Overview

History is the study of the past through its documentary record.  Historians collect and study historical documents, interpret their content, assess their value as sources of information, and use the most reliable of these documents to describe and explain what happened in the past.  History students learn what historians have discovered, but are also taught the historical method, and are encouraged to think critically about the past and its influence on the present. 

• Three-year and four-year programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree.
• Two interrelated streams of study: North American history (including the history of Canada) and European history; students take courses in each stream, but focus their studies on one or the other.
• Courses on a wide variety of topics and themes, including women’s history, the history of education, intellectual history, the history of social movements, environmental history, the history of Northern Ontario, and medieval history.
• Students in the fourth year of their program may undertake a major research project (HIST-4055EL) under a professor’s personal supervision; this may involve travel to archives in other cities to consult primary sources.
• Prizes are awarded for academic excellence, including the Thomas Tong Essay Award (for the best essay in HIST-4055) and the Prix Gaétan-Gervais (for the best essay in a French-language HIST course).
• Bursaries are available for History students who are residents of Ontario, including the Père Lorenzo Cadieux Memorial Bursary.

Admission Requirements

Based on Grade 12 4U/M courses:

• 1 English or 1 Français (depending on language of study)

• 5 other courses

• Minimum average of 70%

Employment Prospects

Business, entrepreneurship, government, graduate studies, journalism, law, politics, teaching at primary or secondary schools or in college and universities, archivist, curator in museums and art galleries, librarian, community development worker, costumer and teacher of the history of clothing and textiles, financial planner, civil service, historical interpreter, counsellor, researcher, member of a historical board…

Relevant graduate study opportunities at Laurentian:

• Master of Arts in History

Credit Transfer

Credit transfer opportunities are available from other recognized postsecondary institutions and are typically evaluated on an individual basis. Some fast-tracking opportunities also exist.