Can I get a job with a qualification in history?

Absolutely! Qualifications in history can lead to a range of careers, not only in directly history-related fields, but also in law, civil service, politics, journalism, and teaching. Some career options may require further education or training.

For an excellent list of potential careers that a history degree can lead to, see this web page at UBC.

However, even if you do not plan to go into a field that is directly related to the disciplines that we cover, the critical thinking, reading, and writing skills that we teach are universally applicable, and are consequently in high demand by employers.

Alumni

Here's a sampling of people who have studied history at Langara College:

  • Stephanie Higgs left Langara to pursue courses at both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At present she is thoroughly enjoying her work in publishing in New York City.
  • Ujjal Dosanjh studied history at Langara before pursuing a law degree. He later became Premier of B.C.
  • Raoul Grossman began studying history at Langara and then taught for many years in the History department.
  • Danica Piche was accepted directly into Law School at UBC on the basis of her grades at Langara.
  • Kenneth Roberts studied Medieval history at Langara and completed his PhD at the University of East Anglia, UK.
  • Lucy Harrison won the Winston Spencer Churchill Challenge scholarship for a history paper she wrote at Langara. She then entered the Honours History program at UBC.
  • Ulrich Teucher began studying ancient history at Langara shortly after he immigrated from Germany. He then completed a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at UBC.
  • Two former history students chose to pursue careers in education: Elaine Dornan completed a BEd at Simon Fraser University; Jack Johnston now teaches primary school in the Vancouver Public School system.
  • Michelle Good went straight from Langara to Law School at UBC. Having earned her law degree, she is now practising law in Kamloops, representing residential school survivors, after teaching history and indigenous studies at UBC Kelowna.
  • After studying History at Langara, Sean Maschmann pursued an Honours BA at UBC. He then went on to complete his Master’s degree in History, and is now teaching in our department here at Langara.

University Transfer

I am planning on transferring to university. What do I need to get into each program?

The requirements for each institution’s programs differ. Below you will find a list of the first- and second-year requirements for the history programs at the major universities in BC, correct at the time of writing. If you plan to transfer, we highly recommend checking the links below as you plan your course choices at Langara.

For a more comprehensive guide to course transfer, including information on how our courses transfer to other institutions, see the BC Transfer Guide: https://www.bctransferguide.ca/.

Simon Fraser University, Bachelor of Arts in History

  • 18 units (credits) of 100 and 200 division History courses.
  • SFU 100 and 200 division courses introduce four groupings of History course offerings: the history of Africa, Asia, and Middle East; the history of the Americas; European history; and global/comparative history. Students enrolling in 400 division seminars should have an appropriate background in 100, 200 and/or 300 division history. Normally, students should complete 45 units (or equivalent) prior to enrollment in any upper division History course. Students must complete at least six lower division History units before enrolling in 300 division work and nine lower division History units before enrolling in 400 division work.
  • Students should plan lower division course work with upper division requirements in mind. The program offers a wide range of courses in four lower division groups, providing introduction to a broad curriculum. A careful selection of lower division courses lays the foundation for specialization in specific upper division areas. For this reason, students should complete at least one course from at least three of the four lower division groups. Students are advised to contact an advisor at SFU to determine how courses from Langara will fit into those division groups.
  • A full degree at SFU requires 120 units. 60 of those units must be completed at SFU.
  • SFU also has further requirements for the History major.
  • SFU also has a History Honours program.

University of British Columbia – Okanagan, Bachelor of Arts in History:

  • Twelve credits of lower-level History (100/200 level).
  • Six more credits of History at any level, including at least 3 credits of Canadian history
  • UBCO also has a History Honours program, which requires twelve credits of lower-level History (100/200 level) and a further twelve credits of History at any level.
  • For more information, see: https://okanagan.calendar.ubc.ca/faculties-schools-and-colleges/faculty…

University of British Columbia – Vancouver, Bachelor of Arts in History:

University of Northern British Columbia, Bachelor of Arts in History

  • A UNBC degree in History requires students to complete 54 credit hours of History courses, at least 30 credit hours of which must be upper-division courses.
  • At the lower level, students must take UNBC HIST 190, HIST 191, and HIST 200. These courses are not currently taught at Langara, though we are hoping to have equivalents of HIST 190 and HIST 191 in place soon. Students must also complete nine additional credit hours in 200-level History courses.
  • For more information, see: https://www.unbc.ca/calendar/undergraduate/history
  • UNBC also has a History Honours program. 

University of Victoria, Bachelor of Arts in History

Note that 1.5 units at UVic is equivalent to 3 credits at Langara, so you should bear this in mind when calculating your credits.

  • All Honours and Major students are required to take UVic HSTR 100 and UVic HSTR 201. Equivalents of these courses are not currently offered at Langara.
  • At the lower level, UVic History Majors also require 4.5 units of 100 or 200-level courses from UVic HSTR (= 9 credits of HIST courses at Langara)
  • For more information, see: https://www.uvic.ca/calendar/undergrad/index.php - /programs/HyaSp7AGN?bc=true&bcCurrent=History&bcItemType=programs
  • UVic also has a History Honours program.