History

• Bachelor

  Degree

• English

  Language of instructions

• 4 years

  Years of study

• Full-time

  Study mode

• United States, Erie

  Location

If you’re fascinated by the past, Mercyhurst’s Thomas B. Hagen Department of History can help prepare you for a successful future whether you choose to study traditional history, public history and museum studies, documentary filmmaking, or history paired with secondary education as a path to teaching. The unique and individually tailored aspects of this program will equip you with the abilities to conduct thorough research; to analyze and weigh facts; and to produce sound and eloquent conclusions both orally and in writing. History majors leave Mercyhurst ready to pursue a wide-range of career paths in teaching, research, journalism, law, public service, or museums and historic sites, among many others. Whatever career you pursue post-graduation, a Mercyhurst history degree will prepare you for the challenges of today’s job market. Students without a concrete career goal in mind are guided to their passions through interactions with dedicated faculty, internships, service opportunities and the Senior Capstone experience. This degree program offers two concentrations: 1) Historical Documentary Filmmaking: In an increasingly digital world, historians – particularly those equipped with the tools of digital media, production, and communication – can be at the fore of the movement capitalizing on a broad public audience’s readiness to consume history in myriad formats. This Historical and Documentary Film concentration will instruct students in the application of their developed critical thinking, writing, and research for educational, “edutainment,” and entertainment purposes. Working closely with the Departments of Art and Communications, and incorporating coursework from the existing Film Studies Minor, students will acquire the skills, context, and experience for the production of historical and documentary films. 2) Public History and Museum Studies: The Public History & Museum Studies Concentration prepares students for increasingly attractive careers in such areas as museums, historic site management, business history, and "applied" history in public policy making. Through internships, a Senior Public History Project, and in-class projects, our students take advantage of opportunities to see and experience for themselves what professional public historians do. They have produced museum exhibits, identified and cataloged Civil War artifacts, given tours, produced driving and walking tours of historic sites, and helped to produce exhibition catalogs—to name just a few.