, museums, archives, business and non-profit management, and technology, among other fields.

Because of our small class sizes and caring faculty, our majors are part of a supportive, tight-knit community that extends beyond graduation. Join us!

students smiling at graduation

History Learning Outcomes

  • Identify and interpret social, economic, political, cultural, and intellectual changes over time.     

  • Evaluate and analyze primary and secondary sources in order to draw sound conclusions.

  • Develop and communicate clear, concise, and coherent oral and written arguments supported by relevant evidence synthesized from a range of sources.

  • Use the latest research tools and technologies to locate, access, and critically evaluate information.

  • Learn collaboratively in diverse teams.

Program Requirements

Program Requirements

The Department of History offers courses for a general introduction to the history of the world and a more specialized knowledge of particular historical topics and chronological periods. The program has also been designed to permit the student to take a double major if desired. For example, while majoring in History, a student may take the courses required of majors in Business, Political Science, or Economics. There is room in the History major’s program to accumulate the five courses leading to a minor in another field, such as Digital Humanities or Museum Studies. A minor in Secondary Education will lead to teacher licensure in Massachusetts. This wide range of choices open to the History major enables the student to prepare not only for graduate studies in history, museum and archival work, library science, or public administration, for example, but also for job opportunities in teaching and in business.

If you are interested in teaching immediately upon earning a bachelor’s degree, you can minor in Secondary Education to earn your initial licensure, which is accepted in more than half of the fifty states. Alternatively, you may apply to the 4 + 1 M.Ed. in Secondary Education with a Concentration in History, where you would start graduate-level coursework your senior year and then earn both a master’s degree and initial licensure in your fifth year.

Two (2) introductory courses to be apportioned as follows:

(a)   One  (1) 100-level course with a focus on the United States:

(b)  One  (1) 100-level course with a focus outside the United States:

Two (2) core courses:

Capstone (1):

All of the above courses, with the exception of the Capstone, should be taken prior to the end of the sophomore year.

Remaining six (6) courses must be at the 290-level or above and be apportioned as follows:

  •  A minimum of one (1) HSTY course at 290 or 300-level (American history)
  •  A minimum of one (1) HSTY course at 290 or 300-level (European history)
  •  A minimum of one (1) HSTY course at 290 or 300-level (World history)

No more than four (4) 200-level courses, including HIST 225 Historiography and HIST 250 Historical Research and Writing, may be applied toward completion of major requirements (includes up to two (2) 200-level courses accepted as transfer credits). 

The Department also offers History majors a number of internships and independent-study opportunities. History majors who anticipate pursuing graduate study in history are strongly encouraged to study a foreign language through at least the intermediate level.

Group A AMERICAN HISTORY:

Group B - EUROPEAN HISTORY:

Group C - WORLD HISTORY:

 

To be eligible for teacher licensure in History Grades 5-8 or Grades 8-12 students must complete the History major with History Teaching Concentration (UHIT) plus the minor in secondary education.
NOTE: Students are required to maintain a GPA of 3.00 or above within this concentration.

In addition to the requirements for the History Major listed above, the requirements for the History major with a History Teaching Concentration (UHIT) are as follows:

1) Students must also take the following social science courses:

2) Completion of the Secondary Education minor requirements. Prior to student teaching experience, the student must have taken all of the required education courses, plus nine (9) history courses and two (2) social science courses.

3) Recommended courses:

Required Core Courses (5)

  • EDIL 910 Education Foundations
  • EDIL 920 Learning and Human Development
  • EDUC 998 Language Development and Communication
  • EDUC 999 Research and Evaluation
  • TESL 910 Sheltered English Immersion

Practicum Courses (5)

  • EDIL 802 Professional Preparation Special Needs and Educational Technology
  • EDIL 900 Field Study I in Education and Seminar

For Specialization in History/Social Science, Grades 5-12

  • EDIL 822 Secondary Methods with Field Study II: History Grades 5-12
  • EDPS 862A Secondary Professional Practicum A: History Grades 5-12 (2 course credits)
  • EDPS 862B Secondary Professional Practicum B: History Grades 5-12 (2 course credits)

Elective Courses (3)

Three (3) graduate-level electives are required. The courses will be determined in connection with the student’s area of specialization (Art, English, History, or Mathematics).

Required Comprehensive Exam

Any five (5) courses from the History Department with a maximum of one (1) internship and one (1) independent study.

Career Opportunities

History majors will be prepared to pursue career opportunities across a wide range of exciting fields, including:

History students reading.

Lawyer

Lawyers who understand the historical context of developments in the legal system have an advantage.

Curator

In charge of a collection of exhibits in a museum or art gallery. 

Teacher

Lead classrooms at public and private schools, write curriculum, create worksheets, and give lectures.

Journalist

Gather, investigate, analyze, and report on news and current events.

Archivist

Work with paper documents, photographs, maps, films, and computer records to preserve original material.

Financial Planner

Reviews financial statements and finds any potential risks or opportunities for growth.

Bryan Sicard '17: From History to Law

The History major at Framingham State University was the perfect choice for Bryan Sicard's undergraduate studies prior to pursuing his Law Degree.

"FSU's History department taught me not just how to understand the past, but gave me the tools to better understand myself!" Sicard says. "The professors showed me just how many doors a history degree could open and that any dream is achievable. I never could've made it where I am today if they hadn't brought out the best in me."

Sicard is joining Brand & Tapply, LLC this fall as an Associate working on white-collar fraud litigation. He has secured his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, where he served as Director of Intelligence Division for the Ukraine Accountability Project and Writer for Journal of High-Technology Law. In his writing, he discusses how with Artificial Intelligence becoming an increasingly routine feature of our daily lives, it’s worth looking at what legal protections the people directing the AI have, and don’t have, when trying to copyright or trademark their work. 

Bryan Sicard

Meet Our Faculty

Photo of Maria Alessandra Bollettino

Maria Alessandra Bollettino, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, History Department and Director, CELTSS
508-626-4811
mbollettino@framingham.edu
May Hall
Photo of Lori Gemeiner Bihler, Ph.D.

Lori Gemeiner Bihler, Ph.D.

Professor, History Department and Secondary Education-Affiliated Faculty, Education Department
508-626-4835
lbihler@framingham.edu
May Hall
Joseph M. Adelman

Joseph M. Adelman

Professor, History Department
508-626-4914
jadelman@framingham.edu
May Hall
Photo of Jon Huibregtse

Jon Huibregtse

Professor, History Department
508-626-4823
jhuibregtse@framingham.edu
May Hall
View All
Kayla Nett

Kayla Nett, Coordinator of Interns and Fellows, Old Sturbridge Village

“My time as a history major at Framingham State not only prepared me for my current career, but it also shaped me to be a lifelong learner”

Suzanne Wright '19, Assistant Director at Christa McAuliffe Center

“Internship opportunities at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site and Christa McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning solidified my desire to work in informal education.”

Suzanne Wright
Kellie Guittarr

Kellie Guittarr '19, Social Studies Teacher

“The faculty's genuine commitment to student success has been invaluable, and the quality and rigor of the education made me well prepared when entering the workforce as a middle school teacher.”

Learn More

If the History major sounds like a good fit but you would like to learn more, contact Admissions at admissions [at] framingham.edu (admissions[at]framingham[dot]edu) or 508-626-4500.

 Apply 

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