The CMHS offers students an academic minor to prepare them not only for future careers in foreign policy, the intelligence community, the government, or military service, but, above all, for their role as informed citizens.
The minor requires eighteen credits, including three core courses, six elective hours, and a capstone seminar.
The core courses will introduce students to the causes, conduct, and consequences of warfare from the ancient world through the present, in cultures from around the globe. The capstone—American Strategy—examines the contemporary implications of America’s international role in conflict.
The CMHS also hosts an annual conference and a guest lecture series. The conference brings together leading military historians, policymakers, scholars, and military officers. Each annual conference has a single issue unifying its lectures and discussions. The guest lecture series provides insight and understanding from leaders in the field of military history and strategy.
Hillsdale College offers a unique program in military history and strategy—global in understanding and direction. The College maintains a long tradition of military service among its students and alumni. During the Civil War, more than 400 students enlisted and fought for the Union, a higher percentage of students, in fact, than from any other American college. World War II again depleted the campus of men, as students once again rose to defend the cause of freedom. Hillsdale students and alumni have answered the call to serve their country.
Hillsdale College’s founding Articles of Association acknowledge that “sound learning” is required to preserve “the inestimable blessings resulting from the prevalence of civil and religious liberty.” Threats to liberty, self-government, and the rule of law are ever-present in the world today. By providing an education in the study of war and strategy, Hillsdale strives to prepare undergraduates and educate the public to defend and preserve those “inestimable blessings” of liberty in a world that continues to ignore the lessons of the past.
The CMHGS also hosts an annual conference and a lecture series. The conference brings together leading military historians, policymakers, scholars, and military officers. Each annual conference has a single issue unifying its lectures and discussions. The guest lecture series provides insight and understanding from leaders in the field of military history and strategy. The Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program provides students an exceptional opportunity to understand the Beltway and its environs whilst taking classes and gleaning practical knowledge for their future careers in service to the United States.
Hillsdale College opened its new Center for Military History and Strategy with a two-day launch event on Sept. 9 and 10, 2022. The event, which was hosted on Hillsdale’s campus, featured talks by historians Victor Davis Hanson, Ian Johnson, and Sean McMeekin.
Each lecture within the series corresponds with courses taught each semester, which focus on the broader relevancy of applicable lessons for today in war and strategy.
Hillsdale College undergraduates may participate in semester-long internships:
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