The School
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The School of History, Philosophy, and Political Science at the University of Northern Colorado combines three basic elements of knowledge. First, historical study is concerned with the maintenance of the human record and, as such, forms an indispensable and basic background for all other areas of the knowledge in the humanities and the social sciences. Second, the study of philosophy necessitates serious reflection about fundamental ideas and beliefs in an effort to clarify these while determining their essential truth or falsehood. Last, political science studies how societies are organized and how they change over time. Not surprisingly, political science students and faculty examine how public policy is determined while simultaneously concerning themselves with those values that affect political thinking. These three areas, then, are concerned with, and assess, critical and analytical thinking, along with writing, research techniques, and methodology. Each discipline further strives to promote a well-focused educational experience for students.
Together, the three areas have over 650 majors with about one-third of that number as minors. History provides a teaching emphasis B.A. in addition to a liberal arts bachelor’s degree. Philosophy and Political Science each offer a bachelor’s degree in the liberal arts; philosophy also offers an emphasis in ethics and public policy. Graduates from this school find employment in a variety of vocations ranging from attorney, to computer specialist, to civil service employee, to college/university professor, to government service, to tourist guide. Employers seeking our students request that they be able to think critically, write well, and know how to do research. These are qualities that we impress upon our students, and the large number of our employed graduates suggest that we are educating them well.
Of the three programs, only History offers a graduate degree. Candidates for the M.A. degree have the option of either writing a thesis or taking a comprehensive examination at the conclusion of their program. Thesis writers from History have won the competitive Graduate School Dean’s “Citation for Outstanding Thesis” eight times since 1998, an average of one a year. Those who opt for the comprehensive plan generally acquit themselves very well on their written examinations. Graduate students often are employed as secondary school teachers, continue on to professional school, or qualify for a number of occupations in either the public or private sector.
The role of this school within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences is to serve as a forum in which students may examine the past, engage with the great ideas and beliefs emerging from that past, and see the use to which these ideas and beliefs have been put by society.
