Post-baccalaureate Certificate in History

Our Graduate Certificate in History is ideally suited for:

1. Texas high school teachers who have an M.A. in a field other than history and want to teach history in the dual credit classroom.
2. Teachers who have an M.A. in a field other than history and want to teach history in the community college classroom.
3. Individuals who are interested in graduate work in history but aren’t ready to fully commit to a graduate program.

A prior M.A. is not required for admission. However, Texas state law mandates that dual credit and community college teachers hold an M.A. in any field AND 18 hours in the subject they are teaching. Our Graduate Certificate Program in History meets the 18-hour requirement to teach history. If you do not hold a master’s degree and are interested in teaching history in either the community college or dual credit classroom, please visit our M.A. in History program page.

Marketable Skills

Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."

1. Employers want employees with solid writing and compositional skills. The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in History develops this skill by requiring students to engage in clear, persuasive, grammatically, and stylistically correct writing projects (primarily although not exclusively research papers).
2. ​Employers want employees with the ability to evaluate new or contradictory points of view. The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in History develops these skills by requiring students to take a class in historiography/research and methods which demands that students critically analyze and interpret different historical narratives of events.
3. Employers want employees to be able to work independently on projects. The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in History develops this skill by requiring all students to complete an independent, original piece of scholarship in the form of a certificate portfolio.
4. For potential Dual-credit teachers, knowledge to competently teach History at the community college or dual credit level must be demonstrated. The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in History develops this skill by requiring all students to take 18 semester credit hours in History.  These hours, combined with a Master’s Degree (in any field) meet the state of Texas requirements for community college or (if certified) dual credit teachers.  Importantly, the diverse historical subjects and time periods covered in the certificate’s coursework prepare students to teach introductory History courses.  

Admissions

All students must meet the University requirements as outlined in the Admission to the TWU Graduate School section of the catalog.

This academic program may have additional admission criteria that must also be completed as outlined on the program's website.

Degree Requirements

Total Semester Credit Hours Required

18 semester credit hours (SCH).

Course List

Code	Title	SCHs
Required Courses
HIST 5033	Research Methods in History	3
Non-U.S. History
Choose one of the following		3
HIST 5103	Renaissance and Reformations
HIST 5253	History of France
HIST 5273	Seminar in Caribbean History
HIST 5563	Slavery in the Americas
HIST 5883	Seminar in European History
U.S. History
Choose three of the following		9
HIST 5003	Studies in 19th Century U.S
HIST 5093	Women in Early America
HIST 5123	Religion in an Atlantic World, 1450-1776
HIST 5193	Seminar in Native American History
HIST 5243	Seminar on Civil War and Reconstruction
HIST 5263	Material Culture in Early America
HIST 5303	Progressives
HIST 5403	American Experience in World War II
HIST 5503	Between the Wars
HIST 5573	Women in Early America
HIST 5703	U.S. Since 1945
HIST 5903	Special Topics
HIST 5913	Independent Study
Electives
Choose one of the following		3
HIST 5003	Studies in 19th Century U.S
HIST 5093	Women in Early America
HIST 5123	Religion in an Atlantic World, 1450-1776
HIST 5303	Progressives
HIST 5403	American Experience in World War II
HIST 5503	Between the Wars
HIST 5703	U.S. Since 1945
HIST 5803	Oral History Methodology
HIST 5813	Methods in Public History
HIST 5903	Special Topics
HIST 5913	Independent Study
HIST 5933	Internship
Capstone written portfolio and oral defense
Total SCHs		18