Department of History
Welcome_________________
History as a field of study is concerned with understanding and interpreting societies’ changes over time. The WMU History Department is proud to have approximately 30 full-time teacher-scholars whose areas of specialization range from antiquity to the present and include the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. History students gain research and communication skills while learning how humans have organized their lives in multiple historical contexts.
Undergraduate Study
Students interested in history at WMU select one of three distinct majors. The Secondary Education Curriculum (SED) follows WMU’s century-old tradition of, preparing future teachers for successful careers. While developing skills as historians, students in this major gain extensive experience in courses and internships through WMU’s College of Education. The Public History Major (PUH) is designed for those interested in interpreting history in non-school settings, such as museums, archives, and other public institutions. The Liberal Education Curriculum (LEC) provides a broad education with the opportunity for choice of specialization and can be the foundation for a variety of careers and professions or for graduate study in history or other disciplines.
The Department has recently approved revisions to the curriculum and the major and minor forms. For more information about these changes and to view the major and minor forms click here.
Graduate Study
The History Department offers both the Master’s of Arts (MA) degree and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The program is known for special strengths in Public History, Medieval Europe, and many aspects of North American History. Through the specialization of Ethnohistory, graduate students have the ability to study societies’ changes over time on many continents of the world, in situations where two or more cultures come into contact with one another.
History Curricular Changes in Process
Joseph L. Peyser Endowment created for the Study of New France
Photo Gallery for Landmarks of American History Workshops for Teachers now available
New History Department Computer Lab!
New scholarly books by History Department faculty
Berkhofer Awarded Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin
Warren Granted Fulbright to Teach and Research in Japan
Faires Awarded Fulbright to Research in Canada
Brandão, Heasley, and Yoshida Honored by the College of Arts and Sciences