Hartwick history students get prepared to thrive in and contribute to the world of the future by engaging thoughtfully and critically with the world’s many communities – national, cultural, religious, and intellectual – as they have changed over time.
Our major emphasizes experiential learning, especially student research and small, interactive seminars. History majors emerge from Hartwick prepared to analyze complex situations, evaluate evidence, and craft an evidence-based account of the past – skills they will use to navigate through the dynamic, ever-changing future.
Exploring history, whether as a major or as part of a liberal education, engages students to question historical “truths” offered as justifications for current systems of power, inequality, or intolerance. This has taken Hartwick history students on to careers in law, education, the Peace Corps, non-governmental organizations, state and local government agencies, private consulting, and the corporate sector.
The history major offers courses in American, European, Latin American, and global histories, and challenges students to think critically from their very first course. Hartwick students “do history” by learning about and using the methods of historical investigation: they conduct interviews, research cultural traditions and material culture, study local history, and explore archival collections.
Off-campus programs are fitting for students majoring in history. Students may select from programs as varied as a semester abroad in Paris, France or Florence, Italy, and more. History majors have completed many independent studies and internships, including working in a public defender’s office, curating a museum exhibition, creating an online exhibit for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library, teaching English in Ukraine, and much more.
Hartwick history students are employed in a variety of interesting fields, and have gone on to further study at some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions.
Hartwick alumni work for:
Recent Hartwick graduates have been accepted to:
Hartwick’s dynamic history faculty research and teach in a vast range of areas, and draw students right into the heart of their inquiry.
Ready to move faster? Get the full Hartwick history experience in three-quarters the time at three-quarters the cost. Learn more about the three-year program.
