Department of History

You can build your resume, gain real-world experiences and create a network that serves you for years to come through an internship. USD history majors have interned locally at the South Dakota Oral History Center, USD Archives and W. H. Over Museum, the National Music Museum and beyond at centers and organizations like the Dakota Territorial Museum, South Dakota State Archives and Smithsonian. 

Whether you are studying history, philosophy or Native American studies, you can engage in hands-on learning in the region and around the world. Our students have traveled to the State Archives of the South Dakota State Historical Society to perform research with primary source material and have also participated in study abroad opportunities such as the department's Isles of Greece program.

Student History Club

The Student History Club hosts activities ranging from meals using recipes from “Hollywood with a Historian” film nights to excursions to regional historical sites and performances and exhibits in Omaha.

The Friends of Wisdom

Friends of Wisdom is a student organization that welcomes all students with an interest in philosophy. Friends of Wisdom meetings involve lively discussion of selected topics, current events and other matters of interest.

Tiospaye (extended family)

The Native American studies program promotes Tiospaye, which encourages Native and non-Native students to get involved in school activities. We support students in their academic pursuits and promote Native life on campus by engaging students, faculty and community members of all walks of life.

We create a Tiospaye (extended family) of university and community members to give students a home away from home and encourage South Dakota schools, universities and tribal colleges to work together to promote Native student higher education.

Phi Alpha Theta

The Zeta Mu Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta was formed at USD in 1957 and since that time has inducted over 550 members. Majors are inducted into Phi Alpha Theta at the awards ceremony each spring.

Membership Requirements:

• Undergraduate students must complete at least 12 semester hours in history (four courses) with a GPA of at least 3.1 in history, have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better  and be in the top 35% of the class. Membership is not limited to history majors.
• Graduate students should have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours toward their master's degree, have a GPA of better than 3.5 and shall have completed approximately 30% of the residence requirements for the master's degree.

Phi Alpha Theta publishes The Historian, a distinguished quarterly journal with articles written by members with interests in all fields of history. It also contains numerous reviews of scholarly books and other items of interest. The Historian is one of the most widely circulated scholarly historical journals published in the United States.

The Department of History awards four graduate assistantships in history and one graduate assistantship in religious studies each year. Gain real-world, professional experience while enjoying paid employment and discounted tuition rates as a graduate student at USD. The affordability you gain through graduate assistantships and fellowships will equip you will valuable, professional-level skills that will set you apart after graduation. 

Learn more about Graduate Assistantships

For history majors, the Cedric & Evelyn Cummins Memorial Scholarship supports the study abroad experiences of history majors and has enabled students to travel to countries including Ireland, Greece, Germany and France. The Reaves Family History Scholarship also supports history undergraduate students and is awarded annually by the history department faculty. Ask the department chair for more information.