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Academic Degrees
A History Degree with Real-World Value
A History degree from Sacramento State prepares students to investigate complex questions, evaluate evidence, communicate clearly, and understand the forces shaping communities and institutions. Those are durable professional skills and they produce meaningful early-career results.
According to recent federal tax data, four years after completing their degrees, Sacramento State History graduates earned an average of $55,797—nearly $20,000 more than the average California high-school graduate. Their earnings were close to those reported for History graduates at several University of California campuses, including within 3.5 percent of UC Davis, and exceeded the reported outcomes at UC Irvine, UC Riverside, and UC Merced.
History also compares favorably with several large Sacramento State majors. History graduates earned more four years after completion than the cohorts in Art, Film, Anthropology, English, Psychology, and Child Development.
Students do not study History merely to prepare for one occupation. They develop the research, writing, analytical, and problem-solving abilities needed in public service, education, law, business, communications, cultural institutions, and many other fields. Sacramento State History students leave with both a richer understanding of the world and a foundation for professional success.
History BA
History, in the broad sense, is the study of all human experience. It examines the people, institutions, ideas, and events from the past to the present. The study of history contributes to cultural literacy and develops critical thinking and other useful skills while helping students understand the present and plan for the future. Historical study provides a solid, fundamental preparation for careers in business, industry, government, and education. It also serves as excellent preparation for law school, foreign service, international work, urban affairs, historical consulting, and library science.
History is an academic discipline offering both breadth and focus. At Sacramento State, the History major includes four lower division survey courses and four upper division seminars. In addition, students choose electives from a wide variety available. The flexibility of the major allows students to focus on topical areas such as: women's history, the history of particular geographic areas, cultural history, ethnic group history, economic history, military history, and history from the ancient world to that of the U.S. in the 20th century. Those interested in going on to teach middle or high school should consider the History/Social Science Precredential Program. Those interested in legal careers should consider our concentration in Law and Social Justice.
Students considering doctoral study in history should begin or continue foreign-language study as early as possible. Reading knowledge of one or more languages is often essential for conducting original research, engaging international scholarship, and meeting graduate-program requirements. Language preparation is particularly valuable for students whose historical interests extend beyond the United States or involve immigrant, transnational, colonial, diplomatic, religious, or comparative history. Students should speak with faculty mentors early about the languages most useful for their intended fields and research questions.
History MA
Situated in California's capital and along the banks of the historic American River, the Sacramento State History MA program allows students to profit from the unique resources of the region as well as the expertise of a prestigious and dedicated faculty. Program highlights include:
- Small, seminar-style classes and one-on-one mentoring by history faculty
- An active and tight-knit graduate community
- Instructional assistantships
- Prize-winning graduate student history journal, Clio
- Rich array of local historical institutions including the California State Archives, the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center, the California State Railroad Museum, Old Sacramento State Historic Park, and the California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts
- Unique campus-based resources such as the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection and the Japanese-American Archival Collection
Contact: Dr. Nikolaos Lazaridis, Professor and History M.A. Graduate Coordinator.
Public History MA
For over twenty years, the Capital Campus Public History Program at Sacramento State has been training public historians for rewarding careers in archives, cultural resource management, museum interpretation, and historic preservation. We offer a two-year course of study leading to the Master of Arts in History with a concentration in Public History. This program requires completion of thirty-six units of coursework, including nine units of supervised, professional internship.
The program provides an integrated professional curriculum that includes specialized project and internship experience in one of several concentrations: archives and manuscripts, oral history, museum studies, historic preservation, business history, and general public history research and analysis. Students pursue a common course of study, gain professional experience through a series of internships, and complete a master's project or thesis within their area of program specialization. For more information, see the Public History website or contact Dr. Rebekkah Mulholland