History Major

The History Major prepares students by honing their communication and critical thinking skills, and thus serves as an excellent path to myriad careers, including business, education, law, and politics.

Student making presentation about female pirates

History major Naomi Hanson, '19, presents at the annual Whalen Symposium

The major is flexible, rich in courses of broad interest, and rigorous, allowing students to make the most of their time in College. Many of our majors take history courses while immersing themselves in a semester of study abroad, and an increasing number of majors are adding to the breadth of their college experience by having an internship. We regularly have double majors in the program, and we urge our majors to expand their range by having a minor along with the History Major.

Employers are increasingly asking for more college graduates who are not merely trained in a narrow field, but who have learned the fundamental skills in critical thinking, communication, analysis, and writing that can lead to leadership roles and promotion. With the History Major, we train students not just for their first job, but to have the skills that will allow them to excel once they get that job: being the person in the office who continues to learn on the job, and the one with writing skills others seek out.

Degree Requirements

Explore the History Major

Browse our course offerings

Visit the catalog for a description of the History Department, including policies on AP credit and Honors in History.

Program requirements are set in the semester when you declare a major. For those who became majors in Fall 2016 or after, the above requirements apply to you. Students who matriculated prior to the Fall 2016 should consult the appropriate catalog in the Catalog Archive (for instance, if you became a History major in August of 2014, you would consult the 2014-2015 catalog).