Do You Wonder How We Got Where We Are?

If so, the history major is made for you. You’ll think deeply and critically about human experience. You’ll learn to communicate effectively, to listen thoughtfully, and to use primary sources and historical literature to make evidence-based judgments and arguments. This major will set you up for success in graduate school and in a remarkable range of professions and roles, including the law, teaching, public service, information management, museum and library administration, and corporate and nonprofit leadership.

There’s a culture of academic success at Dominican. That really attracted me. The professors inspired me to rewrite my life story. They are the reason I became a teacher.”

Adam Janusz
Dominican University Graduate

More Ways to Learn, on Campus and Beyond

Practical experience is built into our history curriculum. With faculty support, you can choose a course of study designed to provide you with the specific skills and knowledge you’ll need to meet your professional goals. Our internships draw on Chicago’s vast cultural, legal, governmental and corporate resources. You can combine academic study with compassionate service to people in need, or complete your own, hands-on research project in close collaboration with faculty (and often with university funding). You can gain an international perspective on history through Dominican’s outstanding study abroad program; you’ll have your choice among programs on four continents.

Preserving Sacred Spaces

In an architecture project for Dominican, Marwa Abdullah helped create 3D digital tours of historical faith communities in the Chicago area.

Thinking Ahead

If you plan to teach kindergarten, grade school or high school, you can combine your history major with the Teacher Education Program for K-12 Licensure. Offered by our excellent School of Education, the program includes a semester of student teaching. If you’re considering graduate school in history or museum studies, we recommend that you study a foreign language. Dominican offers French, Italian and Spanish. A minor (or second major) in informatics will give you a deep dive into the ways people and organizations use technology to access data. This program will prepare you to help companies and organizations manage information effectively and will expand your professional options.

Concentrations to Explore

Focus your studies with high-impact concentration options that are designed to prepare you for meaningful work in a variety of real-world settings. 

Applied History

The applied history concentration is ideal for students interested in library and information science, the digital humanities, law, business, politics, banking, or policy and nonprofit work.
Child with teacher

History for Education

Designed to prepare teachers for the middle school or high school classroom with courses in history, sociology, political science and economics.

Prepare for a Life of Meaning and Achievement

A survey of U.S. employers by Hart Research Associates found that 93% of bosses say that “a job candidate’s demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly and solve complex problems” is the most important factor in hiring decisions. That is the essential skill set of our history graduates. Our curriculum is designed to prepare you for lifelong intellectual and professional competence. In the workplace, our graduates know what they’re doing. They’re thoughtful, informed, open to new ideas and able to adapt and thrive through long and meaningful careers. They have earned their way into leadership positions in the professions of their choice.

I was so grateful to attend Dominican and to receive a scholarship from the university. I gained so much knowledge as a history major, and I’m determined to use it to make a positive difference in the world.”

Victoria Goodman
Dominican University Graduate

Career Opportunities

History is a well-rounded degree program and our current history majors have big plans, including law school, politics, teaching, the military, graduate school, museum studies, public history, library science, social work, working for local, state, or federal government, and the FBI. You can do anything with a history degree.

  • Teaching: Schools continue to need new history and social studies teachers, particularly in areas beyond American history. This program dovetails well with the programs in Dominican’s School of Education, too.
  • Law School: Because of its emphasis on asking questions and drawing conclusions based on past behavior or events, history is a great pre-law major.
  • Business: Knowing which questions should be asked and, often, how to figure out the answers are valuable skills for many employers. These general skills adapt well to many work settings, even when the major’s content may not be directly applicable to the company’s business.
  • Information-centric settings: Museums, archives and historical societies can be viable, but competitive choices for history graduates. The history degree is excellent preparation for applying to Dominican’s School of Information Studies.
  • Government Service: Professional jobs can be found at many governmental agencies that have varying levels of emphasis on history. With foreign language preparation, some Dominican graduates have joined the U.S. Foreign Service.
  • Graduate School in History: For those who want to enter academia, graduate school in history will be essential training.

For more information,
please contact:

Liesl Orenic
Professor
Department of History
lorenic@dom.edu

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