History Major
A passion for the past is wonderful, and we can turn that passion into skills of value. At ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, history is not simply a list of facts to be memorized but a mystery to be unveiled in much the same way a detective solves a tricky case. Our history major offers an invigorating learning experience that challenges students to ask not just what happened, but why it happened.
Why Choose a History Major at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½?
In a modern setting, some people wonder what to do with a history degree. At ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, we believe the skills you develop in studying history – such as problem solving and articulate oral and written communication – promise professional success in the information age. Some of our graduates have gone on to leading graduate programs and top law schools in the country. Other students have made successful careers with the FBI, museums, archives, government agencies and other rewarding positions.
Our history major is valuable to you because:
- We promote active learning through research. Our students don’t just read about history in a textbook – they make their own history by analyzing actual historical documents, many housed on campus in the Edward H. Nabb Research Center. Here, students find firsthand accounts from a long list of historical figures, including the earliest explorers and Civil War soldiers. In addition to its historical archives, the research center has an archaeology laboratory, where students can gain hands-on experience with artifact collections.
- We encourage internships and travel. Some of our interns have worked at the Smithsonian Institution and Department of the Interior. We promote many travel courses, including trips to England, Germany, France, Russia, China, Ecuador and Italy.
- We have a program tailored to your needs. The History Department also houses minors in anthropology, American studies and gender studies, with a concentration that prepares you to teach history in schools. With a diverse offering of courses, majors and minors, students are certain to find an area of interest at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ that will translate into career success.
Meet Abiodun - History Major
Hear how Abiodun has not only studied history at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, but has experienced it first-hand through our resources and local heritage.
Careers for History Majors
Many students ask, "What can I do with a history major?" The answer: Just about anything! A history degree from ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ is can be combined with many other areas of study to prepare you for a variety of fields in law, sales, military, foreign service, journalism or the arts. As a history major, these are just a few careers you might see yourself in:
- Archivist
- Biographer
- Costume Designer
- Genealogist
- Historian
- Museum Curator
- Political Scientist
History Faculty with Real-World Experience
Our History Department faculty is dedicated to helping students discover the complexity of the human story as it has developed across a diverse cultural and physical landscape over time.
Meet Your History Faculty:
Belen Vicens
A native of Catalonia in Spain, Dr. Belen Vicens Saiz is a historian of law and society in medieval Spain and the Mediterranean world. Her other interests include material culture, cartography, visual art and women’s history. Vicens’ publications include an award-winning article on Christian-Muslim relations, which won the 2015 Best First Article Prize of the Association for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies and the 2015 Philip Gleason Prize from the Notre Dame History Department.