University of Mount Union

What you'll study

The programme is built around a History major with a focused concentration in Medieval and Early Modern European Cultural History. You will study political, religious and social developments across Europe from the early Middle Ages through the Renaissance and the confessional age, emphasising cultural practices, intellectual history and material culture.

Core modules and topics

• Introductory and survey courses in Medieval Europe and Early Modern Europe, covering major political and social transformations.
• Courses in cultural history: everyday life, art and visual culture, ritual and popular beliefs.
• Religious and intellectual history: the church, monasticism, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, humanism and scientific change.
• Primary-source courses involving close work with chronicles, letters, legal documents and printed sources.
• Language and palaeography options (e.g. Latin reading, medieval palaeography) to support direct engagement with original texts.
• Method and theory: historiography, methods of cultural history and interdisciplinary approaches including art history and archaeology.
• Practical skills: archival methods, digital history tools, cataloguing and conservation awareness.
• Capstone experience: a senior seminar or honours thesis in which students design and complete an original research project under faculty supervision.
• Optional practical placements or internships with local museums, archives or heritage organisations where available.

Entry requirements

Admission to the University of Mount Union undergraduate programmes typically requires a completed secondary school diploma or equivalent. For the History major, successful applicants generally present a record of strong performance in humanities and social-science subjects. Transfer students are evaluated on college transcripts and may receive credit for relevant coursework.

Applicants should submit academic transcripts and any supplementary materials requested by the admissions office. International applicants are asked to provide proof of English proficiency; specific test requirements and acceptable qualifications are listed by the university. Prospective students who have taken advanced or AP/IB courses in history, literature or languages will find those credits helpful in placing into upper-level modules. Faculty may recommend introductory language or source-method courses for students without previous Latin or palaeography experience.

Career prospects

Graduates with a concentration in Medieval and Early Modern European Cultural History develop research, critical analysis and communication skills that are valued across many sectors. Common career paths include:

• Museum and gallery work: curatorial assistance, education and collections management.
• Archives and record management: archival technician, digital archiving and cataloguing roles.
• Heritage and public history: site interpretation, cultural resource management and community programming.
• Education: secondary teaching (with appropriate certification) or further study for college-level teaching and academic research.
• Publishing, journalism and communications roles that draw on research and writing expertise.
• Progression to graduate study in history, library and information science, museum studies, public history, law or related professional programmes.

Why study at University of Mount Union

University of Mount Union offers a liberal-arts environment with small class sizes and close faculty mentoring, which benefits in-depth historical study and supervised research projects. The History department emphasises hands-on engagement with primary sources and practical skills such as palaeography, archival practice and digital research methods. Students can take advantage of local and regional archives, museums and historic sites for internships and field projects, gaining real-world experience alongside their academic programme.

Faculty in the department bring diverse specialisms in European cultural and religious history and support undergraduate research and conference presentation. The programme's combination of rigorous source work, language support and applied training prepares graduates for both professional careers in heritage and archives and for further academic study.