History
This fascinating major will allow you to understand how individuals shape events and societies change and develop over time. You’ll also learn to think, write, speak, evaluate evidence and analyze problems at a whole new level. It’s powerful preparation for work and life.
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.
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.
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.
Adam Janusz
Dominican University Graduate
“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.”
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.
Victoria Goodman
Dominican University Graduate
“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.”