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History Major: Passion for the Past

To some people, the past seems like a living thing. They thrive on educational documentaries about the American Civil War and the rise of communism in Russia. Their book shelves are lined with historical biographies and texts that explain the intricacies of international relations in the 15th century. If they have some free time, you can find them absorbed in a museum or the local archives. They are history buffs, and with their voracious appetite for the world of the past, they make excellent candidates to be history majors.

A history major will find that they have many fascinating courses awaiting them at college. For their general core of history courses, they will probably have to take at least one course that surveys the history of each of the world’s regions, such as:

• East and South Asia
• Europe, along with Britain and Australia
• United States and Canada
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• Africa and the Middle East

By taking at least one course that focuses on each geographic region, the student becomes intimately familiar with the world’s history, and how one region can have a tremendous impact on other regions.

Other core courses the history major may be required to complete will deal with specific time periods. The student may have to take, for example, courses which deal with:

• Renaissance Europe
• Late Imperial China
• Medieval Russia
• Africa during the colonial era
• Scotland: Reformation to Revolution
• The French Revolution
• 20th Century American Politics
• A Global History of the Cold War
• Korean History prior to 1860

In some history major programs, students have the option of declaring a concentration. This concentration may relate to a region of the world. For example, a student may choose to concentrate on:

• American History
• World History
• European History
• Asian History

Other concentrations will relate to a particular theme. Examples of this type of concentration include:

• Economic History
• Gender History
• Diplomatic History
• Jewish History
• Intellectual History

Studying history in college can be a fascinating odyssey. Most students are required to complete their educational journey by finishing a thesis, a large research project on a topic of their choosing. To successfully complete their thesis, the student must fully research a topic and write a lengthy academic paper reporting on the results of their research and the conclusions they may have reached.

People who have chosen a history major have a wealth of employment opportunities from which to choose. Some stay close within the realm of history, choosing to teach, work in a museum, or perform research. But history students are also prepared to take on a number of other roles. Among them are:

• Legal assistant
• Journalist
• Congressional aide
• Personnel manager
• Archivist
• Advertising executive
• Public relations staffer
• Broadcaster
• Lobbyist
• Foreign service officer
• Editor

Because a history major essentially earns a broad liberal arts degree, they are qualified to take on a wide variety of positions. Through their education, they have uncovered much of how the world works, both in the past and in the present. They may understand the marketplace, economies, and foreign cultures, things which will serve them well in any number of capacities. Essentially, the person who graduates with a degree in history is an informed individual, capable of critical thinking, and skilled at both written and oral communication.