Join us at Laurier

Becoming a Golden Hawk means more than just cheering on our (really good) varsity teams – it means being a student who cares about your community, who works hard in the classroom, and who takes advantage of all the learning opportunities that can happen outside the classroom, too.

Steps to Apply

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Steps to Apply

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History (BA)

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Study history to understand events and issues in their proper historical and cultural contexts, as well as their effects on modern day. Experience the benefits of small class sizes and many hands-on learning opportunities; you could even become certified to collect oral history interviews. In our People Make History lecture series, you will meet participants of historic events and deepen your understanding of those events and their effects felt by humanity.

Looking ahead to a career in education? Apply to the History with Teaching Option program.

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Apply Your Learning

Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you. Volunteer work, campus clubs, leadership programs, studying abroad, work experience – there are so many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world.

Here are just a few examples of the experiences you’ll have access to in the History program:

  • As part of the course HI323: Memory, Monuments, and Museums, you'll participate in a placement with a local heritage organization. You'll work alongside professionals and volunteers in the heritage community and develop public history skills and networks.
  • Students enrolled in HI240: The Active Historian, will learn to curate an original museum exhibition and will organize an public history event.  
  • This program hosts a biannual People Make History lecture series, which brings the participant of a major historic event to campus to share their story. You are invited to meet with the speaker in small groups and learn from their experiences.
  • Become a leader by joining the Brantford Campus History Students' Association (HSA), and help organize events and mentor incoming students.  

Check out the History Experience Guide.

 

2020 graduates who secured employment or went on to postgraduate studies

 

Laurier ranks in the top 6 percent of universities worldwide*

 

students who gained hands-on learning experiences at Laurier in 2019/20

*Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)

Admissions

Format: full time or part time      Duration: four years     Start: September (fall term) or May (spring term)    
OUAC codes: UVS (History); UVW (History with Teaching Option)

Your Next Steps

Apply Now Strengthen Your Application Important Dates

Program Details

Why History?

More than ever, we need to be connected to the past to understand our present and future. The history program at our Brantford campus will introduce you to the people, events and ideas that have shaped our reality. More than we realize, the current challenges facing humanity – and how we approach these challenges – are grounded in historical events.

History students develop exceptional writing, research, and critical thinking skills, as well as the ability to understand events and issues in their proper historical and cultural contexts.

History at Laurier Brantford

Laurier’s History program is designed with multiple opportunities for students to enhance their acquirement of historic knowledge and skills through a rigorous curriculum which includes traditional classroom learning through lectures and seminar discussions and hands-on training to be a historian.

  • Go behind the scenes of museums and historic sites in Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations of the Grand River, Hamilton, and Toronto to learn how historic artefacts and documents are collected, preserved, and displayed.
  • Get certified to collect oral history interviews and tell the stories of your ancestors and local community members.
  • Discover and analyze historic records and objects in archives, libraries, and private collections.
  • Communicate the results of your research and learning in essays, podcasts, local and digital exhibits, theatre and film, blogs, conference presentations, and reports.

Program Options and Courses

Teaching Option

Are you interested in a direct pathway to a Bachelor of Education?  

Laurier’s History with Teaching Option consists of 4.0 credits: five core half-credit courses offered through the Faculty of Education, plus three elective half-credit courses from an approved list. The option is designed to provide students with a foundational course of study focusing on teaching.  

Students admitted into the Teaching Option pathway who successfully complete the option’s requirements have a chance at a guaranteed spot in Laurier’s Bachelor of Education (BEd) program.  

Criteria for guaranteed admission to the BEd program of choice include:  

  • Meet all requirements of associated undergraduate program.  
  • Achieve a 10.5 GPA on the ten final full credits completed at Laurier.  
  • Complete all requirements of the Teaching Option.  
  • Satisfy all application requirements of the BEd program. 

Specializations

Honours History majors can opt to specialize in Public History, which includes a Community Service-Learning placement in a local heritage site, archive, or museum.

Check out other options to enhance your degree.

Sample First-Year Courses

  • Ancient History In a Global Context  
  • History Detectives 
  • Business History 
  • Great Battles in History 

Sample First-Year Electives

  • Introduction to Indigenous Studies 
  • Literature and Crime 
  • Studying Youth and Children: An Introduction  
  • The Engaged Citizen: Social and Environmental Justice  

Sample Upper-Year Courses

  • Crime, Sex and Scandal in 19th-Century Britain 
  • Memory, Monuments and Museums 
  • Local and Family History 
  • Popular Cultures of East Asia 

Similar Programs

Community Service-Learning

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Community Service-Learning (CSL) courses at Laurier integrate service in the community with what you are learning in your classes. Placements are approximately 10 weeks and take place on a weekly basis from the second week of classes to the final week, typically for two hours per week.

CSL placements consist of volunteering at a local community service, such as a soup kitchen or a children's treatment centre. It’s a great way to apply classroom knowledge and gain practical experience in your field of study. Build your resume, develop your network, and graduate with experience.

Interested? Learn more about Community Service-Learning.

Tuition and Scholarships

Getting a university education is an investment in your future.

At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

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"The History Students' Association has been a positive part of this program. It has allowed me to become close to those in my program, creating an environment in which I can meet other people with similar interests, attend events where I can experience things I would likely not otherwise, and develop relationships with professors outside the classroom."

Robert Singleton, History program

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"One of the most memorable experiences has been partaking in a community placement for HI323: Memory, Monuments and Museums. During this placement, myself and two other students uninstalled an exhibit and packaged artifacts before we researched and created our own exhibit. This experience had led me to cementing my future career and academic goals. What has become a major focus of mine was understanding how history Is experienced and interpreted by different communities."

Madison Williams, History program

Your Career Awaits

It’s not only about the journey; it’s about the destination. Let us help you get to where you’re going.

Here are just some examples of our graduates' destinations. What’s yours?

Sample Career Options

Note: Additional training and education may be required.

  • advertising and promotions manager
  • archaeologist
  • communications specialist
  • curator
  • immigration officer
  • journalist
  • lawyer
  • management consultant
  • political aide
  • project manager
  • social policy researcher
  • teacher/tutor

Explore more careers.

Support After Graduation

Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.

Brantford Campus

The Brantford campus is woven into the downtown core of the City of Brantford and is home to more than 3,000 students. Close to great walking and biking trails, you get the best of both worlds.

There are many ways to tour our Brantford campus, whether that's on a guided tour with one of our Laurier student ambassadors, on your own using virtual reality, or even on-demand through one of our pre-recorded tours. See our campus spaces and start to picture yourself at Laurier.
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"Something I really love about this school is the professors that help bring the school together. The History program at Laurier Brantford consists of some of the best teachers and professors I've had the pleasure of meeting, all are friendly and approachable. They have allowed me to focus on the learning experience rather than the stress of schoolwork."  

Jeffrey Sit, History program

Interested in More Info?

Email chooselaurier@wlu.ca, call 519.884.0710 x3385 or see all contact information.

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