FAQs
Why History?
The History Department teaches tomorrow’s leaders why yesterday matters. More concretely, the study of history holds vital lessons and skills: to appreciate change over time; to understand contingency, complexity, and diversity of perspectives; to analyze sources closely; to research deeply; to write clearly; and to speak with confidence. Graduates of the department always report that they find the skills they developed as historians to be essential to their professional work after college.
How do I declare a History concentration?
It’s very simple to declare a history concentration or to switch into history from a different concentration. Click here for instructions on how to register your concentration on my.harvard. Then, sign up to meet with either the DUS or ADUS to discuss the concentration. During that conversation, you’ll discuss your interests in history, what drew you to the concentration, which courses you’re interested in, and how you might organize your five semesters in the department. The ADUS will approve your concentration request right after this advising meeting.
Who can I talk to?
Many people! Both the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies hold regular office hours—sign up online and make their day! Here’s the link to sign up to meet with them: DUS | ADUS. In addition, each House has a History Advisor eager to talk to you about joining the concentration or simply taking History courses. Finally, members of the History Leadership Council in each House can offer a student perspective on the concentration and have volunteered to share it with any fellow student that's interested.
What can I do with a History degree?
Just as the study of history encompasses everything, so too you can do anything with history. Our alumni have gone on to a wide range of careers from magic to medicine, from brewing beer to business, from the military to the media. Common pathways after the History degree include:
• Business (approx. 35% go on to careers in finance and consulting and receive MBAs)
• Law (approx. 30% go on to law school)
• Public policy and politics (approx. 10% work for government organizations or in the public sector)
• Many other fields such as medicine, technology, marketing, education, journalism, and work with NGOs.
What are the goals of the History concentration?
• To study how societies and people actually functioned in the past, and in turn, how that context affects the present.
• To teach students how to analyze complex events in the past and craft original arguments from large amounts of disparate evidence.
• To prepare students for a wide range of postgraduate opportunities, especially those that value the ability to process vast and complicated amounts of information, to take multiple perspectives on that information, and to communicate effectively and concisely about it.
• To encourage students to follow their own interests while providing structured guidance and rigorous training in research skills, critical reading, oral communication, and effective writing.
• To enable students to encounter the unfamiliar and to approach it with empathy and analytical understanding.
What is History 97?
History 97 is the only course required of all concentrators and is designed as an introduction to the discipline and the Department. History 97 consists of 5 parallel seminars, each of which is formulated thematically and has separate reading assignments, but students across all seminars have similarly structured writing assignments, with similar due dates. History 97 is designed to be a shared experience that will equip students with a basic familiarity with the skills required for successful writing and research in history. The course seeks to develop several skills at the core of work in history: searching for and evaluating relevant secondary sources; engaging with historiography, close-reading primary sources, constructing an evidence-based historical argument, writing with footnotes, articulating constructive criticism, and revising writing based on feedback from instructors and peers.
Which courses should I take?
What a wealth of options! The best place to browse our courses is via the History Department courses tab, which organizes all our classes by format and can also provide you with information about cross-listed courses and the concentration distribution requirement. If you are a pre-concentrator, many students choose to enter the program with either one of our lecture courses or with a GenEd course taught by a History Department faculty member. Our lecture courses do not have any prerequisites, and each class with give you a new perspective on the past and on the Department. Our Undergraduate Office advising team is also eager to discuss course options with you, click here to sign up to meet with them.
If you are a concentrator, you are welcome to meet with your house advisor at any time to discuss your interests and your remaining requirements. The DUS and ADUS are also very happy to discuss how you might craft a pathway through the program that matches your interests and challenges you to grow in new directions.
Credit for Harvard Summer School & Study Abroad?
The History Department grants concentration credit for history courses at the Harvard Summer School or for courses taken during study abroad, provided that these plans are approved ahead of time and that the courses are satisfactorily completed. Consult with the Office of International Education to plan your time abroad, then schedule an appointment with the History ADUS. Normally, no more than one concentration credit per semester abroad is granted unless the instruction is in a foreign language, in which case two concentration credits may be granted for one semester abroad or three total for two semesters abroad.