Department of History

Your support is critical to our success. Gifts to the Department of History help us continue our exceptional research and will support the development of outstanding graduates and professionals.

Upcoming Events

Global Frontiers

UofL History faculty and students conduct research across the globe.

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Alumni spotlight

What can you do with a degree in History? Ask our alumni, who are using their degrees to accomplish a wide range of personal and professional goals. This month, meet alumna Anna Cecile Pepper (BA 2018), currently a third-year law student at the University of Virginia School of Law. 

Click here to read Anna's full profile.

What are our students up to?

Undergrad and graduate students in History are involved in a wide variety of exciting projects as they research and present historical topics to the public. In spring 2020, students in Dr. Ehrick's History of Radio course produced podcasts that aired on local community radio station WXOX, and students in Dr. Massoth's History of Women course produced a series of online exhibits documenting the history of women's activism in Louisville. 

old radio

Learn more about these projects here

Student Guide

The Department of History contributes to the collective understanding of the past through teaching, service, and the scholarly and public dissemination of original research.

Learn more about our department and why history matters.

The department offers a BA with a concentration in Humanities and a BA with a concentration in Social Sciencesthat provide rigorous training for its undergraduate majors and minors. Graduates will be able to recognize and interpret primary and secondary historical sources, write a cogent essay with a clear narrative and a coherent thesis supported by evidence, and search for information. Graduates will have mastered a basic body of knowledge in the four fields required by the major program:

  • US History
  • European History
  • Asian, African, and Latin American history
  • Pre-modern world history

Learn more about undergraduate studies in History

The department also offers a Master of Arts program with thesis and examination options. Graduates of this program will have mastered the skills of an undergraduate major at a higher level. By concentrating in a primary field to a greater degree than undergraduates do, they will also develop a much greater knowledge of the history and historiography of that field. Thesis option graduates will possess advanced research and writing skills. Also, a public history certificate and master's track program are available for students.

The department's accelerated BA/MA program allows history majors to apply some of their undergraduate credit hours towards a Master's degree. History majors who are considering pursuing an MA in history can accelerate the process by applying some of their undergraduate credit level courses toward both the undergraduate degree and towards an eventual Master's degree from UofL. The advantages are in time and money, saving students almost $800.

A degree in History has several applications which can prepare you for an array of careers:

  • Historian
  • Archivist
  • Lawyer
  • Librarian
  • Author
  • Post-secondary Teaching
  • National Park Ranger
  • Consultant
  • Tour Guide

College of Arts and Sciences

Gottschalk Hall
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky 40292

Office Hours

M-F 8:00am to 5:00 pm

Phone

tel (502) 852-6817

fax (502) 852-0770

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