Current Undergraduate Students
Information for New Students
Information for Transfer Students
Informaiton for Internal Transfer Students
Historical Society - Phi Alpha Theta
International Programs
Career Options
About the History Major at Cal Poly
Historians study the past in its variety and complexity.
With such an analysis, students of history gain multiple
perspectives on the present and an aptitude to plan intelligently
for the future. Although the lessons to be learned from
the past are rarely simple, solutions to
present-day problems rest on comprehension of historical
forces and events.
History deepens our understanding of other peoples and cultures.
All courses offered in the History Department seek to examine
the issues of race, gender, class, and cultural diversity.
A degree in history is excellent preparation for students
interested in a teaching career, the legal profession, or
advanced work in the discipline. Students wishing to become
business executives, administrators, and public servants
profit immensely by gaining the methodological skills of
the historian. Historians learn to gather, synthesize, analyze,
and interpret evidence; they become skilled in presenting
their conclusions to a general audience in a lucid and logical
manner.
The study of history and its method prepares students for
a wide range of careers while also sensitizing them to the
complexity and diversity of the past and present. History
is an excellent foundation for a broadly based education
in the liberal arts.
History Major Requirements
General catalog information about the history department. (PDF)
Catalog information on History major requirements. (PDF)
Advising for the History Major
The History Department assigns each history major to a faculty
advisor and students are strongly encouraged to meet with
their advisor. To find out who your faculty advisor
is, visit the History Department office in Building 47,
room 27. In addition, the College of Liberal Arts
offers advising for history majors. Prior to meeting
with their advisors, history students should read thoroughly
the information on the advising information page. Click here for
the advising information page for First-Time
Freshmen,
and click here for
the advising information page for Transfer
Students. After
reading the advising information page, students can contact
their faculty advisor or the advising staff of the College
of Liberal Arts by clicking here.
About the History Minor at Cal Poly
The History Minor is a 30-unit program that focuses on reading,
research, and writing skills. It is also flexible
enough so that students can follow their own particular
interests. Students from other majors will find that
a History Minor complements their program and gives them
specific skills: in technical fields, communication
and critical thinking (understanding evidence, truth from
different perspectives, analyzing and explaining, and reaching
conclusions); for teachers, training in methodologies and
in historical chronology; for the business and professional
world, research and writing, understanding global cultures,
and the ability to evaluate and pursue logical courses
of action.
Spread the word about the minor in history at Cal Poly. Download
the History Minor flyer by clicking here (PDF).
History Minor Requirements
For complete details about the History Minor, download the
History Minor information booklet by clicking here (PDF).
Advising for the History Minor
To pick up a History Minor booklet and an application, visit
the History Department office in Building 47, Room 27.
The History Minor Advisor is Dr. Paul Hiltpold. He can
be reached by e-mail at philtpol@calpoly.edu or
by telephone at (805)756-2885.
