Career Opportunities
As they study the past, history majors obtain analytical and writing skills and develop an appreciation of long-range trends. Graduates therefore enter fields from futures forecasting and management training to the law, public service and journalism. The knowledge gained as a history major can also lead to careers in teaching--secondary and college--as well as archival and museum work. Finally, students have the opportunity to experience personal development through the study of the past--useful in all careers, as in life itself.
Students planning graduate work in history should include advanced course work in at least one foreign language. Completion of a thesis is also highly recommended.
Special Features
- Students are encouraged to participate in Albion's off-campus programs. Experience elsewhere in the U.S. or in a foreign country--whether for a summer, a semester or a year--provides a rich background for history majors.
- The faculty of the Department of History urge qualified and interested history majors to consider writing an honors thesis in history. Successful completion of the thesis will result in graduation with departmental honors in history. Candidates for honors must have a 3.0 grade point average or above in the major and must form a committee composed of two faculty members to supervise the thesis work. At least one of the committee members must be from the Department of History, although the department encourages the participation of faculty members from other disciplines and the pursuit of interdisciplinary work in general. The thesis may be based on earlier course work, but such papers must be significantly revised and expanded for submission as a departmental honors thesis.
Each thesis candidate must schedule at least one full unit of directed study (i.e., two 411s or one 412) in a semester (or semesters) immediately prior to the semester the thesis is due. It is recommended that a draft of the entire thesis be completed by the end of the last semester of directed study prior to the semester the thesis is due.
The name of each thesis candidate and the working title of the thesis must be submitted to the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Institute director by September 15 for May graduates and by April 15 for December graduates. For spring semester, the deadline for completion of the thesis is April 1; for fall semester the deadline is December 1. Each thesis committee will determine the procedures and schedule for meeting the completion deadline. Honors theses in history must conform to The Chicago Manual of Style. Copies of the guidelines for the preparation and submission of theses are available from the Brown Honors Institute director.
Departmental Policy on Advanced Placement Credit
Students who earn a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) exam in European history will receive one unit of credit for History 103.
Students who earn a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement exam in United States history will receive one unit of credit for History 101.
Students who earn a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement exam in world history will receive one unit of credit for History 190.
Only two 100-level history courses may be counted toward the history major.