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BA - History as a major

If you’re fascinated by the history and creative activities of humankind and how this shapes societies and our future, then a Bachelor of Arts (BA) is for you. Our graduates are in demand for their flexible skills, practical outlook and depth of understanding they bring to their roles.

Historians study the past to understand the present. History at Waikato will inspire you to understand current events in light of historical context and give you a first-rate history education from a top 200 QS-rated programme.

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Key information

Years: 3
Points: 360
Start Dates: Trimester A (March) and Trimester B (July)
Estimated Fees* (Domestic): $6,591 - $7,608 per year
Estimated Fees* (International): $29,425 - $38,305 per year
Entry Requirements: Undergraduate International
Area of Study:
All amounts are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD). *Tuition fees shown are indicative only and may change. There are additional fees and charges related to enrolment please see the Table of Fees and Charges for more information. You will be sent an enrolment agreement which will confirm your fees.

Career opportunities

  • Archivist
  • Documentary Researcher
  • Historian
  • Journalist
  • Museum or Gallery Curator
  • Political Speechwriter
  • Tour Guide

Degree Planner

Degree planner — BA in History

Please see degree footnote section for 300 level paper choices.

Year 1

HISTY107
New Zealand Histories: Fresh Perspectives

HISTY117
Global Histories

One from List A

ARTSC110
Old Worlds - New Worlds

Field of the Degree
100 level

Field of the Degree
100 level

Elective

Elective

Year 2

Any 200 level
paper listed below

Any 200 level
paper listed below

Any 200 level
paper listed below

One from List B

Field of the Degree
200 level

Elective

Elective

Elective

Year 3

Any 300 level
paper listed below

Any 300 level
paper listed below

Any 300 level
paper listed below

Any 300 level
paper listed below

One from List C

Elective

Elective

Elective

  • Major
  • Compulsory
  • Elective

The History programme teaches papers in global, oral, intellectual, religious, cultural, social, war, comparative, environmental, health, indigenous and science histories in local, national and international contexts. We also explore, methodological, intellectual, and historiographical issues at both undergraduate and graduate levels. History teaches advanced skills in high-level critical thinking, research, communication, and the gathering and assessing of complex evidence, skills in great demand from among prospective employers.

History is available as a first major for the Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Climate Change (BCC) and the Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc). History may also be taken as a second major or minor in other undergraduate degrees, subject to approval of the Division in which the student is enrolled.

To complete History as a single major for the BA, BCC or BSocSc, students must gain 135 points from papers listed for History, including 105 points above 100 level, and a further 60 points above 200 level.

To complete History as part of a double major for the BA, BCC, BSocSc or other undergraduate degree, students must gain 120 points from papers listed for History, including 90 points above 100 level, and a further 45 points above 200 level.

To complete a minor in History, students must complete 60 points from the papers listed for the History major, including at least 30 points above 100 level.

100 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
HISTY107Aotearoa Histories: Past and Future15.024B (Hamilton)
This introductory paper provides students with an overview of Aotearoa New Zealand's histories through hundreds of years of Maori and Iwi history and British Colonial invasions, to the present. Students explore popular overarching myths and narratives of Aotearoa NZ history, key events, peoples and leading scholarship in the field....
HISTY117Global Indigenous History15.024A (Hamilton)
Indigenous historians ask critical questions about how we understand the modern world. With a focus on Indigenous peoples' scholarship, activism, and art this paper introduces central concerns in global Indigenous history over the past century. Students will explore histories of sovereignty, land and water protection, decolonial ac...

200 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
ANTHY208Protest Movements in the Asia-Pacific15.024B (Hamilton)
This paper is about how people across the Asia-Pacific region act collectively to challenge the status quo of powerful political, social, economic, and cultural systems.
HISTY200Pacific History15.024B (Hamilton)
This course introduces students to the history of the Pacific from first settlement through to World War II, focusing on how indigenous peoples and diverse newcomers have engaged with each other and the Pacific's oceanic environment.
HISTY201Histories of Everyday Life in Aotearoa15.024A (Hamilton)
This paper examines histories of social and cultural life in Aotearoa since 1900. We investigate leisure and popular culture; food; urban and suburban life; protests and sovereignty movements; migration; education and work; and family life and sexuality.
HISTY206What Historians Do: Methods and Sources15.024A (Hamilton)
The paper focuses on the fundamental and accepted practices in academic historical scholarship and surveys a variety of significant historical and theoretical approaches to the discipline.
HISTY211Modern United States15.024A (Hamilton)
No description available.

