Let the flexibility of a CWI Liberal Arts degree help you achieve a variety of academic goals and pursue a wide array of careers.
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Overview
“For it is history, and history alone, which, without involving us in actual danger, will mature our judgment and prepare us to take right views, whatever may be the crisis or posture of affairs.”
-Polybius
Mission
The History Program will engage students with the big questions of change and continuity, social and cultural evolution, and understanding and appreciating one’s place in that evolutionary process. Students will take away practical skills and competencies that allow them to construct their own arguments, making them participants in the ongoing examination of these questions, while providing them a set of skills that can be used in many different environments and contexts.
Why This Program
Many historians become teachers. Others become professional editors, work in museums or archives, or serve in positions with state or federal government agencies. History also provides an excellent preparation for law school. The research, writing, and analytical skills of the historian can be of great value to business corporations and nonprofit associations. Completion of the following courses is designed to result in an Associate of Arts degree and meets the general-education requirements at all Idaho public universities. Course selection should be coordinated to meet requirements for your intended transfer institution (if known).
What You Will Learn to Do
- Student will show that they understand facts, values, and ideals, and their relationship
- Students will be able to put facts, values, and ideas in proper chronological order
- Student will be able to write an academic book review
- Students will be able to keep a source note journal
- Students will be able to construct and write a research paper
- Students will be able to recognize the differences between primary and secondary sources
- Students will be able to recognize the difference between types of secondary sources
- Students will be able to understand the structure of different historical arguments
- Students will be able to use primary sources to construct an historical argument
- Students will be able to apply and explain historical arguments using the historical method
More Recommended Programs
Requirements and Costs
Degrees and Certificates
History - Associate of Arts Degree
2
YEARSAA
Explore the resources below for information, dates, and deadlines related to admissions, financial aid, registration, and next steps.
Dates & Deadlines for Credit Programs | Summer 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 |
---|---|---|---|
Priority Registration Begins 1 | N/A | Apr 10 | Nov 13 (2023) |
Open Registration Begins | Feb 27 | Apr 17 | Nov 20 (2023) |
Financial Aid Priority Deadline | May 13 | Jul 29 | Dec 16 (2023) |
Admission Deadline 2 | May 27 | Aug 12 | Jan 6 |
Last Day to Register for Classes | Jun 2 | Aug 18 | Jan 12 |
Tuition and Fees Due | Jun 2 | Aug 18 | Jan 12 |
Classes Begin 3 | Jun 5 | Aug 21 | Jan 16 |
1 Priority registration is limited to continuing students. Students are assigned a registration time based on their cumulative credits earned. Students should check myCWI and their CWI email to learn their assigned registration time. Students may register online anytime on or after their assigned registration time.
2 The Admission Deadline for international students is earlier than the deadline for non-international students and is only available during the fall and spring semesters. Please consult the Academic Calendar for the international student admission deadlines.
3 Classes in shorter sessions (including 4-, 5-, and 8-week sessions) may begin before or after this date. Please refer to the specific class session sections beneath the full Academic Calendar for more information.
Advising
Navigating your way through college can be confusing, especially if you try to go it alone. CWI offers advising assistance to help in deciding which courses you need to take to reach your education and career goals. Visit Advising or contact One Stop Student Services for more information.
Connecting With Ideas
Connecting With Ideas (CWI 101) is the first semester student success course designed to help CWI students become engaged members of the academic community and cultivate habits for lifelong achievement and success. Each semester, students can select from a variety of themes. More information about next semesters CWI 101 themes
Transfer
Look beyond your degree at CWI and plan for continuing your education by working closely with CWI advising and representatives of your intended transfer school. Planning before you transfer can save you time and money. Visit Transfer Information for more information or contact One Stop Student Services.
Financial Aid Available
Did you know that as a student in this program you may be eligible for financial aid? Through grants, scholarships, and loans, more than 60 percent of first-time, full-time CWI students receive some form of financial assistance. To learn more about financial aid options and whether you may be eligible, visit Financial Aid.
Tuition and Fees
Tuition for a full-time CWI student averages half the cost of a state university and a third of the cost of a private college. Tuition and fees vary based on program and residence. Visit Tuition and Fees for more information.
Career Info
Professions
- Elementary Schools
- Secondary Schools
- Postsecondary Education
- Historic Sites and Museums
- Museums and Historical Organizations
- Cultural Resources Management and Historic Preservation
- Think Tanks
- Writers and Editors
- Journalist
- Documentary Editors
- Producers of Multimedia Material
- Archivists
- Records Managers
- Librarians
- Information Managers
- Lawyers and Paralegals
- Litigation Support
- Legislative Staff Work
- Foundations
- Contract Historians
- Historians and Nonprofit Associations
The following websites are an excellent source of information for careers in history:
http://www.historians.org/jobs/
http://www.rollins.edu/history/careers-in-history/index.html
https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/common-jobs-for-majors/humanities
Instructors
Program Department Chair
Instructor(s)
Respectful Community
College of Western Idaho is committed to maintaining a Respectful Community by providing equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate in services, benefits, or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status, age, or any other legally protected status. More on Title IX
News and Blogs

Students in their final semester of College of Western Idaho’s History program enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the Idaho State Archives facility in March.

Congratulations to the inaugural group of CWI faculty who now hold the rank title of Professor.

Students looked through historical documents, firsthand accounts, and personal papers as part of their History Capstone class.

Congratulations to Reggie Jayne, College of Western Idaho’s Faculty of Distinction for January 2019.

"CWI empowered me by showing me I am smart, outgoing, and able to do so many more things than I thought I could.”

Department Chair of History, Culture, and Politics, Dr. Justin Vance, has been named to the National Geographic Idaho Advisory Council.
Academic Transfer
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