The Undergraduate UMass Boston Navitas GSSP is the first year of a bachelor’s degree program at UMass Boston. The Navitas GSSP consists of for-credit coursework and provides an academic and cultural bridge from the high school experience to studying at a university in the United States. When students successfully complete the UMass Boston Navitas GSSP, they will progress directly into the second year of their undergraduate degree program.

 

Learning about people and cultures, and the debates and controversies of the past helps students understand the world today. Courses in history teach students to think critically about complex issues, to understand how history is constructed, and to make convincing arguments. The study of history enriches students' private lives, prepares them to make wise choices in public life, and trains them for careers in law, politics, teaching, journalism, and many other careers that require reasoning and writing abilities.

In the undergraduate program, courses on a wide array of regions and eras are offered, many of which are designed to be accessible to students majoring in other fields but also interested in history. UMB has particular strengths in the history of the United States and Europe, and in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and are actively engaged in seeking new faculty who will improve the ability to offer new courses.

History courses don’t simply introduce past eras of the world:  they teach students to write, research, and argue effectively.  History majors gain the skills for a wide range of successful careers, from teaching to law to environmental science to business management. Small classes, student camaraderie, internship opportunities, and faculty mentoring in the History Department create a stimulating and rewarding undergraduate experience.