Undergraduate

Historical Studies

Examine a comprehensive exploration of world history and U.S. history, with an emphasis on critical thinking, research, writing, and analysis skills.

2026

Degree

Bachelor of Arts

Location

Online

Courses

20*

Credit

120 hrs.*

Full-time

Varies (Transfer up to 90 credits)

Part-time

Varies (Transfer up to 90 credits)

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College of Professional Studies

The online Bachelor of Arts in Historical Studies at the University of New Hampshire offers a comprehensive exploration of world history and U.S. history, with an emphasis on critical thinking, research, writing, and analysis skills. Students have the opportunity to choose a pursue historical specialized topic with their final capstone project or to develop an internship which also requires a research component.

This fully online program prepares graduates for diverse careers in fields such as education, public service, and cultural organizations, and serves as a strong foundation to pursue graduate school.

*Number of courses and course credit hours may vary, please reach out to your academic advisor for exact requirements.

College of Professional Studies

What is Historical Studies?

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Historical Studies hones the skills of critical thinking, analytical reading, effective writing, and information synthesis. The B.A. in Historical Studies provides a sound foundation for a variety of careers and generalizes well to a range of industries. The degree also provides the necessary background for further study for those seeking a graduate degree in history or historic preservation, education, or in a closely related field such as law or political science.

This program provides both breadth and depth of historical studies. Students receive a strong foundation in U.S. and World History, as well as options to focus on specific topics in upper level courses. Primary source interpretation and "going to the source," is central to their study of the past. Students have the freedom to choose a historical topic of their choice for their final capstone project or develop an internship which also requires a research component.

Why study Historical Studies at UNH College of Professional Studies?

This program will further develop your skills in critical thinking, research, writing, argumentation, and documentation. In your courses, you’ll gain a sound foundation for a variety of careers and generalizes well to a range of industries. Since knowledge of the past is so important in understanding who we are today, a student in this program develops skills in assessing the causes, consequences, and significance of historic events and the forces that shaped them. This is a flexible program that is completely online yet it also provides students the opportunity to complete a degree program that meets the requirements for a broad range of graduate and post-bacc programs, such as teacher's certification, Master's of Library Science, Archives and Collections, Project Management, and Research, or the Legal Field. While some degrees require additional education, the skills that students develop in a historical studies program provide a strong foundation for a variety of different careers. Please reach out to the Program Director or Director of Career Services to discuss your career goals or personal interests in greater depth.

Many well-known personalities were history majors, such as Edward Norton, Conan O'Brien, Steve Carell, Bill O'Reilly, Wolf Blitzer, Chris Hughes, Antonin Scalia, and Anthony Kennedy.

Potential Career Areas

Historians
Teachers
Public Service
Political Scientists
Archivists
Curators
Museum Technicians and Conservators
Non-Profit and Cultural Organizations
Business & Consulting

Curriculum & Requirements

Program Description

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Historical Studies hones the skills of critical thinking, analytical reading, effective writing, and information synthesis. The B.A. in Historical Studies provides a sound foundation for a variety of careers and generalizes well to a range of industries. The degree also provides the necessary background for further study for those seeking a graduate degree in history or historic preservation, or in a closely related field such as law or political science.

Degree Plan

This degree plan is a sample and does not reflect the impact of transfer credit or current course offerings. UNH CPS Online undergraduate students should develop individual academic plans with their academic advisor during their first year at UNH.

