At Hillsdale College, the history major is one of the most popular on campus; for it includes courses in a wide variety of subjects, all fashioned to draw students into the great conversation about those things that Matthew Arnold called “the best that has been thought and said.” The Hillsdale History Major is a liberal arts history major. This means that we teach and study history because as human beings we know it is worth doing for its own sake, not because it provides technical job training for a specified career path. Knowledge of history is crucially important, equal to if not surpassing mere job training. Knowledge of our past is fundamental to sustaining an ordered civilization and to maintaining what Edmund Burke called the “eternal contract” between the dead, the living, and the yet unborn. We study the past in the spirit of the great teacher Jacques Barzun, who said, “History being the story of mankind, and men being by definition interested in themselves, it follows that history cannot avoid being interesting.” Of course, when the student of history studies it as a liberal art, that student invariably acquires a host of useful skills, each of which find application in a wide set of vocations. Hillsdale history graduates have gone on to successful careers in teaching, business, medicine, politics, religion, and numerous other fields. This is one of the many beauties of liberal education – when history is pursued for its own sake, for the love of learning, such study produces graduates able to succeed in so many practical endeavors. We welcome you to one of the grandest avenues of study in the humanities.

How can one make the most of being a history major at Hillsdale?

1. Take advantage of the faculty’s willingness to advise your course of study. Get to know and consult regularly with the department’s professors whether or not you have a class with them at the moment. Ask them for guidance. Permit them to help tailor your study of history to your interests, abilities, and needs.

2. Take a variety of courses. Be open to learning about new areas that you had not previously considered. Consider seriously taking more courses than the bare minimum required for the major. After all, the minimum requirements are relatively modest in comparison to those of some other majors. This is an intentional design, put in place to free students to follow the guidance they receive from individual discussions with faculty members.

3. Do not procrastinate. Take the core HST 201 and HST 202 as early as you possibly can. If you are thinking about graduate school or pursuing departmental honors, discuss your options with the faculty sooner rather than later.

4. Read the college catalog and familiarize yourself with the departmental offerings and requirements.

Phi Alpha Theta

Founded in 1921, this international history honorary has as its purpose the recognition and encouragement of excellence in the study of history. To be eligible for election to membership, a student must be at least a junior, must have completed twelve semester hours in history with a grade-point average of 3.3 or better, and must have a grade-point average of 3.0 in the remainder of his academic work. The Hillsdale College Chi Upsilon chapter was founded in 1976. Since then our chapter has hosted history conferences on campus and sponsored a variety of field trips and social events. Qualified students majoring or minoring in history are encouraged to consider joining the honorary. For more information, contact Dr. Brad Birzer.

Departmental Honors

The privilege of writing a thesis and graduating with departmental honors is not automatically granted to all students majoring in history. Students wishing to do so must submit an application which will be reviewed by the entire department. Only successful applicants will be admitted to HST 575. Applications are available from the department chairman. The student intending to write and defend a thesis must identify a professor who agrees to be his advisor for the project, as well as two other members of the department who agree to be readers of the thesis. These three faculty members will constitute the student’s thesis committee. Theses are defended in the senior year during the semester in which the student enrolls in HST 575.

The student intending to defend his thesis during the autumn semester should begin consulting with his intended advisor not later than the opening weeks of the spring semester of the junior year. Applications for admission to the autumn section of HST 575 must be made no later than April 15 of the preceding semester. Fall theses must be defended no later than November 15 of the autumn semester of the senior year.

The student intending to defend his thesis during the spring semester should begin consulting with his intended advisor during the early weeks of his senior year at the latest, preferably during the preceding academic year. Applications for admission to the spring section of HST 575 must be made no later than November 15 of the preceding semester. Spring theses must be defended no later than April 15 of the senior year.

Failure to meet the relevant deadlines will disqualify the student from candidacy for departmental honors.

What About Graduate School?

While most Hillsdale history majors do not proceed immediately upon graduation into a graduate school history program, many history majors seek a course of study at Hillsdale that will lay a solid foundation for possible future graduate studies in history, law, public policy or other related fields. For students intent upon entering graduate school or simply wishing to keep it as an open option, we strongly recommend the following five steps:

1. Take more history courses than the minimum required for the major. Most graduate programs look for a degree of breadth in your undergraduate studies. Taking courses in a diversity of fields can be an important factor. Consult with professors in the department about your interests and plans. They will be pleased to help you plan a course of study especially suited as preparation for graduate school.

2. Join the Chi Upsilon chapter of Phi Alpha Theta. This is the international history honorary. Joining will bring you into association with other serious history students and provide opportunities for developing your historical abilities and interests beyond the classroom.

3. Take HST 500, “The History and Philosophy of History.” This course covers many themes not discussed in typical history classes. It should be very helpful preparation for graduate school success.

4. Consider attempting to graduate with “Departmental Honors.” Doing so requires the completion and successful defense of a departmental honors thesis for three credit hours as HST 575. Graduating with honors will enhance your chances of graduate school admission in this very competitive world. See below for details.

5. Seek the counsel of professors in the department regarding your potential for graduate study. Remember, each professor has spent years in graduate school earning advanced degrees. The faculty can be very helpful resources when beginning the graduate school application process. Don’t go it alone! Finally, graduate school is not for everyone. A love of the subject as taught at Hillsdale is certainly a necessary prerequisite for graduate study; but it is not a sufficient one. If you are thinking about graduate study, but sure to discuss your plans with the faculty well before beginning the application process.

Letters of Recommendation

Each year seniors request letters of recommendation from faculty members. While most faculty members are pleased and honored to comply with such requests, students should never presume that faculty members are under obligation of any sort to recommend them for graduate programs or employment. Indeed, in the common case that multiple students wish to apply to the same graduate program, prudence may require that only the best students receive recommendations. This is an example of a problem that can be overcome by regular consultation with departmental faculty. Do not presume that a professor will be willing to write a reference just because you ask for one. In the event that a faculty member does agree to write a reference letter, the student should supply the faculty member with all relevant information (résumé, summary of courses taken with grades, necessary application forms, stamped addressed envelopes, etc.) not later than three weeks before the letter needs to be mailed.