Majors & Minors

Majors

Every student in the Bachelor of Arts program must eventually declare a Major. A Major is a particular subject the student decides to specialize in. Typically, half of the courses you will take in completing your degree will be in your major. Completing a Major demonstrates you have considerable depth and breadth of knowledge in your area. Humanities offers the following Majors:

Bachelor of Arts - History

The study of history at Mount Royal University provides you with a broad base of knowledge in Canadian, European and American history. It also develops an understanding of the methods of historical research and analysis and historical reasoning that distinguish history as a branch of knowledge in the humanities and social sciences.
Mount Royal history students have exciting opportunities for hands-on experience, including:

innovative assignments that take you out of the classroom
field courses that incorporate travel
involvement with faculty research
volunteer work with organizations such as Heritage Park

In addition to the intrinsic value of the historical study, it is also excellent preparation for graduate studies in history, as well as careers in areas such as teaching, law, archival studies, international affairs, journalism and public administration.

Find out more about the Bachelor of Arts - Major in History curriculum and courses.

Bachelor of Arts - History (Honours)

If you're interested in graduate studies or would like to engage in a serious intellectual exercise, you should consider a Bachelor of Arts - History with Honours. It's an opportunity for you to select a topic, engage in the systematic study under the supervision of a faculty supervisor and produce a scholarly finished project.

Important Dates

Applications for admissions to the BA History (Honours) Program are accepted from March 1 to May 1 of each year. You must complete 20 courses by May 1 to apply.
Completed forms must be submitted by May 1 to the Chair of the Department of Humanities Department in EA3147.
You will be notified by June 15 if you have been accepted to the program.
You have until June 30 to notify the Chair if you accept the offer to join the BA History (Honours) Program.

Description

The BA History (Honours) Program is an in-depth experience with the discipline of History. You will complete a two-course sequence in your last year of study (HIST 5110 and HIST 5120). During these courses, you will define a topic, conduct a literature review, and produce a thesis or project based on original research. The completed thesis will ordinarily range between 7000 and 80000 words, not including footnotes and bibliography. You may also - with the approval of a faculty advisor - choose to do a project based on your research rather than a traditional thesis. In addition, the general graduation requirements for Honours vary from the general graduation requirements for the Bachelor of Arts - History. You must take a minimum of 20 History courses instead of a minimum of 16 History courses. If you are enrolled in the Honours Program, but fail to satisfy all the requirements for an Honours degree (for instance, you do not complete the thesis), but have satisfied all requirements for a Bachelor of Arts - History, you will receive a BA - History degree upon graduation.

Eligibility

You must have a 3.0 GPA in your last ten courses to apply. History faculty members determine which of the qualified applicants will be admitted into the BA History (Honours) Program. Once admitted, you must maintain a 3.0 GPA in your major courses, as well as an overall 3.0 GPA

Application

Students may apply to the BA History (Honours) Program after completing 20 courses. Your application must include the following items:

The Mount Royal University Honours application form obtainable from the History major advisor.
The BA History (Honours) application form obtainable from the History major advisor.
An unofficial transcript of all college/university courses including courses completed at other post-secondary institutions.

Applications are due by May 1. Application materials must be submitted to the Chair of the Department of Humanities located in EA 3147.

Potential Supervisors

Joe Anderson, PhD

Nazak Birjandifar, PhD

Dave Clemis, PhD

Emily Hutchison, PhD

Roberta Lexier, PhD

Scott Murray, PhD

Heather Nelson, PhD

Carmen Nielson, PhD

Kirk Niergarth, PhD

Glen Ryland, PhD

Carolyn Willekes, PhD

Specific Graduation Requirements

You must meet the general graduation requirements for the Bachelor of Arts - History (Honours), as indicated in the Mount Royal University Academic Calendar. In addition, as a History Honours student, you must also take:

HIST 5110 - Honours Project I
HIST 5120 - Honours Project II

Minors

A Minor represents some degree of specialization in a particular subject matter, but lower than that of a Major. Students complete Minors for a number of reasons, including a passion for the subject matter or that it complements their Major. Unlike Majors, students are not required to complete a Minor in order to graduate. Completion of a Minor appears on your graduation transcript and demonstrates a level of expertise.

Unlike courses used to complete a Major, courses used to complete a Minor may also be used to satisfy General Education requirements - students can double dip!