Sample Course Sequence

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall		Credits
ENG 420	The Writing Process	4
HIS 410	United States History to 1865	4
HIS 411	United States History: 1865 to the Present	4
General Education or Foreign Language		4
	Credits	16
Spring
COM 460	Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics	4
CRIT 501	Introduction to Critical Inquiry	4
HIS 402	Great Civilizations	4
MTH 402 or MTH 504 or MTH 510	Math for Our World or Statistics or Pre-Calculus	4
	Credits	16
Second Year
Fall
COM 480	Visual Communication	4
ART 550 or HUMN 502 or POL 450 or POL 554	Art History: Western World or American Popular Culture or American Government and Politics or Law and Society	4
General Education or Foreign Language		4
Elective		4
	Credits	16
Spring
HIS 512	European History: Renaissance through the Industrial Revolution	4
HIS 590	Historical Methods	4
General Education or Foreign Language		4
Elective		4
	Credits	16
Third Year
Fall
CRIT 602	Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking	4
HIS 611	Themes in World History	4
CRIM 707 or HIS 602 or HIS 718 or HIS 727 or POL 690	Constitutional Law or History of New England or History of World War II or Vietnam War: An Historical Perspective or The US in World Affairs	4
General Education or Language Requirement		4
	Credits	16
Spring
COM 665 or COM 590 or ENG 590	Media and Strategic Communication or Professional Communication or Expository Writing	4
HIS 602 or HIS 718 or HIS 727 or CRIM 707 or POL 690	History of New England or History of World War II or Vietnam War: An Historical Perspective or Constitutional Law or The US in World Affairs	4
General Education or Foreign Language		4
Elective		4
	Credits	16
Fourth Year
Fall
HIS 718 or HIS 602 or HIS 727 or CRIM 707 or POL 690	History of World War II or History of New England or Vietnam War: An Historical Perspective or Constitutional Law or The US in World Affairs	4
IDIS 601A or IDIS 601B or IDIS 601C	Interdisciplinary Seminar: Being Happy or Interdisciplinary Seminar: Business of Beer or Interdisciplinary Seminar: Paranormal Activities	4
Elective		4
	Credits	12
Spring
HIS 797 or HIS 795	Integrative: Project in History or Integrative Capstone: Internship in History	4
Elective		4
Elective		4
	Credits	12
	Total Credits	120

Requirements for the Program

Degree Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement: 120 credits

Minimum Residency Requirement: 30 credits must be taken at UNH

Minimum Cumulative GPA: 2.0 is required for conferral

Core Curriculum Required: General Education Program

Writing Program Requirements

Foreign Language Requirement^*

Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.

GPA: Major and any state certification GPA requirements may be higher and are indicated in program details.

A minimum grade of C- is required in all Major coursework. Some programs may have higher grade requirements for Major coursework as noted in the Major requirements section below. Students are allowed a maximum of two course overlaps. Overlaps can be used between Major, Minor, and General Education requirements with only 8 credits overlapped between the Major and Minor. Please note that Option requirements are considered part of the Major. Students must complete 16 upper-level credits in majors within the College of Professional Studies, Online.

General Education Program Requirements

A minimum grade of D- is required in all General Education coursework. Students are allowed a maximum of two course overlaps. Overlaps can be used between Major, Minor and General Education requirements with only 8 credits overlapped between the Major and Minor.

All General Education requirements must be taken prior to the capstone.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
ENG 420	The Writing Process	4
COM 460	Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics	4
COM 480	Visual Communication	4
CRIT 501	Introduction to Critical Inquiry	4
Select one of the following:		4
MTH 402	Math for Our World
MTH 504	Statistics
MTH 510	Pre-Calculus
Knowledge of Human Behavior & Social Systems		4
Knowledge of the Physical & Natural World		4
Knowledge of Human Thought & Expression		4
CRIT 602	Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking	4
IDIS 601A	Interdisciplinary Seminar: Being Happy	4
or IDIS 601B	Interdisciplinary Seminar: Business of Beer
or IDIS 601C	Interdisciplinary Seminar: Paranormal Activities
Total Credits		40

Writing Program Requirements

All bachelor's degree candidates are required to complete four writing intensive courses as part of the University Writing Program Requirements as follows:

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
ENG 420	The Writing Process
One Writing Intensive course in the Major
One Writing Intensive course at the 600-level or above
One Additional Writing Intensive Course

Writing Intensive courses are identified with the label "Writing Intensive Course" in the "Attributes" section of the course description and/or a W following the course number.

Major Requirements

Prior to capstone enrollment, students are expected to complete all General Education program requirements. Students should consult with their advisor regarding specific major courses that may be completed with their capstone. Refer to the Degree Plan for a sample course sequence. Academic Advisor approval is required for registration to be processed.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Major in Historical Studies
Foundational Courses
HIS 402	Great Civilizations	4
HIS 410	United States History to 1865	4
HIS 411	United States History: 1865 to the Present	4
HIS 512	European History: Renaissance through the Industrial Revolution	4
Select one of the following:		4
ART 550	Art History: Western World
or HUMN 502	American Popular Culture
or POL 450	American Government and Politics
or POL 554	Law and Society
Intermediate Courses
HIS 590	Historical Methods	4
Select one of the following:		4
COM 590	Professional Communication
or COM 665	Media and Strategic Communication
or ENG 590	Expository Writing
Advanced Courses
HIS 611	Themes in World History	4
Select three of the following:		12
CRIM 707	Constitutional Law
or HIS 602	History of New England
or HIS 718	History of World War II
or HIS 727	Vietnam War: An Historical Perspective
or POL 690	The US in World Affairs
Integrative Capstone
HIS 795	Integrative Capstone: Internship in History	4
or HIS 797	Integrative: Project in History
Total Credits		48

