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School of Arts, Humanities & Education

History

Online Associate of Arts in History (AA)

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About This Program

Gain captivating insight into the pivotal people and events that influenced modern civilization with an associate degree in history from American Public University (APU).

Throughout this online history degree program, you explore important historical periods by examining decisive events and cultures from a global perspective. Providing basic education about history, APU’s Associate of Arts in History covers world civilization with options to further explore American history, Western civilization, African-American history, history of the American Indian, and the history of women in the U.S.

Faculty who are published historians bring unique perspectives and relevant research to your learning.

What You Will Do

  1. Identify major historical developments
  2. Examine the past from diverse perspectives
  3. Think about the causes, context, chronology, and resulting changes of events from the past using historical reasoning
  4. Use historical method to develop questions, conduct research, analyze evidence, and state defensible conclusions

View Program Outcome Assessment Results

Degree at a Glance

Number of Credits
60
Transfer up to 45 credits1
Cost Per Credit
$360 | $250*
$324**
*with Preferred Military Rate
**with Veteran Grant or APUS Opportunity Grant
Courses Start Monthly
Online
and vary from 8 to 16 weeks

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Program Requirements Printable Catalog Version

Must take the following in this Section:

Course ID: 5037

|
Information and Digital Literacy is designed to provide students with sustainable and usable skills essential to success in both academic and professional settings. Students will learn best practices to locate and evaluate sources, and effectively communicate using digital literacy to become proficient 21st century learners.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session
06/29/26 - 12/04/26 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 Fall 2026 Session D 8 Week session

Course ID: 4951

|
Martin Luther King, Jr, said, “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to KEEP MOVING.” Making Writing Relevant is a composition course that will definitely keep you moving. It is not merely a required course; it is the type of course you will want to take because it moves you onto the path to success. Over eight-weeks, we will help you learn the most important components of a successful writer-communicator. We will teach you how to research properly, knowing you will need this skill in every course you take here at APUS and also in interactions in your professional and personal life. We will teach you the formatting style you will use in your field. We will provide a supportive community to strengthen and encourage you, and by the end of this nearly-all-you-need-to-know-about-writing course, you will be able to fly.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session
06/29/26 - 12/04/26 12/07/26 - 01/31/27 Fall 2026 Session D 8 Week session

Must take all courses for this section.

Course ID: 3040

|
This course is a survey of the history of the human community from the dawn of civilization to 1650. Emphasis is placed on the origins and achievements of the core civilizations of Asia, Europe, Africa and the Western Hemisphere. It stresses the interrelations of societies and cultures of the past, comparing and contrasting the experiences of peoples and civilizations with one another.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 3041

|
This course is a survey course in the history of the human community from 1650 to the present. It covers the origins, development and achievements of the major civilizations and stresses the interrelations of societies and cultures of the past, comparing the experience of peoples and civilizations with one another.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session

Choose 12 credit hours from this section.

Course ID: 3038

|
This course is a survey of United States history from the earliest European settlements in North America through the end of Reconstruction and emphasizes our nation's political, economic, and social development, the evolution of its institutions, and the causes and consequences of its principal wars.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 3039

|
This course is a survey of history of the United States from the end of Reconstruction to modern times. Emphasis will be placed on internal expansion, inherent isolationism, America’s road to becoming a world power, and the development of the concept of America as the "policeman" of the world.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 3042

|
This course is a survey of the history and culture of the Western Civilization from the ancient civilizations of the Near East, through the rise of the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, to the beginnings of Europe's Early Modern period. Emphasis is placed on the examination of the major political, social, economic and religious developments of European history.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 3043

|
This course is a study of the history and culture of the Western world, from the beginnings of Europe's Early Modern Period to the present. It covers the major political, social, economic, religious and cultural developments, since the thirty years war.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 3845

|
This course has been designed as an introduction to the history of women in the United States from the colonial period to the present. It will be surveying the field of American women's history in order to understand how specific political, social and economic transformations in the nation's past have affected the female half of the population. Throughout, it will remain attuned to ethnic, racial, and regional differences and class distinctions in the lives of U.S. women. It will look at women's culture, as distinct from the dominant male culture, and analyze women's writings, art, life cycles and sexuality. It will work to understand the collective lives of women as workers, family members, reformers, and political activists as well as the individual experiences of women in the U.S. from the colonial era into the 21st Century.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 3048

|
This course examines the complex and varied experiences of African Americans from slavery to 1877. Topics include West African roots, the middle passage, American slavery and resistance, the development of racism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. The course will examine internal and external factors that shaped the black historical experience economically, culturally, and politically. While the class is designed to proceed chronologically, important themes such as the development of racism, abolitionist thought, the slave community, and the impact of free blacks will be emphasized.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 3049

|
This course surveys the economic, cultural, and political facets of the African American experience from 1877 to the present. Topics of African American history will be examined, such as Jim Crow laws, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, and Black Power. While the class is designed to proceed chronologically, themes such as military and diplomatic policies, migration and urbanization, black political thought, and popular culture will be emphasized.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 3046

|
This course surveys American Indian history from before Columbus to the present. It emphasizes the American Indians’ political, economic, and social development, the emergence of the principles that guided them into the 21st century, the evolution of its institutions, and the causes and consequences of its principal wars.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
02/23/26 - 07/31/26 08/03/26 - 09/27/26 Summer 2026 Session I 8 Week session
04/27/26 - 10/02/26 10/05/26 - 11/28/26 Fall 2026 Session B 8 Week session
05/25/26 - 10/30/26 11/02/26 - 12/27/26 Fall 2026 Session I 8 Week session
Select any courses that have not been used to fulfill major requirements. Credits applied toward a minor or certificate in an unrelated field may be used to fulfill elective credit for the major.

Courses Start Monthly

Next Courses Start Jul 6
Register by Jul 3
Apply Now Request Info

Admission Requirements

  • All APU undergraduate programs require a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent (i.e., GED). Please read all undergraduate admission requirements before applying to this program and be prepared to submit the required documentation.
  • There is no fee to complete the APU admission application for this program. View steps to apply.

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1The University reserves the right to accept or deny credits according to policies outlined on our University website. Please see the University's transfer credit policy webpage for complete information.

*Cost Per Credit Hour

The Preferred Military Rate is $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's-level courses. This rate is available to all U.S. active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, Reservists, and military families, including parents, spouses, legal partners, siblings, and dependents.

See all military student benefits.

Cost of Attendance

Learn more about American Public University's cost components and full cost of attendance.