About

Undergraduate Programs

The Department of History’s undergraduate program includes a wide range of courses from Roman architecture to queer marriage, medieval magic to contemporary environmental conflicts, and from residential schools to drug wars. These reflect the diverse research programs of our faculty. We want to take you along with us as we explore the past and as you develop your own research focus.

Starting in first year, you will engage in original research projects in our one-of-a-kind History Matters courses, which are taught by award-winning teachers. These are not the old dusty stories you might associate with history! They will take you on some remarkable journeys in the past—the ones that we know best—while giving you the technical and analytical skills necessary for success.

Our small seminar model in our third- and fourth-year classes will allow you to work directly with faculty. Throughout the program we will help you to develop your own research focus and to engage directly in the experience of being a historian. The impact of this approach can be seen in our alumni’s success in government, education, research, museums, administration, and business.

For more on our exciting and innovative program, here is a brief presentation from Mark Meyers, Undergraduate Director.

What Can I Do With A History Degree?

Are you wondering what kind of careers are available with a history degree? Take a look at these suggestions from the Department of History and the Canadian Historical Association.

Signature Teaching Areas

  • Women, Gender, and Sexuality
  • Science, Health, and Medicine
  • Colonialism and Post Colonialism
  • Politics and Foreign Relations
  • Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies
  • Indigenous History
  • War and Violence
  • Cultural History
  • Environmental History
  • The Practice of History (e.g., Digital, Manuscript, and Ethno-History)

 

For information on the course requirements of our program 

Apply to our program

Scholarships, Awards, Fellowships, and Research Funding

Major Awards

For more information about awards, contact asg.studentawards@usask.ca or the Undergraduate Chair.

History Matters Award

Value: $500 each
Number: Two
Eligibility: Open to undergraduate students pursuing a four-year degree or Honours degree with a major in History. The purpose of the award is to recognize the academic achievement of two undergraduate students entering the second year who are History majors or are in double honours with History, who have the top two highest overall grade point averages. Selection is made by the Department of History.
Donor: Established with the support of the Department of History.
Apply: No application required.

Margaret E. Vanderhaeghe Award in History & Art History 

Value: $2,500
Number: One
Eligibility: Open to undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Arts and Science with a declared major in History or Art History at the University of Saskatchewan.  A call for nominations will take place in the fall of each year. Instructors may select essays from 300- and 400-level courses that focus on social history, intellectual history, the history of Saskatchewan or the history of art and forward them to the awards committee for consideration. Additionally, students may submit a 10-20 page original essay (2,500-5,000 words) on one of the topics: social history, intellectual history, history of Saskatchewan, and history of art to the committee.  Eligible essays must be written in the current academic year. 
Donor: Guy Vanderhaeghe, in memory of his wife Margaret, who was a graduate of the U of S Department of History and a respected artist with deep roots in the Saskatchewan artistic community.  
Apply: Nominations to be submitted by faculty; eligible students may elect to submit an essay on a suitable topic independently to the Department of Art and Art History or the Department of History.
Deadline: December 30th and April 30th for work created over the past semester. 

Hilda Neatby Memorial Scholarship

Value: $1,000
Number: One
Eligibility: Awarded annually to the student entering the third year of an Honours program in History who has achieved the highest overall academic average. To be eligible the student must be enrolled in at least three courses. If there is no suitable candidate in the Department of History, the award may be made to a student in French or another second language, Philosophy, or another subject in the humanities and fine arts. 
Donor: Established to keep alive the memory of Hilda Neatby, a dedicated scholar and teacher, an incisive critic of educational methods, and one of those most responsible for the development of government support for the arts, humanities and social sciences in Canada. She was a Professor of History (1934-68) and the Head of the Department of History (1958-68) at the University of Saskatchewan. 
Apply: No application required.

Frank H. Underhill Memorial Scholarship – History Excellence Award

Value: $1,000
Number: One 
Eligibility: Awarded annually to the student with the second highest cumulative percentage average who is entering the fourth year of the Honours program in History. Selection is made by the Department of History. 
Donor: Established in honour of the late Frank Underhill, a founder of the CCF and a prominent member of the League for Social Reconstruction; his contribution to political philosophy was recognized through a Governor General's Literary Award for his volume of essays, In Search of Canadian Liberalism. He was Professor of History (1914-27) at the University of Saskatchewan. 
Apply: No application required.

