Studying/Majoring in History in college?

College Search & Selection
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<p>A little life story to understand my current situation: I'm in my late 20's and currently a prison guard in Southern California. I'm pretty fed up with that career and recently started going to community college (night classes) now almost 10 years out of high school. Decided I'm interested in majoring in History once I one day finally get all my transfer credits ready in order to one day teach or something. I'm completely fascinated by both military/warfare history and medieval history and therefore interested in studying it if at all possible.</p>

<p>Do I just generally study history as an undergraduate or is it possible to specialize in something specific that I'm interested in such as medieval history or history of warfare? In my extremely brief academic career I have noticed that very little attention is paid to warfare when studying history. Classes seem to focus more on "positive" aspects of history such as art and religion, which seems very boring to me. Sorry if I seem short-sided, I'm just a prison guard trying to step into a somewhat more positive environment. Interested in learning which schools are known for their history programs, ideally in the above areas I'm into (if at all possible)? Obviously I understand that given the early choices in my blue-collar life the days of me attending a high end university are long out the door. But as long as I do not have to shell out $60,000 for some online degree from Phoenix or National University, as the vast majority of my co-workers with educations have done, and can say I have a reputable education from a reputable institution, I may one day be satisfied.</p>

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<p>The requirements for a history major are fairly similar across different schools. Typically, you are required to take at least one course in each of the following areas: European History; US/Latin American History; Non-western History (e.g., Middle East, Asia, Africa); and, Pre-Modern History (before 1500). In addition, many schools require or recommend that you take 3-4 courses in a subspecialty, which can be a geographic region/country (e.g., China), an historical period (e.g., the Middle Ages), or a particular theme (e.g., social history or development of the modern state). Some schools will require a course in historical method/ historiography and a seminar or two in which you study a narrower topic using primary sources, etc. Requirements are usually pretty flexible and, depeding on the particular school, courses may serve dual purposes (e.g., pre-Modern and European). The upshot of this is that most departments want you to be exposed to the history of different time periods and geographic areas so that you develop a comparative perspective. </p>

<p>War, at least in its political aspects, is a pervasive topic in historical studies. It is more difficult to find schools that offer courses on military history in which the primary focus is on strategy and tactics. Ohio State is one of the few schools that has several faculty who specialize in military history. Nonetheless, various courses on more general historical topics will devote significant attention to military aspects, e.g., The American Revolution, The Civil War & Reconstruction, Modern Germany. You might find courses specifically on history of warfare or on a particular war, e.g., WWII, Vietnam, even if the school does not have a particular subspecialty in military history. Relevant courses might be scattered in other departments, too. For example, a course on war in the political science dept. might cover certain historical aspects or courses on Greek history in the classics dept. will cover the Peloponnesian war. </p>

<p>If a history department requires a subspecialty of 3-4 courses, a common thematic specialty could be the history of warfare, if sufficient courses are available in that topic area. You also could select medieval history as a subspecialty. </p>

<p>To study warfare in its broader context, some schools offer an interdisciplinary major in war & peace studies. Another option is an interdisciplinary international relations major that offers a thematic subspecialty in national security. You probably could count courses on the history of warfare/military history toward the requirements for such a major. Some schools offer interdisciplinary majors in medieval studies, though these usually require coursework in medieval literature and art as well as medieval history.</p>

<p>Some links:
[Why</a> Don’t More Colleges Teach Military History? - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/04/03/why-dont-colleges-teach-military-history]Why”>http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/04/03/why-dont-colleges-teach-military-history)
[Best</a> Diplomatic and Military History Programs - Small Wars Council](<a href=“Best Diplomatic and Military History Programs”>Best Diplomatic and Military History Programs)
[Welcome</a> to the OSU Military History Program](<a href=“http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/grimsley1/military-history-program/index.htm]Welcome”>http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/grimsley1/military-history-program/index.htm)
[Sounding</a> Taps by John J. Miller - National Review Online](<a href=“http://www.nationalreview.com/nrd/article/?q=YTdiMDkzZDJjYTYwOWM4YmIyMmE4N2IwODFlNWU0MjE=]Sounding”>http://www.nationalreview.com/nrd/article/?q=YTdiMDkzZDJjYTYwOWM4YmIyMmE4N2IwODFlNWU0MjE=)
[Military</a> History Center - Home](<a href=“http://military.hist.unt.edu/]Military”>http://military.hist.unt.edu/)
[Graduate</a> Program in Military History](<a href=“http://www.unc.edu/depts/pwad/military-history.html]Graduate”>http://www.unc.edu/depts/pwad/military-history.html)
[Graduate</a> | Academics | History | Kansas State University](<a href=“http://www.k-state.edu/history/grad/]Graduate”>Graduate)
[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.smh-hq.org/]Home[/url”&gt;http://www.smh-hq.org/]Home[/url</a>]</p>

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<p>Wow, thanks for so much good info in one post! Appreciate it.</p>