HISTORY

History teaches everything, including the future.

— Lamartine

Welcome to the Department of History at Queens College, CUNY

Studying History can help you make sense of the world today, especially in these turbulent times. It will give you vital skills in interpretation of all kinds of texts as well as written and oral communication – excellent preparation for a wide variety of careers. History majors go on to work not only in education, law, archives, and museums but journalism, public service, business, entertainment and much, much more. (Famous History majors include Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, chef Julia Child, comedian Conan O’Brien, and many US presidents.)

A degree in History gives you a well-rounded perspective on the world and combines easily with many other majors and minors. As a History major, you create a foundation with courses surveying US, European, and world history. You then take more advanced courses within a concentration of your choice. Concentrations include US history, ancient, modern Europe, legal history, Jewish history, global, and gender; you may also design your own concentration. Many students major in Secondary Education with a History focus. It’s also easy to minor in History.

Our Master’s-level programs – the MA in History and the joint MLSMA degree with Library Science – provide advanced study with accomplished full-time faculty. We offer a range of courses particularly in modern US, New York, modern European, Latin American, modern African, South Asian, military, gender, and Jewish history. Our degrees provide intellectual stimulation as well as hands-on training doing history. They serve as excellent preparation for doctoral study, the academic requirement for New York State teacher certification, archival or museum work, or jobs that demand high-level research skills.