Ruth and Eber Pollard Scholarship in History

Value: Varies. Approximately $5,000
Number: Four
Eligibility: Open to History majors in a Bachelor of Arts, Honours or Double Honours Degree program, who have taken at least one History class involving Canadian content. To be awarded each spring to the students with the highest cumulative average in year one through three:
  • One scholarship to a top student completing year one
  • Two scholarships to the top students completing year two
  • One scholarship to a top student completing year three
Donor: Ruth and Eber Pollard
Apply: No application required. 
Additional Information: Awards page

James H. Gray Essay Prize

Value: $100
Number: One
Eligibility: Open to undergraduate students who have completed a 400-level History course. One research paper will be nominated by the instructor of each of the 400-level courses. Selection will be based on academic excellence in a 400-level research paper as determined by the selection committee.
Donor: Mr. James H. Gray
Apply: No application required.

Kathleen R. McKenzie Scholarship

Value: $3,000
Number: One
Eligibility: Awarded annually to the student with the highest cumulative percentage average in all courses who is entering the fourth year of an Honours program in History. Selection is made by the Department of History. 
Donor: Established in memory of Kathleen Rose McKenzie (B.A. '31) of Regina with funds from her estate. 
Apply: No application required.

M.J. Coldwell Prizes in Canadian Affairs

Value: $1,000
Number: varies
Eligibility: Offered annually to full-time and part-time students with the highest academic achievement on any three full-course equivalents dealing with any of the following areas of study: Canadian economic affairs, Canadian government, Canadian history, or Canadian literature. The courses do not have to be taken in the same academic session; a student is eligible for the prize in the year in which the third course in the above areas of study is successfully completed. Students must be of scholarship calibre. Students may receive the Prize a second time provided they complete an additional 3-full course equivalents in the designated areas. 
Donor: Dr. Hugh MacLean, formerly of Regina.
Apply: Application for Continuing Scholarships along with a brief written statement listing at least 18 credit units of relevant courses taken as well as a description of these courses.
Deadline: June 1 

Arthur Silver Morton Memorial Travel Scholarship

Description: The scholarships are to be used to assist the recipients in meeting the expenses of travel connected with a program of research. 
Value: Varies 
Number: Varies
Eligibility: Offered annually to graduate students and to undergraduate students who have completed at least three full years of university study concentrating in History, Archaeology, Political Studies or Native Studies. 
Donor: The Saskatoon Arts and Craft Society in memory of Vivian Williams Morton (B.A. '17, L.L.D. '62), co-founder of the Arts and Crafts Society and her husband Arthur Silver Morton, University of Saskatchewan's first Librarian (1914-40), Professor of History, and Head of the Department of History.
Apply: Applicants for Morton Scholarships should apply to the department in mid-January. Please download and complete the History Travel Awards Application. Submit completed applications, including a one-page itemized budget, to asg.studentawards@usask.ca
Additional Information: Awards page


Simpson Prize in History

Value: $200
Number: Two
Eligibility: Awarded annually to two first-year students who have written the best final examinations in a History course at the 100 level. 
Donor: Established in honour of the late George W. Simpson, Professor of History (1922-58), Head of the Department (1945-58) and Provincial Archivist (1940-48). His reflective scholarship and humanity influenced a generation of Saskatchewan historians, archivists and teachers. 
Apply: No application required.


Charles W. Lightbody Memorial Scholarship - Top Graduate Award

Value: $2000
Number: One 
Eligibility: Awarded annually to the student with the highest academic standing who is graduating in the Fall Convocation with a four-year or Honours degree in History. Selection is made by the Department of History. 
Donor: Established in memory of Charles Lightbody, a brilliant and inspiring teacher who was an Associate Professor of History (1948-62). 
Apply: No application required. 

De Brou Top Graduate Award

Value: $2,000
Number: One
Eligibility: Awarded annually to the student with the highest academic standing who is graduating in the Spring Convocation with a four-year or Honours degree in History. Selection is made by the Department of History. 
Donor: Established with the support of the Department of History.  This award is in honour of the late Associate Professor and Head of the Department of History, Dave De Brou.
Apply: No application required.