Earning a college degree is a significant milestone in one's life and requires dedication to one's studies and tremendous effort to succeed. In order to enable you to achieve this goal, we have dedicated ourselves to developing measures that help ensure student success in our department's programs. This process begins with the First-Year Academic Seminar (HIST 0001 or PHIL 0001), in which you are introduced to the faculty and students who make up the departmental community. A major in history or philosophy will join with other first-year students to get an overview of the subject matter covered in the major, explore career possibilities, and to develop techniques for getting the most out of college courses and activities. Students will also learn about departmental and University expectations, policies, and resources. Because the college experience at GCSU is more intense than at many other schools, we have designed each curriculum to help you each step of the way. In addition, we are committed to offering the courses necessary to ensure that students who follow the program of study will graduate in four years. Toward that end we have developed a typical four-year program of study that serves as a guide for students' schedules each term, specifies required courses and recommended sequencing of courses, and advises students to enroll in an average of 30 semester hours each year. These programs of study are available through the links below or on our department's official web page at www.gcsu.edu/history .

The Department of History, Geography and Philosophy seeks to enhance student interests through three programs of study. The Bachelor of Arts in History is a traditional course of study designed for students interested in further professional training, especially in secondary education and graduate work in history. The department's Bachelor of Arts in Public History program prepares students to engage the public in such historically related contexts as archives, museums, and preservation settings. The Philosophy major engages students in logical and critical thinking, philosophical analysis, and scholarly philosophical writing. Student interest is further enhanced by close student-faculty interaction, including systematic advising, History Club participation, participation in the philosophy club Cogito, a strong geography minor, international study opportunities, and senior thesis. The History, Geography, and Philosophy Department, through constant student involvement in a wide variety of intramural and extramural activities, strives to provide building-blocks for success.