
The diverse coursework of the BHSU history major explores the worlds of American, European, and regional history. Living in the Black Hills also gives student the opportunity to study the Gold Rush, tour ghost towns, and learn about the Native American Cultures.
Your professors will guide you as you consider various career options. Although many historians enter the teaching profession or go to graduate school, others find employment in government agencies, museums, historical societies, research organizations, and archives.
Check out what is happening within the History program at BHSU with Alumni and the History Faculty.
Studying history at BHSU ensures an engaging student-centered experience. Dynamic courses offer the chance to study American, European, Latin American, African, and Native American history, along with the opportunity to travel abroad with faculty members. Thanks to BHSU’s location in the Black Hills of South Dakota, unique hands-on opportunities exist such as conducting research at the Case Library for Western Historical Studies or gaining skills as an intern at one of the numerous museums in the Black Hills. The History Department at BHSU prepares its graduates to enter into a variety of professional fields.
RESEARCH: Participate in ongoing research on and off campus to gain hands-on experience in a field that you love.
INTERNSHIPS: Discover unlimited possibilities for an internship in the Black Hills or strive to participate in a regional or national internship. Students from BHSU have interned with:
CERTIFICATES: Earn a certificate for specialized training in a specific area of public history including museums, historic site interpretation, and archives.
*Current students, please refer to the DegreeWorks Dashboard in MyBHSU to confirm your major requirements.
There are employment opportunities in a variety of sectors:
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BHSU course History of Modern Germany includes a faculty-led international trip to European countries including Germany, Hungary, and Poland. Offering another opportunity for international travel is the History and Geography of Food in Italy course. This course is teamtaught with a historian and geographer and includes a trip to Italy to research foods of different Italian regions.
A member of the cross country and track teams, Justin Bergeson is a graduate of 2015. While at BHSU Bergeson served as a mentor for the history department and assisted other students with their history studies. After graduation, Bergeson worked for Senator John Thune in his Washington D.C. office and is now attending law school at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Courtney BuckGraduate of 2017, Courntey Buck is currently attending law school at USD. During her time with BHSU, Buck was a University Honors Scholar and conducted research regarding historical trauma on Pine Ridge reservation. She was also on the student leadership team for the Veterans Legacy Program where she developed several biographies and ran trainings on conducting oral history interviews.
Donald KeifertGraduate of 2016, Donald Keifert interned at Mt. Rushmore during his time at BHSU and developed a personal research project on the experiences of Lakota servicemen during WWII. Keifert also had the opportunity to work at Sanford-Homestake Visitor Center in Lead, the Abbey Musuem in Maine, and the Journey Museum in Rapid City.
Hugh CookBHSU offers one-of-a-kind opportunities to travel abroad and continue studies. Hugh Cook, graduate of 2017, studied abroad in Lithuania and presented at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Cook researched the history of the pine beetle in the Black Hills. After graduating, Cook went on to work for Senator Enzi in Washington D.C.
Kelsey LoftusGraduate of 2019, Kelsey Loftus studied abroad multiple times. She took the study abroad course, “History of Modern Germany.” Loftus also presented at Botho University International Research Conference in Botswana with Dr. Adam Blackler on the need for greater education on the Herero-Namaqua genocide in Namibia.
Lucas FralickCurrently enrolled in the History Master’s Program at the University of Wyoming, Lucas Fralick is a University Honors Scholar graduate of 2016. Fralick served as Student Senate President and researched President Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.