In the Department of History, students learn by experience through co-op placements in archives, museums and other sites; by conducting and presenting original research; and by traveling to sites of historical significance.  The department has particular strengths in the History of Science, Technology and the Environment (STE) and in Global History, and this is reflected in our course offerings.

Why Study History at Drexel?

Our courses on the History of STE dovetail with Drexel’s identity as a place of applied science and technology research and reflect the exciting interdisciplinary changes in the historical profession. Our courses related to Global History introduce students to historical concepts that go beyond national boundaries, such as Global Movement of Humans, Ideas and Commodities; Energy and Security Wars; or Environmental Issues and Climate Change. Students have the opportunity to combine scientific literacy and global and cultural competence with the skills typically associated with a liberal arts education – effective written and verbal communication, information literacy, the ability to analyze and solve complex problems and to ask and answer meaningful questions.

History majors can also take advantage of the program’s travel-integrated courses, which provide a powerful experiential learning opportunity. These courses allow students to travel domestically or internationally for 1-2 weeks at the end of a course in order to extend their research and analysis beyond the conventional classroom environment.

The history program at Drexel prepares students for global employment in NGOs, public agencies, educational fields, scientific and environmental media, museums, government and diplomatic services, journalism, and graduate studies.

Learn more about the degree in the Course Catalog

Special Topic Courses

In addition to courses offered in the Course Catalog, the department offers special topic courses that allow faculty to explore a particular topic in more detail. These courses are offered almost every quarter and typically relate to current events or the research interests of our faculty. Examples of recent Special Topics courses are:

• The History of LBGT in American Society
• The Making of Modern India
• The History of Commodities
• The History of Capitalism

Drexel Co-op for History Majors

History majors at Drexel embark on up to three, six-month periods of employment — exploring their career options, strengthening their résumés and building a professional network in the process. Our curriculum has students complete courses in historical methods before they go on co-op, allowing them to hone their research, analytical and communication skills while adding value to their employer. Recent history majors have completed co-ops at employers such as:

• Law firms like Williams Cedar, LLC and Fox Rothschild LLP
• Archival organizations like the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
• Museums like the U.S. Army Heritage Center and the Science History Institute
• Think tanks like the Foreign Policy Research Institute
• And many more!

Learn more about Drexel Co-op

History Honor Society

Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society Omega Rho Chapter

The Omega Rho Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta in the Department of History at Drexel University is a professional society whose mission is to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians. We seek to bring students, teachers and writers of history together for intellectual and social exchanges, which promote and assist historical research and publication by our members in a variety of ways.

Membership Requirements

One need not be a history major to join the Omega Rho Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, but potential members must have:

• An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
• A GPA of 3.1 or higher in history courses
• At least 12 credit hours of history courses completed, whether through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, SAT II, or classes taken at an accredited college or university

The Department of History makes the official determination of eligibility among history majors after each Fall Quarter. Students who know they meet the eligibility requirements should contact the faculty adviser (at any time of the year); non-majors (and double majors who do not list history or political science as their first major) will need to identify themselves to the adviser because department records cannot identify eligible non-majors.

For more information, please contact Professor Kathryn Steen, faculty adviser at steen@drexel.edu.

Jobs for History Majors

History majors gain the technical skills and humanistic perspectives to excel in many industries. A degree in history is excellent preparation for careers in fields like law, politics, research, marketing and government. Drexel’s curriculum also makes it easy to pair the History major with a major or minor in another discipline. Recent graduates of our program have gone on to exciting careers at places like Independence Blue Cross, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, the US Army Heritage Center, the marketing agency DMi Partners, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, a global law firm.