History

Your Window to the World

Here, we learn to share ideas, to challenge assumptions, and to understand who we are. We are scholars and teachers with a passion for understanding the past in all its dimensions. Our faculty conducts research on the history of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, colonial North America and the United States, and the world as a whole.

Read about the Indigenous history of our local land.

What You Can do with a Degree in History

History introduces students to new ways of thinking and new ways of understanding, preparing them to become effective global citizens and responsible consumers of news and information. A degree in history can pave the way to a broad variety of careers, providing students with a foundation for employment in:

  • Legal professions
  • Journalism
  • Education and training
  • Business management and administration
  • Politics and public interest groups
  • Museums and historical sites
  • Libraries and archives
  • Art, design, and social media
  • Nonprofit organizations
History alumna Odalis Aquilar

How a History Degree Deepens Your Career

“I'm currently working on the political team for a labor union as a lobbyist. My college years were filled with new experiences and many, many learning opportunities that I cherish deeply. A lot of the skills I gained through my college experience and the history department have been helpful in my career. History helped me develop great reading and writing skills. It also prepared me more as a leader overall. I became a person who wasn't scared to ask questions. In my courses, I felt really supported by my professors while also being challenged at the same time! If I had the chance to do it, I would do it all over again!”

—Odalis Aguilar-Aguilar, lobbyist, '22

Our Degree Programs

The study of history cultivates critical skills useful in all walks of life. Among these are the ability to communicate verbally and in writing; to conduct research on virtually any topic; and to analyze, interpret, and synthesize large quantities of information. A history degree cultivates the kinds of learning and skills that we regard as crucial for historical thinking and, more broadly, as integral to a liberal arts education.

Undergraduate Degrees
 
Carlos Aguirre

Learn from Experts in the Field

Our faculty conduct research all over the globe in over 15 languages on fascinating topics stretching from 1,000 years ago to the present. Their research is supported by prestigious grants and their books have won many prizes. In addition to researching, writing, and teaching, they also engage in public history by curating exhibitions, advising government agencies and non-profits, and writing for public media.

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Explore Beyond the Classroom

Investigate centuries-old books and artifacts in our campus collections. Go on field trips and site visits to discover how history has shaped the world. Immerse yourself in the culture of another country while studying history abroad. Apply your skills through internships and other experiential learning opportunities. It doesn't get more real than the study of history.

Scholarships & Funding

The department traditionally bestows a number of undergraduate awards, as well as multiple graduate-level fellowships. The department also meets the challenges of funding graduate education by supporting its students with graduate employee appointments; a variety of internal awards; and university-wide fellowships, grants, and prizes.

Undergraduate Scholarships 
Graduate Funding

Academic Support

Our faculty and advisors support our students’ academic journeys via remote advising sessions.

Undergraduate Advising 
Support for Graduate Students

History News and Events

HISTORY - Lauren Goss, BA ’11 (history), is the University of Oregon's new sports archivist. Funded largely by a gift from an anonymous family foundation with deep Oregon roots and a love for UO Libraries, Goss’s position is the only one on the West Coast and one of only a dozen in the US dedicated to preserving collegiate sports history.
HISTORY - With a focus on pre-1848 northern Mexican borderlands, Naomi Sussman, who has just finished postdoc research at University of California, Los Angeles, brings an expertise in Indigenous histories of California the US Southwest, and northern Mexico.
HISTORY - The stories of more than 140 Mexican and Mexican American workers who lived and worked not far from the University of Oregon campus went untold for nearly a century until students in a CAS history class discovered them, countering the white settler-dominant history books of the area. Led by Julie Weise, a history associate professor who focuses on the history of migrations in the Americas, students researched and wrote these local histories as part of a course series called Hidden Histories, which aims to tell the stories of underrepresented communities in Lane County.

All news »


HEDCO Institute Undergraduate Scholars Program Info Session
Nov4
HEDCO Institute Undergraduate Scholars Program Info Session Nov 4
Mastering the Art of a Humanities & Social Science 3MT Slide
Nov4
Mastering the Art of a Humanities & Social Science 3MT Slide Nov 4
Physical Chemistry Seminar: Photo-scissile Ruthenium Compounds for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery
Nov4
Physical Chemistry Seminar: Photo-scissile Ruthenium Compounds for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery Nov 4 Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall
More than 2024:  Historians Pick the Craziest and Most Consequential US Elections
Nov4
More than 2024:  Historians Pick the Craziest and Most Consequential US Elections Nov 4 McKenzie Hall 375
Department of History Coffee Hour
Nov5
Department of History Coffee Hour Nov 5 McKenzie Hall
Mastering the Art of a STEM 3MT Slide
Nov5
Mastering the Art of a STEM 3MT Slide Nov 5
Let's Talk - Tuesdays 3-5PM (CMAE/Zoom)
Nov5
Let's Talk - Tuesdays 3-5PM (CMAE/Zoom) Nov 5 CMAE
Wisconsin Postdoc Expo 2024
Nov6
Wisconsin Postdoc Expo 2024 Nov 6
Let's Talk - Wednesdays Noon-2MP (Peterson Hall/Zoom)
Nov6
Let's Talk - Wednesdays Noon-2MP (Peterson Hall/Zoom) Nov 6 Peterson Hall
Let’s Talk – Wednesdays 2PM-4PM (BCC/Zoom)
Nov6
Let’s Talk – Wednesdays 2PM-4PM (BCC/Zoom) Nov 6 Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center

All events »