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A history major is not a degree that prepares a student for one specific job. Instead, history is the liberal-arts approach of a ¼«ËÙÁùºÏ²ÊÀúÊ·¿ª½±¼Ç¼ education, but taken even further. More important than the specific historical information students learn is the chance to develop marketable skills—research, critical thinking, oral and written communication.

History as a field of study excels at taking one specific thing—an event, a person, a battle—and connecting it to the bigger web of context—the processes, developments and cultural change of the time period. These skills are useful in a variety of fields, from journalism to investment banking to data analysis.

Since all of today’s graduates should plan on working in a variety of careers, developing versatile skills is a good professional strategy. There are lots of liberal arts disciplines that can teach these skills, but if you find history interesting, why not learn the skills while studying something you like?

Adding history as a second major or minor helps you to stand out from other job candidates. A chemist who can perform a test is good; a chemist who can perform a test and who has a history major or minor, giving them the skills to explain what the results mean to a non-specialist, is someone who employers want to interview.

Degree Specializations

The ¼«ËÙÁùºÏ²ÊÀúÊ·¿ª½±¼Ç¼ History Department offers four degree plans:

• Pre-law (though this degree is not required to get into law school, it is designed to provide foundations for it)
• Public History (for those interested in a career in museums or similar institutions; a graduate degree is almost always needed; this degree is not required to get into graduate school, but it is designed to provide foundations for it )
• History 7-12 (for those preparing for a career as middle-school or high school teachers)
• Liberal Arts (a general, overall history degree that is a good foundation for a variety of jobs in many fields including publishing, nonprofit and social activism, government intelligence, tech development, etc.)