by HG Fitz

Created on: April 17, 2009

Martha Stewart. Franklin D. Roosevelt. Conan O'Brian. What do these three famous people have in common? A bachelors degree in History. No matter what you'd like your future career to be, a bachelors degree in History can provide you with skills that will help you succeed in any field. But which schools provide the best education in history for undergraduate students? There is no easy answer to this question, but there are some points you will want to consider when selecting the best college to pursue a bachelor degree in history.

First, one must consider what area of history they would like to major in. A student interested in early American history may not be attracted to a school in which most of the courses offered focus on modern world history. Generally, the broadly popular topics in history are offered at every school with a history major available, but some schools do have niches or particular strengths. Sometimes this is an effect of the school's location. Consider, for example, how useful it might be to study at Gettysburg College if you're interested in the Civil War. Salem State College is situated near the spot where the Salem Witch Trials took place and offers ample opportunities for internships at one of the local "witch museums" as well as a wealth of primary research resources on the topic of colonial America. Sometimes a school may house a particular resource which is of interest to your studies. For contemporary American history buffs like myself, the Michigan State University and University of California at Berkeley house some of the best archives and collections in the world. For the budding world historian, it may be important to note whether the college has a well run and popular study abroad program. You will want to seek out a program which supports its students efforts to study abroad but academically and financially. Goucher College offers a strong program in history combined with a well structured and nearly mandatory study abroad program which guarantees up to $3000 to defray travel expenses for every student along with the opportunity for additional need based financial aid. Other schools have faculty members, historians, who you may want to work with specifically. Especially at the Ivy League schools, well published authors of historical books are a common facet of the faculty roster. You will want to consider, however, whether or not these famous faculty members will be able to serve a mentors to you. At some schools most undergraduate

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