Bachelor of Arts in Military History
The Bachelor of Arts in Military History is designed for students seeking greater understanding of military historiography studies in the context of a general liberal arts education. The online bachelor’s program is designed differently than many military history programs because it focuses primarily on armed conflict and how their outcomes shaped civilizations throughout history. This history major also emphasizes critical and analytical thinking, and effective research and writing skills. Graduates with military history degrees can be found in historical preservation careers as curators, archivists, or educators, or in other professions requiring strong communication skills.
Many university faculty members teaching these courses are published historians or military leaders who bring unique perspectives and relevant research into the classroom. You’ll also connect and interact online with other students who share your enthusiasm for history.
Degree Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Demonstrate knowledge of key historical facts, values, and ideas that have shaped civilizations throughout history.
- Analyze primary sources in their historical context.
- Analyze secondary sources and identify various approaches to historical interpretation through critical reading.
- Evaluate historical arguments based on primary sources and the historical method.
- Demonstrate ability to conduct independent historical research in primary and secondary sources and complete a major research paper.
Degree at a Glance
General Education Requirements
30
|
Major Required
21
|
Select one of the following concentrations:
30
|
Final Program Requirement
6
|
Elective Requirements
33
|
Total Semester Hours
120
|
Degree Program Requirements
General Education (30 semester hours)
Arts & Humanities (6 semester hours) 1 |
Select 2 courses from the following:
6
|
Civics, Political & Social Sciences (6 semester hours) 2 |
Select 2 courses from the following:
6
|
Communication: Writing, Oral, and Multimedia (9 semester hours) |
Select 1 course from the following:
3
|
History (3 semester hours) |
Select 1 course from the following:
3
|
Mathematics and Applied Reasoning (3 semester hours) |
Select 1 course from the following:
3
|
Natural Sciences (3 semester hours) |
Select 1 course from the following:
3
|
Total Semester Hours
30
|
Major Required (21 semester hours)
Total Semester Hours
21
|
Students must choose a concentration for this degree program and may select from a General Concentration or Concentration in American Military History.
General Concentration (30 semester hours)
Students who pursue the General Concentration will learn about the "big picture" through exposure to five historical perspectives. They will learn critical and analytical thinking, and effective writing and research methods. Students study the philosophies, personalities, strategies, leadership, and other factors that influenced the world. Topics cover Ancient and Classical Military History, American Military Campaign Histories, Diplomacy and Peacekeeping, Strategy and Operations, and Current Issues and Future Trends.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Identify a broad knowledge of the historical literature that pertains to the topics of study included in the degree program and locate the linkage between historical studies and allied disciplines.
- Interpret historical forces that have shaped social change and contemporary human problems and discern an understanding of the historical experiences that go beyond a single time period and national or cultural experience.
- Analyze historical material and make judgments, to establish causal relationships between facts, to find order and patterns, and to answer why and how - not just simply report.
- Analyze the contributions of the major military philosophers and leaders to the understanding of military history.
- Examine the dynamics of diplomacy and peacekeeping as they have existed throughout history and in the present.
- Discuss the major military events, technologies, and nations that shaped our past and contemporary world.
- Examine the operational art and warfare options practiced in historical and modern scenarios.
Concentration Requirements (30 semester hours)
Select 2 courses from the following:
6
|
Total Semester Hours
30
|
Concentration in American Military History (30 semester hours)
A student enrolled in the Concentration in American Military History is recommended to take HIST101-American History to 1877 and HIST221-African American History before 1877 as part of their General Education Requirements.
Students who pursue this concentration will focus on American Military History from Colonial America to the present. Students study the philosophies, personalities, strategies, leadership, and other factors that influenced American Military History. Topics focus on military operations but also cover foreign policy and domestic political, economic, and social components of early America to the Persian Gulf War.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Identify causes of America's break from the British Empire.
- Compare and contrast the philosophy of early American leaders.
- Analyze the reasons America pushed westward and what that expansion entailed.
- Identify and give examples of the causes of the Civil War as well as differentiate the outcomes of that war in the North and the South.
- Assess the social, economic, and political situation in America leading up to the 20th century.
- Identify the causes of the Great Depression and recognize the attempts that were made to bring America out of it.
- Analyze America's reasoning for joining both World Wars as well as identify military policy and strategy that contributed to eventual victory.
- Elaborate on the political background of the Cold War and what factors led to diplomatic struggles between the United States and the Soviet Union.
- Integrate the cultural revolution of the 1960s and what was happening in Vietnam.
- Identify major political, cultural, and economic developments from the 1980s to the 21st Century.
Concentration Requirements (30 semester hours)
Select 2 courses from the following:
6
|
Total Semester Hours
30
|
Final Program Requirement (6 semester hours)
Total Semester Hours
6
|
Elective Requirements (33 semester hours)
Select any courses that have not been used to fulfill requirements listed above. Credits applied toward a minor or certificate in an unrelated field may be used to fulfill elective credit for the major.
33
|
Total Semester Hours
33
|
-
All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101-Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110-Making Writing Relevant.
-
All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101-Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110-Making Writing Relevant.
-
Students will need permission from the Department Chair to take this course.
-
Prerequisite: HIST491-Writing a Research Proposal, Senior Standing, and completion of all major courses prior to enrollment. May not be taken concurrently with HIST491.