Major in History

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“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” — William Faulkner

As a history major, you will uncover insights and perspectives from the past to better understand the present. Through working directly with artifacts of the past — from letters exchanged during the Holocaust to the genealogical records of a local African-American community — history will come alive in your hands.

You will collaborate with professors and peers to develop a deep understanding of the past across eras, cultures, and societies. At the same time, you will master critical skills — persuasive writing, interpreting data, and giving compelling presentations, among others — that will prepare you for a successful career in any field. Our graduates have worked in education, libraries, museums, business, medicine, law, social justice, and the military.

Requirements for:

Major

Minor

Accelerated BA/Master's

Why Study History at Clark?

Research and analyze historical events with faculty known for their extensive work in the fields of U.S., European, and global history — including Holocaust and genocide studies, African-American history, the history of the Atlantic world, and the history of women and gender.
Complete exciting internships and research projects at archives and museums in the U.S. and abroad — from the Worcester Historical Museum and the Worcester Art Museum to the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum in London.
Experience United States history through original documents and real-life scenarios made possible by our close ties with Worcester’s prestigious American Antiquarian Society and Old Sturbridge Village in nearby Sturbridge, Mass.
Understand the complex world in which we live by studying how it came to be.

Our Stories

View All History Stories

New digital archive documents Armenian Genocide

Historian makes thousands of materials available online

Maggie Tarbox courts a future career

History major works with former New York Yankee

Greenwood receives Historic New England Book Prize

Award recognizes Worcester Art Museum exhibition companion guide

View All History Stories

Your Will. Your Way.

The Major Path

Your faculty adviser will work with you to design a history program that fits your interests and goals. All history majors are required to take ten history courses, along with two related non-history courses, distributed as follows:

The course Writing History, to gain familiarly with different types of historical writing and the issues involved in researching and writing historical studies
One course each in United States, European, and global history
One course devoted primarily to the period before 1800
Five courses in your chosen area of specialization, which may be a geographic specialization in U.S., European, or global History, or a thematic specialization that is comparative or transnational in its approach
A senior-year capstone course, designed to bring together all you have learned in your specialization; this requirement can also be fulfilled by entering the honors program and writing a thesis
Two courses outside the History Department in fields related to your area of specialization

Qualified students are eligible for election to Phi Alpha Theta, the National Honor Society in history. Students inducted into the honor society plan events like film screenings and trips to historic sites.

George A. Billias American History Prize
This award was established by Clark alumni Michael and Lisa Klein Leffell to honor Professor Billias and the undergraduate student who has written the best essay in American history.

H. Donaldson Jordan Essay Prize
The H. Donaldson Jordan Prize is awarded to an undergraduate student for the best essay on a historical topic.

H. Donaldson Jordan Prize for Excellence in History Outside the Classroom

Paul Lucas European History Prize
This award was established by Clark alumni Michael and Lisa Klein Leffell to honor Professor Lucas and the undergraduate student who has written the best essay in European history.

Skills you will learn include:

Research: how to find primary and secondary sources, and how to frame research questions
Analysis: learn what constitutes valid historical evidence, how to analyze that evidence, and the arguments made by historians to construct your own arguments
Quantitative data management and time management: how to manage quantitative information and organize research projects to complete them on time
Strong writing: synthesize material and learn to develop your ideas to express them clearly, a key skill for any future job
Understanding our world: learn how the present has come to be, and gain insight into the workings of modern society, culture, politics, and the economy

During your junior year, you might be accepted into the history honors program. Joining the program means you’ll work closely with a professor to create a thesis on a topic of your choice. Examples of recent honors thesis topics are:

“I Went Down Exactly to Where People Were”: Women in the Palestinian Nationalist Movement, 1987-2005
Washed Ashore: Black American Whalemen at Home and Abroad
The Political Role of Public Opinion in the Soviet-Afghan War
Confronting the Past: The Holocaust as Narrated Through Facing History and Ourselves
Women Push to Adapt Judaism as Seen Within Jewish Cookbooks, 1889-1935

The LEEP difference

An education merging knowledge, action, and impact

With Liberal Education and Effective Practice, lessons begin in the classroom but never end there. Your learning includes world and workplace experiences that forge your skills and shape your path.

Learn more

At Clark, your education extends beyond the classroom. LEEP Center advisers can help you choose from a range of opportunities that complement your coursework and put your history knowledge into practice.

