History

Explore the Past, Shape the Present, Create the Future with a Degree in History at USCA

The Bachelor’s degree in History is the most flexible degree offered at USCA. You choose history courses and internships that interest you most, leaving room for fun electives, a career-focused minor, university honors, or even a double major. When you graduate, you’ll have the skills, the experience, and the resume needed for a lifetime of career flexibility.

Program Highlights

When you major in history at USCA, you’ll gain historical knowledge, core skills, a resume full of experience, and a broader understanding of the world.

• Faculty who are scholars and researchers but love teaching. At USCA, our history faculty regularly present their work at local, national, and international conferences and publish in a wide range of venues, but our true passion is mentoring undergraduate  students.
• Learn outside the classroom. Our students conduct research on campus and in national archives, join service-learning projects, participate in legal competitions, and gain professional experience through paid internships.
• Conduct your own research. Through projects such as “The Vietnam Veterans Oral History Project” and the “Black Graniteville Project.”
• Make friends and lead. Join our history club, where you can get to know other students and have the opportunity to serve in leadership positions.
• Career advising and mentorship. Our history faculty have extensive professional networks that can help you as you find an internship, choose a graduate school, or apply for jobs. Our mentorship doesn’t end with graduation—many of our graduates reach out in following years and we’re happy to help.
• A Bachelor’s Degree in History you can afford. As a history major at USCA, you’ll be eligible for eleven scholarships exclusively for the Department of History, Political Science & Philosophy. Last year, history scholarship recipients received an average of $3,000 in department scholarships alone, added to their existing financial aid.

History Courses

When you major in history, here are some of the classes you can take:

• Food History: learn about the role foods played in world history.
• History through Film: take a deeper dive into topics such as the Vietnam War and the Cold War.
• Introduction to Digital History: learn how to share history with the public through websites, blogs, virtual exhibits, and more—a great choice if you’d like to work in museums, archives, communications or marketing.

Student Research Projects

Recent student research projects include:

• Luke Aldridge, “Vietnam Veterans Oral History Project,” funded by two Magellan Grants, prize winner at Discover USC.

• Albert Jackson, “Heathendom’s Return: The Cultural and Romanticized View of Norse Paganism in the Norwegian Black Metal Church Arsons,” presented at the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges Annual Council and the South Carolina Historical Association Annual Meeting.

• Ches Matthis, “Dust and Scales, Retelling Creation through Adam’s Eyes,” presented at USCA Scholar Showcase. 

• Addisen Alvanos, “Education in Graniteville,” a museum exhibit showcased at the Gregg Graniteville Library.

What can you do with a History degree?

When you major in history at USCA you develop core skills: critical thinking, spoken and written communication, research, and information literacy and gain experience working with people from all walks of life.