UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS IN HISTORY

Three students sitting and collaborating on History project.

History seeks to understand and to explain the story of human experience, since the past provides the only laboratory of human experience actually lived.

History students explore the complexity of humankind, recognizing in the men and women who make history the spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional diversity of the human condition. History is the story of our human ancestors and the cultures and institutions they created in their search for identity, purpose and value. As they study the past, our students learn to become historians by using a wide range of sources to tell the stories of the famous and infamous, as well as those who have often been overlooked by earlier generations.

WHY HISTORY?

Solid Foundation

Study the past to understand the present and imagine the future. If you don’t know where you have been, you can’t know where you are going.

The skills learned in the study of History are in demand in today's world. Explore our Careers page to find out more about professional opportunities as well as the career paths of recent graduates.

Engaging Faculty

Our faculty make the past come alive. History faculty members have a wide range of career experience, including teaching and research, but also extending to a variety of jobs in the private and public sectors. They are willing mentors who are invested in your success.

In-Demand Skills

History Majors develop research, writing and analysis skills, along with organization and managerial skills. Employers who hire history majors include government agencies, public interest groups, financial institutions and law firms. Some of the careers open to individuals are correspondent, columnist, legal profession and corporate management.

FOLLOW THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT

LEPAGE CENTER

Opened in 2017, Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest is founded on the belief that historical scholarship and historical perspective, when brought to bear on contemporary global issues, can help us make better decisions and create a better society.

EXPLORE MORE

WHO WE ARE

FASCINATING RESEARCH

“I’ve found so many of my professors here at Villanova to be knowledgeable, interesting and encouraging,” says Brandon Hornlein ’22 CLAS, who majored in History. During his junior research seminar in history, he became fascinated by the social and political developments of Poland’s “recovered territories,” the land ceded to Poland after World War II, and decided to continue that research for his senior thesis.

AmeriCorps VISTA

Erin Keaveny ’19 CLAS worked in marketing and communications for AmeriCorps VISTA in the Greater Boston area. She was also marketing director for Alston for Athletes, a network of current and former student athletes that provides scholarships to student-athletes struggling with mental illness. She went on to pursue a MS in Marketing from The John Hopkins University.

PUBLIC HISTORY

"My internship at the Neill-Cochran House Museum allowed me to have a hands-on experience in public preservation of history,” says Irene Koch ’22 CLAS, a History major. “I was able to work on a volume about a recent exhibit at the museum that will be sold in the museum's gift shop, and it was a valuable experience that taught me a great deal about the presentation of history.”

Federal Emergency Management Agency

John Brennan ’17 CLAS and John Kraus ’17 CLAS, worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency after graduating. Brennan served for two years, the second as a supervisor of a team of ten members. Both went on to pursue graduate degrees: Brennan for a MA in Security Studies at Georgetown University and Kraus for a MA in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Law School

Claire McNally ’13 CLAS, earned an MA in International Security Studies and Master of Laws at the American University in Cairo. She went on to pursue a law degree at the University of Illinois and was the editor of the law review.