Department of History
Learning from people and events from other times and places while interpreting the past and considering how to deal with contemporary issues.
About the department
The Department of History offers students from any major a rewarding educational experience. As they seek to recover and interpret the past in all of its messy and fascinating manifestations, historians read a lot, write a lot, and speak a lot; they develop critical thinking skills which allow them to pursue successful careers not only as historians, archivists, and curators/museum professionals but also as lawyers, entrepreneurs, government officials, and leaders in the nonprofit sector.
Our 14 full-time faculty members have written award-winning books and articles on research topics ranging from the military in ancient China to public health in Latin America to the the Kansas-Missouri border during the Civil War. While we commend research, we also emphasize and prioritize teaching. More than a quarter of our faculty have won university-wide teaching awards. The majority of our classes are small, which means our students get plenty of attention, and undergraduate history majors are assigned to our dedicated and award-winning History advisor, Kathy Lillich, to help them navigate their way to successful completion of their degree.
Our major is designed to be broad, requiring students to take classes that vary widely across time and place, but the department has particular strengths in military, science, technology, medicine and environment, and gender history.
Recent GraduatesHolly HillMA Thesis: "Midwest by southeast: Aircraft manufacturing and the journey to Lao community building in Wichita, Kansas, 1975—1995”Sydney WolgastMA Thesis: “'Genius equall to that which wrought another most beautifull Poem': Classical Communication in the Writings of Mercy Otis Warren and Judith Sargent Murray."
6 Reasons to Get a History Degree
1. Prepare for a Career, Not Just a Job
A history degree prepares you for careers well beyond that of historian. Whether you're planning a career in law, government, non-profit, business, or the military a history degree will give you the tools you need to succeed. For instance, no less than 10 percent of lawyers have a History Degree. Our History Double-Major and Minor are particularly well-suited to complement other K-State degrees and give you the well-rounded college education you deserve.
2. Understand Today's World
History students are by nature intellectually curious. They share a deep desire to better understand the world we live in, how people and societies function, both within the United States and on the international stage. Studying historical trends allows you to understand how the world we live in was shaped and enables you to develop truly innovative solutions to today’s issues.
3. Stand Out from the Crowd
A history degree trains you to place events in a larger context, think in terms of decades or even centuries, and distinguish causation from correlation. With a history background you’ll automatically anticipate long-term outcomes, giving you an edge on people who stay narrowly focused on the short-term.
4. Learn to Embrace Change
In a world that is constantly in flux, where dramatic changes seem to be occurring at an ever faster pace, a history degree allows you to become more resilient by focusing on ways societies have historically evolved and even thrived in the face of adversity.
5. Develop Critical Thinking and Communication Skills
In an age when many are all too quick to delegate their thinking to AI bots, history students remain steadfast in their dedication to sharpening their own critical thinking skills. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, “analytical thinking and creative thinking remain the most important skills for workers.” Getting a history degree allows you to learn how to and practice conducting original research, analyzing it, and synthesizing your conclusions for all kinds of audiences.
6. Become a Better Leader
Studying historical figures--like politicians, activists, business leaders, and officers--allows history students to learn about the leadership practices from the most talented leaders of the last decades, or centuries. Oftentimes though, failures teach greater lessons than successes. A history degree offers cautionary tales by highlighting historical figures' failures, thereby allowing you to learn from other people's mistakes.
The History Department offers a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree in history, both require 36 hours of courses.
In addition to our MA and PhD programs, the History Department offers several Graduate Microcredentials.
The history department at K-State offers several departmental scholarships for new, continuing and transfer students.
Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains
Each year, the K-State department of history and the Kansas Historical Foundation collaborate to produce this scholarly journal focusing on new Kansas research and western history.