Why Study History

Who hasn’t heard someone say, “I just love history”? Maybe that person is you? History is a vibrant and fascinating study of people, events, and institutions in the past. For many people, that’s reason enough to earn a history degree. But there are larger and more practical reasons to choose history as your major.

Here are a few of those reasons that historian Peter Stearns complied for the American Historical Association:

• History Helps Us Understand People and Societies
• History Helps Us Understand Change
• History Helps Us Understand How the Society We Live in Came to Be
• History Provides Identity
• Studying History Is Essential for Good Citizenship

In addition to the historical content obtained in your coursework, a degree in History also provides excellent training in rigorous analysis and research skills, and the oral and written skills necessary to achieve success in any top-flight professional career. Typical career paths for History graduates include work in museums and archives, national security agencies (the FBI, CIA, and NSA all love to recruit History B.A. students), and the Department of State.

The History major is also excellent preparation for various professional schools, such as law and medicine, as well as post-graduate work in the humanities and social sciences.  

We pride ourselves on placing our graduates in highly competitive careers and post-graduate masters and doctoral programs.