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School of Arts, Humanities & Education

American History

Online Graduate Certificate in American History

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$0 Application Fee
$0 Transfer Credit Evaluation

0 Entrance Exams
No GRE/GMAT Required

About This Program

Study the history of America from the Revolutionary War to the modern era by enrolling in the graduate certificate in American history at American Public University (APU).

This six-course online certificate in American history goes beyond facts and dates to investigate the political, economic, cultural, and social dynamics, as well as the religious values that contributed to the development of the nation. This graduate certificate in history includes a thorough exploration of the American Revolution, the Civil War, western expansion and the tumultuous 20th century. You will also examine the myriad ways that industrialization, immigration, urbanization, isolationism, and war impacted American society.

Faculty bring their real-world expertise as published historians and military leaders to augment your learning.

What You Will Do

  1. Analyze 18th century British and colonial American society, culture, economics, politics and religion
  2. Assess the political, economic, cultural, and social aspects of the Civil War, including its causes and aftermath
  3. Evaluate the impact of industrialization, immigration, urbanization, the Great Depression, and two world wars
  4. Demonstrate a broad knowledge of historic events and the complexity of human experiences over time and place

Program at a Glance

Number of Credits
18
Transfer up to 9 credits1
Cost Per Credit
$455 | $250*
$386.75** | $409.50***
*with Preferred Military Rate
**with Veteran Grant
***with 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 all courses for this section.

Course ID: 3506

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This course is a comprehensive seminar in U.S. history designed to provide a foundation in U.S. historical theory, trends, and concepts for the further study of specialized and topical history at the graduate level. Students should be expected to read and write intensely on both broadly and narrowly addressed topics of history. This course is not designed as a refresher of undergraduate history survey courses; rather, it is a concentrated study of U.S. history for serious history students and professionals.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
01/27/25 - 07/04/25 07/07/25 - 08/31/25 Summer 2025 Session B 8 Week session
03/31/25 - 08/29/25 09/01/25 - 10/26/25 Summer 2025 Session D 8 Week session
05/26/25 - 10/31/25 11/03/25 - 12/28/25 Fall 2025 Session I 8 Week session
06/30/25 - 11/28/25 12/01/25 - 01/25/26 Fall 2025 Session D 8 Week session

Course ID: 3261

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This course is a comparative study to demonstrate the importance of the historical context of any great military event. Context includes all aspects of a society or culture and in this case, 18th century British and colonial American political and constitutional philosophies, social norms and societal structure, economics, religious concepts, and foreign and diplomatic policy. Students examine issues such as the many historiographical opinions on the degree of American constitutional conservatism versus political and social radicalism, and the nature of the soldiery of the continental Army.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
01/27/25 - 07/04/25 07/07/25 - 08/31/25 Summer 2025 Session B 8 Week session
03/31/25 - 08/29/25 09/01/25 - 10/26/25 Summer 2025 Session D 8 Week session
04/28/25 - 10/03/25 10/06/25 - 11/30/25 Fall 2025 Session B 8 Week session

Course ID: 2656

|
This course is a study of the political, economic, cultural, and social aspects of the Civil War as a seminal event in our nation’s history. Students explore the causes of the war, how a nation coped with the struggle across multiple dimensions, and how we dealt with the conflict's aftermath. Special emphasis is on the continuing debate that the impact of the Civil War had on both the North and the South.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
01/27/25 - 07/04/25 07/07/25 - 08/31/25 Summer 2025 Session B 8 Week session
03/31/25 - 08/29/25 09/01/25 - 10/26/25 Summer 2025 Session D 8 Week session
05/26/25 - 10/31/25 11/03/25 - 12/28/25 Fall 2025 Session I 8 Week session
06/30/25 - 11/28/25 12/01/25 - 01/25/26 Fall 2025 Session D 8 Week session

Course ID: 4661

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This course will examine the political and social history of the thirteen colonies, including their European background, settlement and expansion, beginnings of culture, and the imperial context. Additionally, students will study the social consequences of colonization, migration, and war in America from 1500-1775, including the interaction of British colonists with competing European cultures (French, Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish), with Native Americans, and with African and Afro-American slaves. The course will also include consideration of the pan-Atlantic context of Early America, cross-cultural contacts, family and gender, labor systems, religious observations, crime, and other themes explored in recent social and cultural theory. (Recommended Prerequisites: HIST500 and HIST501)
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
01/27/25 - 07/04/25 07/07/25 - 08/31/25 Summer 2025 Session B 8 Week session
03/31/25 - 08/29/25 09/01/25 - 10/26/25 Summer 2025 Session D 8 Week session

Course ID: 3511

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This course examines the changes in American society at the end of the 19th century as it confronted the issues of industrialization, immigration, and urbanization. It explores the open conflict between the advocates of isolationism and collective security and studies the impact of World War I. It also studies the changing values of the 1920s, the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression, and the cultural, social, political, military, and economic growth of the United States from World War II to the present.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
01/27/25 - 07/04/25 07/07/25 - 08/31/25 Summer 2025 Session B 8 Week session
03/31/25 - 08/29/25 09/01/25 - 10/26/25 Summer 2025 Session D 8 Week session

Course ID: 2659

|
This course is an analysis of the conditions existing in the United States in the first half of the 19th century. The course focuses on the political, cultural/social, economic, security, leadership, and other issues that played roles in starting and shaping the Civil War. Students will analyze the issues in the context of war and peace to determine whether or not such conflicts as civil wars can be avoided prior to their inception.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
01/27/25 - 07/04/25 07/07/25 - 08/31/25 Summer 2025 Session B 8 Week session
03/31/25 - 08/29/25 09/01/25 - 10/26/25 Summer 2025 Session D 8 Week session
05/26/25 - 10/31/25 11/03/25 - 12/28/25 Fall 2025 Session I 8 Week session
06/30/25 - 11/28/25 12/01/25 - 01/25/26 Fall 2025 Session D 8 Week session

Courses Start Monthly

Next Courses Start Aug 4
Register by Aug 1
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Admission Requirements

  • All APU master's degree/graduate certificate programs require a bachelor’s degree (or higher) from an institution whose accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA®). Please read all graduate 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.

CHEA® is a registered trademark of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. 

Materials Cost

Technology fee: $85 per course 

Need Help?

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Consumer Information

Disclosures

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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.