300 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
HISTY300Gender in History15.024A (Hamilton)
Gender in History examines the role of gender in society, culture, and the lives of individuals by introducing students to a range of historical case studies and methodologies.
HISTY301Sugar and Spice: Colonialism, Capitalism and the Environment15.024A (Hamilton)
An examination of key commodities that have reshaped diets, economies and societies across the globe since the early modern period.
HISTY302Blood, Land, DNA: Contemporary Indigenous Histories and Archives15.024B (Hamilton)
This paper explores critical questions about power, sovereignty, and belonging in contemporary Indigenous history, focusing on Aotearoa, the Pacific, and North America. Students will work with diverse archival sources to develop independent research questions.
HISTY380Special Topic: Reproductive Histories15.024B (Hamilton)
This paper introduces students to a specific field of historical enquiry while encouraging the development of professional-level skills in research and presentation.
INTLC317French Culture from Versailles to the Revolution15.024B (Hamilton)
A study of France's literary, social, and historical movements from the Golden Age of Versailles through to the Enlightenment and the Revolution it inspired.

500 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
ALPSS500Academic & Professional Research & Writing30.024A (Online), 24B (Online) & 24C (Online)
In this course, students will gain the skills and confidence to seamlessly transition from study to work. This course works to enhance the 'skills for the future' identified by the World Economic Forum (2020), in order to produce resilient, creative students with strong analytic and critical thinking skills.
ALPSS590Directed Study30.024X (Hamilton)
This paper allows students from the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences to undertake research on a specific topic related to their major under the guidance of academic staff.
ALPSS591Research Project30.024X (Hamilton) & 24X (Tauranga)
A research report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical or practice-led investigation (up to 12,500 words maximum).
ALPSS592Dissertation60.024X (Hamilton) & 24X (Tauranga)
A research report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical or practice-led investigation (up to 25,000 words maximum).
HISTY512Environmental History30.024A (Hamilton)
Environmental History explores the ways in which human societies, cultures, and economies have imagined and shaped, as well as been shaped by, the natural world across time and place from the development of agriculture to 20th century environmental movements.
HISTY516History and Theory30.024B (Hamilton)
This paper prepares students for professional historical practice and higher study through an investigation of relevant historiographical theories and methodologies.
HISTY593History Thesis90.024X (Hamilton)
An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research.

800 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
HISTY800History MPhil Thesis120.024X (Hamilton)
No description available.

900 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
HISTY900History PhD Thesis120.024I (Hamilton), 24J (Hamilton), 24K (Hamilton) & 24X (Hamilton)
No description available.

Scholarships and prizes

Visit our Scholarship Finder for information about possible scholarships

Find your scholarship

Potential PhD, MA or Honours Dissertation Candidates

All potential PhD, MA or Honours dissertation candidates must contact a current History staff member to discuss their Honours, MA or PhD dissertation topic before enrolling.

Staff may already have full supervision workloads or be away on research leave, so the sooner candidates contact staff the better. Potential candidates who wish to enrol in an Honours 591, MA programme or PhD thesis should take time to check whether current staff are available and have expertise in their chosen preferred topics.

Subject links

History Programme

For more information about subject requirements please refer to the Catalogue of Papers for the most up to date information. If you have any questions and need more advice contact one of our friendly student advisors phone: 0800 800 145 or +64 7 838 4080 or email: [email protected]

Please note: For all graduate subject requirements check the information provided in the Graduate Study Options section above.

Contacts

School of Social Sciences
Phone: 0800 800 145 or +64 7 838 4030
General Enquiries: [email protected]