Our undergraduate program trains students in the methods of history and provides a solid basis for students to go on to graduate programs in history or to careers in a variety of fields. We oversee the social science subject matter competence program that will qualify students to apply to secondary education credential programs in the social sciences.
Students interested in the graduate study of history will be happy to learn of the excellence of our M.A. program. A recent survey by the American Historical Association has noted that more of our M.A. students go on to Ph.D.programs than from any other stand-alone M.A. program in the nation. Students may specialize in the fields of U.S. history, European history before 1500, European history since 1500, Latin American history, and Gender in history. In addition, the recently adopted concentration in Modern World history gives our students an opportunity to study an important emerging field of history. Students interested in applying to our graduate program should review the SFSU graduate application procedures as well as the History Department Graduate Program website.
Our department also has a number of ways for students to be involved outside of the classroom:
Ex Post Facto, the annual journal of SFSU history students, offers students a chance to have their work published, and, in addition, students may act as editors for experience and credits.
The History Students Association organizes events for students throughout the year including a student forum where history students may present work to mentors and peers. Every spring we are proud to recognize the excellence of our students by inviting qualified students to join Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society in history. Our students are also recognized at the annual honors banquet held just before spring graduation every year.
Congratulations to our very own, very wonderful, Dr. Trevor Getz!
His book, Abina and the Important Men, has won the James Harvey Robinson prize for the "teaching aid [textbook, sources, references, computer-aided instruction, and public history or museum materials] which has made the most outstanding contribution to the teaching and learning of history in any field for public or educational purposes".
This honor is bestowed bienially by the American Historical Association.
You can learn more about Abina and the Important Men here
Finding Work in the Field of History
An outline of possible careers for students with a background in history.
A website dedicated to the world beyond the Academe for historians.