Bachelor of Arts in History

Get Started on Your BA in History Degree Today!

History is the study of the lived human experience, as told to us in papyrus scrolls, slave ship manifests, literature, monuments and family photo albums. By studying history online at Mississippi State University, you'll gain the perspective that comes with seeing the world from a different point of view. There's a saying: “The past is a foreign country.” Visiting the past through our courses will leave you fluent in its many languages and better equipped to understand the workings of the world today.

Your online bachelor's degree in history involves taking at least 124 credit hours total, including 39 in the History department and 59 in other disciplines. (This includes AP, CLEP, and transfer credit you may have.)

You'll take 12 hours in 1000-level survey History courses, another 24 hours in upper-level History courses, and our capstone Historiography and Historical Methods course. We offer courses in American history, European history, military and diplomatic history, African-American history, environmental history, the history of science, and several other fields.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition per credit hour	$419.00
Instructional Support Fee per credit hour	$25.00

Tuition and fees listed are subject to change and do not include all possible charges. Additional fees may apply. Please refer to the master class schedule for individual course charges.

What are some potential careers?

Transfer Credit

Students may transfer up to 62 hours from an accredited community college
You may not transfer any credits from a community college after you have a total of 62 credits accepted by and/or earned at MSU
Last 32 hours must be from MSU
Upon admission to the university, the Registrar's Office will evaluate transfer credit to determine how it transfers to MSU

Program Structure

To graduate with the Bachelor of Arts in History degree:

Students must complete a minimum of 124 hours
- Up to 62 hours may be transferred from an accredited community college
- Students will take a total of 39 hours in History courses
- Students will take at least 59 in other required areas
- Three semesters of a foreign language (or demonstration of proficiency by a test)
Students must have a GPA of 2.0 on all college work prior to entering the major
An overall GPA of 2.5 in History courses is required to graduate

You'll also take courses in a variety of other fields, including:

6 hours in mathematics
9 hours in the sciences
3 hours of public speaking
2-3 hours in computer literacy
9 hours in philosophy, literature, and the humanities

18 hours of social sciences
3 hours in the fine arts
9 hours in a foreign language (up to the third semester of a language, unless you test out of this requirement)

Admissions Process

New Admissions

If you have never attended Mississippi State University, please complete the online Undergraduate Admissions Application.

You will choose History (HI) as your major and Online Education as your campus.
Request that official ACT or SAT scores be sent to MSU.
Request that your high school send your official transcript. Faxed transcripts will not be accepted.
Submit a separate official final transcript from each college or university attended; faxed transcripts will not be accepted. An applicant may not ignore previous college attendance and must list all colleges attended on the application for admission. You must be in good standing at the last college or university attended.
If you are able to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them to admit@msstate.edu.
If you are unable to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them via U.S. Postal Service to:
Office of Admissions & Scholarships
P.O. Box 6334
Mississippi State, MS 39762
All new admits will pay a non-refundable application fee online.

Freshmen admission requirements

To be accepted into the freshmen class at Mississippi State University, students must satisfactorily complete the following College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with an appropriate core grade-point average:

English - 4 units, all requiring substantial communication skills components.
Mathematics - 3 units: Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry. (Algebra I taken in the 8th grade will be accepted for admission provided the course content is the same as the high school course.)
Natural Science - 3 units chosen from Biology, Advanced Biology, Chemistry, Advanced Chemistry, Physical Science, Physics, Advanced Physics, or another science course of comparable rigor. (Two science units must be laboratory-based.)
Social Studies - 3 units, including U.S. History, World History (substantial Geography component), Government (½ unit), and Economics (½ unit) or Geography (½ unit).
Advanced Electives - 2 units chosen from Foreign Language, World Geography, 4th-year laboratory-based Science, and 4th-year Mathematics. One of the units must be Foreign Language or World Geography. (Foreign Language taken in the 8th grade will be accepted for admission provided the course content is the same as the high school course.)
Computer - ½ unit: computer as a productivity tool, not as a keyboarding device.
Pre-High School Units - Algebra I, or first year Foreign Language, or Mississippi Studies taken prior to high school will be accepted for admission provided the course content is the same as the high school course.

Transfer Students

Students may transfer to Mississippi State University from regionally accredited community, junior, or senior colleges for any period of enrollment, provided they have earned a 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all college courses attempted as well as earned a 2.0 GPA on the 30-hours of core courses. Applicants must list all colleges attended on the application for admission, must be in good standing with the last college or university attended, and must meet one of the following:

Complete the 30-hours of core courses listed below with a 2.0 GPA on those courses and earn an overall 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all hours attempted.
- English Composition – 6 semester hours
- College Algebra, Quantitative Reasoning, or a higher level math – 3 semester hours
- Natural Science – 6 semester hours
- Humanities and Fine Arts – 9 semester hours
- Social or Behavioral Sciences – 6 semester hours
Earn an A.A. degree (associate in art) or a higher degree from a regionally accredited community, junior, or senior college with a 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University).
Meet the requirements for entering freshmen and earn an overall 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all hours attempted.

Readmission

If you have previously attended MSU, you will need to apply for Readmission.

Once you are readmitted, if you are not a former BA in History student, please contact your advisor so he or she may change your major and campus as well as advise you for the upcoming semester.
Submit a separate official final transcript from each college or university attended; faxed transcripts will not be accepted. An applicant may not ignore previous college attendance and must list all colleges attended on the application for admission. You must be in good standing at the last college or university attended.
If you are unable to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them via U.S. Postal Service to:
Office of Admissions & Scholarships
P.O. Box 6334
Mississippi State, MS 39762

There is no fee for readmission applications.

Academic Advising

After gaining admission to the university, you must contact one of your advisors to determine the courses that are most appropriate for you to take. Approximately two months prior to the upcoming semester, your advisor will send an email to your MSU email account, making course recommendations based on your program of study.

Mississippi State University uses email as its official means of communication with all MSU students. Please check your MSU email account (NetID@msstate.edu) daily. Information on setting up your MSU email can be found at the link for student services.

Matthew Lavine

History

Associate Professor & Undergraduate Coordinator

mlavine@history.msstate.edu 662.325.8912

Program Reminders

If you want to deviate from the program of study recommended for you, check with your advisor
If you take courses not on your recommended program of study, there is a risk that the classes will not count toward your BS degree
You must get a grade of "C" in all classes required in the History Major Core

All programs of study are subject to review by the Registrar's Office for graduation, even from a signed program of study. Courses that do not equal MSU courses exactly may or may not apply to your program as core courses. You can see these course translations through the CAPP report found at my.msstate.edu. To access the report, log into your myState account and click on the "hamburger" icon in the top left corner in order to access the Banner tab; click or hover over the myBanner for Students tab in order to view the Academic Records column where you can click on the CAPP Compliances link.

Career Opportunities

"But what can I do with an undergraduate history degree?" Anything! Graduates from our major enjoy a wide variety of career opportunities. Of course, it's a great start for a teaching career in history or social studies, and it's the perfect option for students looking to work in library and archival fields, public history, or museums and historical preservation. We place many of our majors in graduate programs in history or education or pursue degrees in library science or archival studies.

But the perspective you will gain, and the critical thinking, research and writing skills you will learn as a history major are useful in many other endeavors as well. MSU history majors routinely go on to law school, or careers in public policy, or work in religious or counseling careers. We also have students who are entrepreneurs, who have worked in federal law enforcement, or become physicians.

What they all have in common is that they've benefited from the core skills that the study of history helps develop: how to think critically and analytically, how to make sense of complicated situations, and how to communicate ideas in writing.