History Major
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About the Major
The history major centers on the exploration of various economic, social, political, military and religious forces that have transformed the face of the world. Because of the breadth and depth of historical investigation, history majors find themselves well prepared for careers that require interaction with people and the ability to write and think analytically.
Jobs in History
- Museum archivist
- University professor
- Lawyer
- Librarian
- Journalist
Past Elon History Internships
- Smithsonian Institution
- Massachusetts State Senate
- Walter Williams High School
- Alamance Battleground
- Charlotte Hawkins Brown State Historic Site
Related Majors
History major’s lessons from the past are helping prepare students for the future
As a history major at Elon, Fredrick Evans learned about different eras and how politics and economics and religion have shaped the world across centuries. But he also learned how to absorb large quantities of information in a short period of time. He learned how to interpret complex subjects for different audiences. And he learned the importance of speaking up for people and telling their stories.
And those lessons served him well as he pursued his master’s degree at Clemson University and continues to bolster him in his current job as Elon’s assistant director of undergraduate admissions for diversity and access.
At Elon, I had so many great mentors and people there to support me. I wish to give back and make an influence on a student’s collegiate experience just like it was done for me.
Not only does he need to have a solid understanding of Elon and its many programs as he recruits new students, but he also must be able to translate that knowledge to different audiences: students preparing to apply to college, the middle school students Elon hopes to bring into the pipeline early on, and parents with varying levels of education. Also, as he helps with admissions decisions, he needs to be able to advocate for students whose applications may not tell the whole story.
“In reading applications, I need to be able to make decisions on acceptances, to be able to interpret information and conversations and, if need be, speak up for a student and tell their story,” Evans said. “All of that comes from being able to read about them, listen to them, and understand them.”
When Evans entered Elon in 2016, he planned on going to law school and wanted to major in something that would support that goal — a major that required deep reading and critical thinking skills, like history — but even after he determined that a career in law wasn’t for him, he decided to continue the history major.
He said he believes it’s important for all Elon students to take at least one history course — not only because it will help them think critically, but because it’s important for them to understand where they came from.
“Every student should take some kind of a history class to understand their past, understand where we’ve come from in this world,” said Evans, who graduated from Elon in 2020 with a degree in history and a minor in African and African-American studies. “It gives context into where we’re going.”
As the saying goes, those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it, and Evans said that his time at Elon taking history and African American studies courses gave him a solid understanding of the past that he may not have learned otherwise.
“Understanding my past, understanding where I’ve come from,” Evans said of what he learned. “In my own personal life, as a Black man, particularly taking (African American history) courses in the South, it gave me an understanding of the history of Black Americans in this country and also understanding where we’re looking to be.”
Those who are interested in pursuing history as a major should take the time to speak with their professors and get to know each educator’s subject matter so they can explore which areas of history they want to focus on, Evans said.
“The thing I love about Elon is that the professors are not always on the road giving speeches or writing articles; they are focused on you as a student,” he said. “All of Elon’s history professors care about students, care about their understanding of the content and want to see them be successful in their academics and their personal lives as well.”
Evans so appreciated that support at Elon that he made the decision to pursue student affairs for a career.
“At Elon, I had so many great mentors and people there to support me,” he said. “I wish to give back and make an influence on a student’s collegiate experience just like it was done for me.”
Did You Know?
- Many history majors hold minors in more specific areas, including African and African-American studies, American studies, Asian studies, German studies, Islamic studies, Italian studies, Jewish studies, Latin American studies and Middle East studies. The department also strongly recommends that history majors study a world language.
- History majors can deepen their knowledge of the world — and benefit from exploring important historical sites and events — by participating in the university’s study abroad program. There are several courses of particular interest to history majors, including the London program, where students choose among arts and sciences courses; World War II on the Ground, through which students travel to England, France, Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands; and Studies in Ghana, where students explore the history, literature and culture of the West African country.
- The skills history majors learn are among the most useful in an information economy and include: searching for evidence across multiple data sets, analyzing vast amounts of material and distilling complex ideas into a coherent argument.
Contact:
William J. Story, Sr. Professor in History, Associate Professor of History and Chair of the Dept of History & Geography