The history major is designed to help you learn outside the classroom. Many students take advantage of internship opportunities during the academic year or over the summer to connect what they’re learning with professional development.

Other opportunities include:

In alignment with Clark’s LEEP philosophy, participation in a Study Abroad and Away program is an opportunity to gain world and workplace experience to complement your on-campus work. Clark approves semester, yearlong, and summer opportunities to earn credit through academic coursework, internships, community-based learning, or research. Explore our Study Abroad and Away page, where you can search programs by academic interest, location, and language; after you’ve identified some appropriate programs, ensure they fit into your four-year plan by talking with your faculty adviser as early as possible.

You can participate in Clark’s many clubs, organizations, and athletic teams to complement your academic work. Here are some student organizations that might be of interest to you as a history student:

Internships

American Antiquarian Society
Worcester, Mass.
Old Sturbridge Village
Sturbridge, Mass.
Worcester Art Museum
Worcester, Mass.
Facing History
Brookline, Mass.
British Museum
London, England
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C.

Clark is committed to action-based learning, which means as an undergraduate you can join faculty and graduate students in their research. You’ll work with faculty known for extensive work in the fields of United States and European history, and who have expertise in Holocaust and genocide studies, Jewish history, African-American history, and women’s studies.

You will have the opportunity to apply for an undergraduate research seminar in American studies at the American Antiquarian Society. If accepted, the seminar lets you work in one of the finest research collections in the country with scholars and a small group of students from other Worcester colleges and universities.

You also can apply for funding to support your own research on a project of your choice during the academic year or during the summer.

Present Your Research

Clark’s annual Fall Fest and Academic Spree Day are opportunities to share your research or creative work with the Clark community while you hone your presentation skills. Some projects history students and recent alumni have presented are:

Seamus Heaney: The Role of Poetry in History
Shifting Paradigms in the Levant: The Six Day War, Israel, and the Forces of Change in the Middle East, 1967-1973
Self-Made Men: An Inter-Generational Study of Thomas, Abraham, and Robert Lincoln in the 19th Century
Gustavus Adolphus and the Swedish Empire, 1611-1721
The American Genesis: How and Why the Apotheosis of Our Nation’s Founders Came About

In addition, you can submit your research results for publication in our student-run Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal.

Casey Bush conducts research on forgiveness after the Holocaust.

At Clark you’ll get more than a great education; you’ll also be prepared for a long, productive career and life of consequence. And once you’ve completed your degree, you can join other Clark alumni who have gone on to work for great organizations and attend some of the best graduate schools in the world.

Graduate School Placement

Graduate schools attended by history graduates from Clark include:

University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Boston College; Ph.D. in United States history
University of Glasgow; University of Chicago; Ph.D. in European history
University of Indiana; Ph.D. in Jewish history
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Ph.D. in Middle Eastern history
Haskoli Islands University, Iceland; M.A. in medieval Icelandic studies
Columbia University; Ph.D. in organizational psychology

Career Outcomes

Education
elementary, secondary and university teaching, administration
Minneapolis, Minn.
assistant county attorney
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
GIS analyst
Panzi Foundation USA
executive director
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation
development coordinator — donor relations

We’ve Got It Covered

Featured Courses

HIST 112

African American History to 1865

Immerse yourself in the diverse and complex history of African Americans in the U. S. until the end of the Civil War, especially the events and issues they confronted during their struggle for equality and freedom.

HIST 145

PLS

History through the Novel

Quality fiction can provide meaningful access to the past. Step back into U.S. history, from just before the Civil War into the 1930s, via novels whose authors painted a vivid, visceral sense of the American scene.

HIST 212

History of Sexuality from the Enlightenment to the Present

Investigate how past societies determined which sexual behaviors were licit or illicit, and the institutions and individuals responsible for the regulation, repression, and occasional encouragement of the practices.

HIST 055

PLS

9/11 in Fact and Fiction

How do Americans assess the events of 9/11? You’ll visit Ground Zero, take oral histories, read and watch depictions of the events, and place them in historical context to make sense of conflicting memories.

Explore what this department has to offer

Learn More

Major in History

Why Study History at Clark?

Our Stories

The Major Path

Academic Achievement Awards

Skills You Learn

Honors Program

Related Programs