Explore the World of History at South Carolina State University’s History/African American Studies Program
The History/African American Studies program offers an interdisciplinary approach to the history of, culture, and contemporary situations of African Americans. It draws its unique insight of other social sciences (psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and criminal justice).
South Carolina State University’s bachelor’s degree in History/African American Studies can offer you a career in teaching, business, politics and international relations.
The History program has excellent faculty highly recognized for their great scholarship. It offers small class sizes with a length program of four years.
Why You Should Major in History/African American Studies at South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University is an HBCU that has operated since 1896, which makes it the perfect location to study African American history, especially given the university’s place in civil rights history.
The Orangeburg Massacre is an important chapter in the university’s history. It occurred on SC State’s campus in 1968, in which three young men were killed and 28 protestors were wounded. During this tragic event, police opened fire on some 200 unarmed Black students who were demonstrating in the name of integrating a local bowling alley. Each year on Feb. 8, the university honors the ones who were killed, their families and Orangeburg Massacre survivors.
Notable SC State alumni include Benjamin E. Mays, the civil rights pioneer who was the spiritual guide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as civil rights icon Gloria Blackwell, groundbreaking chemist Alma Levant Hayden. U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn, educator and activist Celia Dial Saxon, South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Beatty, former Miss USA Kára McCullough Temple and many others.
SC State is determined to keep its history alive while enriching the minds of students with advanced, unique courses in history and African American studies.
What Will You Study as a History/African American Studies Major?
South Carolina State’s bachelor’s degree in history/African American studies is a 122-hour program that is typically completed in four years. Marketing degree courses include:
- Hip Hop Culture
- The African Diaspora
- History of South Carolina
- African Women’s History
- African American Experience
- African American History
- Latin American History
Student Organizations Connected to the Program
Our department partners with student life organizations on campus. Those organizations include Phi Alpha Theta International Honor Society in History, Asa Gordon Historical Society, and Pi Gamma Mu Social Sciences Honor Society.
What Can You do with a History/African American Studies Degree?
Earning your bachelor’s in history/African American studies from South Carolina State will prepare you for various career paths related to history and advanced degrees in other fields. You’ll be primed for such positions as:
- History professor
- Historian
- Politician
- Archivist
- Librarian
- Archeologist
- Anthropologist
Paying for school
Our department provides scholarships specific to the History/African American Studies program. Those scholarships include:
- Thurgood Marshall College Fund
- SC State University Foundation Scholarships
- SC State Title II Scholarship
- Enid Hall Griswold Memorial Scholarship
- Platt Family Essay Contest
- Colonial Ghosts Scholarship
- Boren Scholarships
- Michael T and Mary L. Cloyd Scholarship