The Department of History offers bachelors of arts and masters of arts degrees in history and a graduate certificate in public history and specializes in Southern history, Georgia history, women’s history, and military history, among other areas. For undergraduates, the Department participates in the University Honors Program, and for graduate students the Department has several graduate assistantship opportunities.
Our faculty are engaging teachers and nationally and internationally known scholars in various historical fields. You will be in the classroom with award-winning teachers and scholars, taking a range of classes that satisfy just about any historical interest.
In survey after survey, employers stress the need for people who think critically and 
write well. Rather than seeking job-specific skills,today’s lean corporations look for flexible problem solvers:
“Employees with liberal arts majors have shown stronger management skills and have advanced further than those with other college majors.” – Bell Systems
“GM values a broad-based education that cultivates creative, analytical, and communication skills and encourages self-motivation, persistence, and self-discipline.” – General Motors, which employs more than 1,000 history majors.
History graduates work as analysts in business in government, as researchers, public relations officers, editors, teachers, sales executives, and managers. History is a preferred pre-law major, and two Georgia Southern history professors are also attorneys who give students expert advice on choosing classes and getting into law school. History majors also go to graduate schools in business, public administration, information science, education, and journalism, in addition to history.
History prepares students for careers in public history, including archival management, museum curatorship, and historic preservation.
More than dates and events, history gives us a broader view of our world. By understanding how people thought and acted across the ages in the different parts of the world, we can better understand the events of today and how we can influence tomorrow.
History majors analyze and interpret information, write and share ideas about why events happened and develop the knowledge and skills that help them to succeed in today’s workplace.
Student Learning Outcomes for the BA in History and the MA in History.
Faculty Expertise
All of the history faculty members at Georgia Southern University have earned the highest degrees in their fields. The department has an impressive 26 professorships as well as lecturers with diverse fields of expertise. The average class size is 24 students, ensuring that students receive one-on-one attention and develop strong working relationships with faculty.
Areas of expertise include ancient Greek and Roman, U.S. Colonial, modern European, Environmental, Maritime history, Maritime archaeology, Digital History, Public History Medieval Europe, Byzantium, Middle East, Latin-American, East Asian, African history, Religious history, as well as Gender studies, American Constitutional and Legal History, and African American history.
Spring 2019 Commencement by Dr. Anastatia Sims
Statement from the Department of History at Georgia Southern University October 12, 2019 Concerning Recent Book Burning Incident
The faculty of the Department of History at Georgia Southern is dismayed that some students recently chose to express their intolerance towards Professor Jennine Capó Crucet and her ideas by burning her book on Wednesday, Oct 9. Book burning is at odds with our values of reasoned discourse, civil treatment of others, and openness towards ideas and experiences we might not share. Historically, book burning has been associated with intolerant and anti-democratic regimes. In the context of our diverse campus community, this symbolically potent action, combined with students’ online harassment of Professor Capó Crucet, who is Latina, reads as an act of intimidation. It represents a rejection of our core values, which include respect for others, reasoned intellectual inquiry, and an appreciation for our shared bonds. We condemn this behavior in the strongest of terms.
As part of the department’s response, faculty will hold a teach-in on “Book-Burning, Censorship & Free Speech in Historical Perspective” in IAB 1020 on the Statesboro campus at 5.30 on Tuesday, October 15. This represents an invitation to learn about why book burning has become such a recognizable symbol of intolerance around the world, and to foster a dialogue about what happened on our campus. We encourage all members of the Georgia Southern community to join us.
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