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History Undergraduate Program

This year, the History Undergraduate Students will be co-hosting, with Classics, the 2013 Atlantic University Undergraduate History and Classics Conference! Held March 15-17, 2013, the conference will bring together undergraduate students presenting their work on any "historically minded" subject. See the conference website. Click here for the call for papers (abstracts due January 11, 2013).

About The Program

The Department of History offers undergraduate students a range of courses and fields normally found only in larger universities. The subjects are diverse and fascinating, ranging from first year courses on rum-running in Canada, the history of the body, war in the modern world, magic and witchcraft in the Middle Ages, contemporary Canadian history, the history of epidemic disease, the history of visual culture, Canadian history on film, and military history "from Plato to NATO," and that's just a few of our first-year courses taught recently. We also teach more traditional surveys (foundation courses) of Canadian, American, European, and Medieval histories, and an impressive array of advanced courses that reflect the diverse research interests of our faculty members and instructors.

Every year our students run an undergraduate History Society, which includes managing a refereed undergraduate journal, Timepieces.

Why study History?

History may be the study of human behaviour in the past, but it helps explain everything that we face today.  By exploring the written and visual records of hundreds of years of human activity, you will hone your skills of research, analysis of evidence, logical argumentation, clear writing, and making convincing presentations.  Awareness of the past  will inform how you see the present, including your own place in the world. And History provides an excellent preparation for other post-graduate programs and a wide array of interesting careers.

What to Expect

Year One: Students can take up to 6 credit hours of history courses in their first year.

  • There are a number of options for first year students in History, including our General Interest 1000 level courses, or the 2000 level Foundation courses. While most introductory courses include some form of discussions, Foundation courses always include a weekly tutorial. 

  • In Foundation tutorials, small groups of students and an instructor discuss issues raised in the lectures and in the assigned readings. Students also receive help in the development of skills relating to History: conceiving of a topic, conducting the research, and writing papers. Tutorials provide a friendly, supportive atmosphere that helps new students adjust to the academic demands of university study.

  • Year Two: In the second year, students who wish to pursue the study of history further may choose to take up to 12 ch of general introductory, foundation or other history courses.  As students choosing to specialize in history are required to complete 6 ch of Foundation courses (and may complete up to 12 ch of Foundation courses), it is normal to take the Foundation course(s) in the first and/or second year.

  • Selecting a Major: By the end of their second year, if not before, students are expected to select an area of specialization from among the disciplines of the Arts Faculty. Those choosing to specialize in history may choose to enter either the Majors Program or the Honours Program. Both of these programs may be combined with other disciplines as a joint Major or joint Honours program.

  • Areas of Concentration: include Canadian, American, Medieval Europe, Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe; and Military History.

  • History and other Disciplines: Combinations with English, Political Science, French, and Sociology are particularly common. Minors in History, in which a student's area of concentration lies mainly in another discipline, are also available. It may also be possible for history students to pursue joint degrees such as the BA/BSc and the  BA/BCS degrees.

  • Years Three and Four: Since these are the Majors and Honours years, please turn to those webpages for detailed descriptions. See also the Honours Regulations page.

A list of undergraduate courses and more information about the Department's undergraduate programs may be found in the UNB Undergraduate Calendar. which spell out the requirements for that program, and other specific information may be obtained through their links here or in hard copy from the Department itself.  For the many courses offered abroad in locales such as Rome, London or New York, visit the Intersession Abroad webpage.

There are a number of awards and essay prizes for which History students are eligible: Undergraduate History Awards.

What to do with a History degree?

Dr. Kennedy with recent Honours History graduates

History provides an excellent and exciting foundation for careers in just about every field. 

A History BA is an excellent preparation for post-graduate degrees and careers in the following:

  • secondary and advanced teaching;
  • archival, library, and museum work;
  • the post-graduate study of law and administration;
  • politics;
  • journalism;
  • publisher;
  • documentary editor;
  • public service, at the municipal, provincial, and national levels;
  • policy development;
  • business;
  • the foreign service, or other work abroad.

Alone or combined with the study of other disciplines, history offers a liberal educational foundation for the subsequent pursuit of most careers and professions. In a recent posting in the Harvard Business Review, businesses are advised:  "Want Innovative Thinking? Hire from the Humanities!" The discipline of History more than fits the bill.  For more information on careers from a History degree, visit Careers Connection.

To learn more about History:

Chair, Department of History
University of New Brunswick
P.O. Box 4400
Fredericton, N.B., Canada
E3B 5A3

Phone: (506)-453-4621
Fax: (506)-453-5068

Send us an email