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
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | 30 | |
| Major Required | 21 | |
| Select one of the following concentrations: | 30 | |
| Final Program Requirements | 6 | |
| Elective Requirements | 33 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 120 | |
Degree Program Requirements
General Education Requirements (30 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities (6 semester hours) 1 | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Arabic I | ||
| Arabic II | ||
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Survey of Photography | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Image Enhancement using Adobe Photoshop® | ||
| French I | ||
| French II | ||
| German I | ||
| German II | ||
| Introduction to Japanese | ||
| Literature of American Encounters, Revolution, and Rebellion | ||
| From Abolition to #MeToo: Literature of the American Civil Rights Movement | ||
| Pivotal Figures in Early British Literature | ||
| British Literature from Wordsworth through the Wasteland | ||
| Leadership in World Literature: Antiquity to the Early Modern Period | ||
| Literature of the Newly Globalized World: The Individual’s Struggle to Adapt | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| Jazz and Rock | ||
| World Music and Cultures | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Introduction to Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese | ||
| Introduction to the Study of Religion | ||
| Introduction to World Religions | ||
| Russian I | ||
| Spanish I | ||
| Spanish II | ||
| Thinking and Acting Ethically | ||
| Civics, Political and Social Sciences (6 semester hours) 1 | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Introduction to Anthropology | ||
| World Archaeology | ||
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Planning Your Future with Purpose in Humanities & Education | ||
| Social Media and Society | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Microeconomics | ||
| Macroeconomics | ||
| Humane Education: A Global Interdisciplinary Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Geography | ||
| Practical Food Safety and Awareness | ||
| International Relations I | ||
| Forgotten America--Under Represented Cultures in American Literature | ||
| Introduction to Political Science | ||
| American Government I | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Death and Dying | ||
| Race & Religion | ||
| Hope and Resilience | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| American Popular Culture | ||
| Exploring Society and Cultures via Science Fiction | ||
| Communication: Writing, Oral, and Multimedia (9 semester hours) | ||
| COMM120 | Information and Digital Literacy | 3 |
| ENGL110 | Making Writing Relevant | 3 |
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Public Speaking | ||
| Proficiency in Writing | ||
| Argumentation and Rhetoric | ||
| Introduction to Literature | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Scientific Writing | ||
| Effective Business Communication | ||
| Human Relations Communication | ||
| Information Literacy and Global Citizenship | ||
| Introduction to Information Technology Writing | ||
| Human Relations | ||
| History (3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| American History to 1877 | ||
| American History since 1877 | ||
| World Civilization before 1650 | ||
| World Civilization since 1650 | ||
| Western Civilization before The Thirty Years War | ||
| Western Civilization since The Thirty Years War | ||
| African-American History before 1877 | ||
| African-American History since 1877 | ||
| History of the American Indian | ||
| History of Science | ||
| The History and Context of STEM | ||
| Mathematics and Applied Reasoning(3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Accounting for Non Accounting Majors | ||
| Fundamentals of Programming | ||
| College Algebra | ||
| College Trigonometry | ||
| Pre-Calculus | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Math for Liberal Arts Majors | ||
| Calculus | ||
| Natural Sciences (3 semester hours) | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Biology | ||
| Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | ||
| Introduction to Chemistry | ||
| Introduction to Meteorology | ||
| Introduction to Geology | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Science | ||
| Introduction to Physics | ||
| Introduction to Astronomy | ||
| Introduction to STEM Disciplines | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
Major Required (21 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MILH201 | Introduction to Military History | 3 |
| MILH202 | Survey of American Military History | 3 |
| MILH221 | War From Antiquity to 1700 | 3 |
| MILH222 | War from 1700 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST300 | Research Methods in History | 3 |
| MILH303 | Readings in Military Leadership | 3 |
| MILH304 | Readings in Military Philosophy | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 21 | |
Students must choose a concentration for this degree program and may select from a General Concentration or a 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)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MILH362 | Ancient Military History | 3 |
| MILH363 | 17th and 18th Century Military History | 3 |
| MILH364 | Medieval Military History | 3 |
| MILH365 | The Napoleonic Wars and the Long Peace | 3 |
| MILH355 | World War I | 3 |
| MILH360 | World War II | 3 |
| HIST415 | The Cold War | 3 |
| MILH370 | The Korean War | 3 |
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| History of European Colonialism | ||
| The American Revolution | ||
| Civil War And Reconstruction, 1861-1877 | ||
| The Vietnam War | ||
| Special Topic: Military History 1 | ||
| Independent Study: History 1 | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
| 1 | Students will need permission from the Department Chair to take this course. |
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)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIST402 | Colonial America | 3 |
| MILH320 | The American Revolution | 3 |
| HIST405 | Antebellum America, 1846-1861 | 3 |
| HIST406 | Civil War And Reconstruction, 1861-1877 | 3 |
| MILH355 | World War I | 3 |
| MILH360 | World War II | 3 |
| MILH370 | The Korean War | 3 |
| MILH371 | The Vietnam War | 3 |
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| The Early Republic, 1783-1815 | ||
| Jacksonian America, 1815-1846 | ||
| The Gilded Age, 1877-1900 | ||
| The United States: 1900 to Second World War | ||
| The United States: WW II to the Present | ||
| Special Topic: History | ||
| Independent Study: History | ||
| Special Topic: Military History 1 | ||
| Independent Study: History 1 | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
| 1 | Students will need permission from the Department Chair to take this course. |
Final Program Requirements (6 semester hours)
Elective Requirements (33 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select any courses not already taken to fulfill the 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 | |