Electives

Open electives are courses students will need to take in addition to their general education and major requirements in order to satisfy the remaining credit totals for their programs. Open electives are defined as any credit course offered by the College not already included in the student's general education, major, option or minor. Students will need 120 credits total to graduate with a bachelor's degree from the Online Division of the College of Professional Studies.

*

The Bachelor of Arts degree requires proficiency in a foreign language. This requirement may be fulfilled by completing the equivalent of a full-year elementary-level course in a language not previously studied, or by completing the equivalent of a semester of a course in a foreign language at the intermediate or higher level, or by earning credit through an approved Advanced Placement or College Board foreign language achievement test (minimum scores vary). The proficiency in a foreign language requirement must be satisfied by the end of the sophomore year. No credit is awarded for elementary year college coursework if the student has had two or more years of that language in high school. It is strongly advised that students check with academic departments to identify department-advised specific foreign language proficiency options.

Note: A student with a documented disability who wishes accommodation on the basis that the disability will prevent them from successfully mastering a foreign language requirement, or whose foreign language requirement was waived in high school because of a documented disability, must contact Student Accessibility Services, Smith Hall, (603) 862-2607 (Voice/TDD).

Student Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Appraise and contextualize information in order to convey both the particularity of past lives and the scale of human experience.
Evaluate the multiple causes of complex events and phenomena using a multitude of sources and perspectives.
Analyze U.S. history from the period of native peoples through the present.
Explore world history, emphasizing major trends that influenced multiple nations and regions.
Investigate the contributions and experiences of diverse peoples to national and world events.
Craft well-supported historical narratives, arguments, and reports of research findings in a variety of media using discipline-specific writing and citation conventions.

Course Highlights

Great Civilizations
Historical Methods
Topics in World History
American Government and Politics
U.S. History to 1865
U.S. History: 1865 to Present
European History: Renaissance through the Industrial Revolution
Historical Methods
Themes in World History
…and more!

Key Benefits of UNH CPS Online

Advantages

100% online courses – Learn from anywhere with flexible scheduling.

8-week terms – Move toward your goals faster.

Affordable tuition – Among the lowest in New England and nationwide.

Nationally ranked – Best Online Bachelor’s Programs and Best Online Bachelor’s for Veterans by U.S. News & World Report.

Regionally accredited – By the New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE).

Generous transfer credit policy – About 89% of our students transfer in; we specialize in maximizing your previous college coursework and other college-level learning.

Credit for prior learning – Earn credit for relevant work experience, military training, and other learning outside the classroom.

Rolling admissions – Apply anytime and start in the term that works for you.

No GMAT or GRE required – Streamlined admissions process.

Expert faculty – Instructors are subject matter experts who share real-world experience to help you apply what you learn to your career goals.

Career advising for life – Available to all students, alumni, and even prospective students exploring their options.

Transfer Pathway

Whether you completed your associate degree or took a few courses, we have experience working with community college students nationwide and we are experts at maximizing your transfer credits. We are proud of our formal partnerships to support community college graduates through our Transfer Pathways.

Students pursuing an associate degree at a New Hampshire community college are encouraged to explore our Transfer Pathway below.

B.S. Historical Studies CCSNH Transfer Pathway

Admissions Requirements

Completion of our free, online application for admission
High school diploma, completion of a high school education in a homeschool setting under state law, or demonstrate high school equivalency.
- Successful completion of one of the following exams will be required for demonstrating high school equivalency: the GED, HiSET, or TASC

Credit for What you Know

Your Prior Learning Counts

Many of our students can demonstrate college-level knowledge gained from military, workplace and volunteer-based training, and experiences. We are experts at helping students demonstrate learning and earning academic credit.

Historical Studies, B.A. - CPS, CPSO