Student Opportunities

Hands-on learning is at the core of all our majors.

In any major or minor in the history, philosophy, and political science department, you’ll have numerous opportunities to apply what you’re learning, conduct research, and gain experience. It’s all part of how we equip you with skills that transfer to any career.

And you’ll be able to get involved right away. Bethel’s size and vibrant community present opportunities for you to get involved from your first day on campus. 

Study around the world

Since most of our majors require a relatively small number of credits, you’ll have many options for studying abroad over a full semester, January session, spring break, or the summer.

For example, our professors co-lead the Medieval Worlds travel course, which explores medieval art, history, and religion in Morocco and Spain every other January. You can also study for a semester at a university in another country—recent students have studied in Chile, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Lithuania, gaining global perspectives relevant to their fields.

Internships

You’ll apply what you’ve learned through great internships. Students have interned in legal offices, the Minnesota State Legislature, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, international relations organizations, and more. Here are just a few examples:

• Minnesota Historical Society. If you’re interested in history or social studies education, many past students have interned for the Minnesota Historical Society in a variety of positions—exhibit development, teacher relations, publishing, fundraising, and more.
• Minnesota State Legislature. If you’re interested in political science, you can take advantage of internship programs with the state legislature.
• Law firms. If you’re interested in a law career or our Minor in Pre-Law, several students have interned with law firms as they prepare for law school. 

Student clubs

You can participate in the Model United Nations team—recently recognized with a Best Overall Delegation award—which explores international issues and competes against teams from around the country every November in a tournament in Chicago. The student-led Pre-Law Club also frequently brings alumni and law school representatives to campus. You can join Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, where students engage in academic and professional development opportunities. Explore more clubs and organizations.

On-campus work

You can work for the department as a teaching assistant (TA), working closely with faculty in a valuable mentorship opportunity. Each of our professors works with one or two undergraduate teaching assistants, who are paid to help faculty with grading, tutoring, research, and other responsibilities. TA jobs are also available in general education courses like Christianity and Western Culture, Humanities, and Inquiry Seminar. Some students have worked on digitization projects in the Bethel University Library, and others have worked in Bethel's History Center archives.

Research

You’ll have the opportunity to conduct research alongside professors, with most student-faculty research happening through the Edgren Scholars program. This competitive program provides $3,000 in funding for summer research completed as part of a student-faculty team.

Recent projects include an oral history project on “The Women of Bethel” and student-faculty research that contributed to a published book on the Declaration of Independence.

You can also pursue your own original research in local or digital archives through courses like Senior Seminar and the Applied Humanities Seminar.

Pietas Honors Program

Bethel’s Pietas Honors Program is open to students from any major, forming a cross-disciplinary community of learners who challenge and inspire each other throughout their time together at Bethel. The core program consists of four honors courses that also fulfill general education requirements. (Students receive free textbooks in those courses.) The program also hosts special events throughout the year and offers opportunities for collaborative research projects and service leadership.