Welcome to the Department of History!
We are a department of distinguished researchers and innovative teachers who pride ourselves on creating a learning environment in which all our students have opportunities to excel.
Our Courses
Our strengths as a department are in the history of medieval Europe and Islam, early modern, Renaissance, and modern Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Our teaching and research encompass a wide spectrum of approaches: social, political, cultural, and intellectual history, the history of migration, and particular emphasis on religious history in line with our mission as The Catholic University of America.
Our Programs
We offer a History major (33 credit hours) and a History minor (18 credit hours). We also offer several joint degree programs: a five-year B.A./M.A. in History, a five-year B.A./M.S.L.I.S. in History and in Library And Information Science, and a six-year B.A./J.D. in History and Law.
We also offer multiple opportunities for area-studies minors and certificates in Latin America and Latino Studies, Africana Studies, Medieval and Byzantine Studies, Asian Studies, Islamic World Studies, European Studies, and Irish Studies.
Our program’s flexibility encourages many study abroad opportunities, including the university’s flagship Rome Center. Our location in Washington, D.C. offers an exceptional range of opportunities for internships in government, museums, and libraries. Our faculty also offers one-on-one research apprenticeships.
Career Preparation
The History major emphasizes core skills that prepare our students for a life of intellectual inquiry and professional success. Those skills include
Analyzing qualitative and quantitative evidence
Assessing evidence and using it to make persuasive arguments
Communicating clearly in oral and written formats
Developing and completing research projects
Our alumni find careers in business, government, politics, journalism, non-profit organizations, the tech industry, teaching, public history, and law. You can read some of their stories here.
Pre-Law
Nationwide, and also at Catholic University, History is among the most common majors for students who go on to apply to law school: on average, 10% to 15% of our students end up in legal careers. We offer a wide range of resources for students who would like to discern a future in the legal profession. Find more information here.
Community
Our department combines the rigor of a research university with the faculty-student collaboration and small class sizes of a liberal arts college. In keeping with the university’s mission of educating the whole person, we support our students as they grow through our program. Some of the ways in which we create community include:
Phi Alpha Theta
This honors society promotes the study of history through encouraging research, good teaching, publication, and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians. We are proud to host an event each year to induct new members from among our history majors into Catholic University’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta. Our students – members and non-members of Phi Alpha Theta -- routinely participate in the annual Mid-Atlantic Phi Alpha Theta conference, where they present their research.
History Club
A student-led organization, the History Club offers majors and minors opportunities to pursue their interest in History outside the classroom. The club sponsors film screenings, lectures, and field trips.
Inventio
The multidisciplinary undergraduate research journal of the Catholic University of America, Inventio, publishes original undergraduate research that best represents the university’s commitment to the academic and Catholic traditions that inform its mission to “discover and impart the truth.” Many of our students have published articles in this journal, and we encourage and collaborate with our students as they submit their research to it.
Graduate Education
On the graduate level, we offer a small, personalized program on the M.A. and Ph.D. levels in medieval history. In keeping with our mission, we also offer a specialized M.A. in Religion and Society in the Late Medieval and Early Modern World. In addition, we offer a joint M.A./M.S.L.I.S. with Library and Information Science.
The University offers competitive merit stipends and tuition waivers upon application. Our graduate students have won internationally competitive grants and fellowships and have written dissertations on a wide variety of topics. They go on to fulfilling careers in high schools, colleges, and universities across the country, serving in government, and working as public historians in archives and libraries.
I look forward to speaking with you or meeting with you on campus!
L.R. Poos
Chair (fall 2024 semester)
poos@cua.edu