History

There is no one path to follow with a bachelor’s degree in history. The skills you learn in critical thinking, research, historiography, and more can take you into a number of different fields. While history majors have traditionally become historians and professors, our graduates have followed their talents and interests across industries and around the globe. Our graduates have landed jobs in prestigious companies like:

• The Hershey Company
• Library Of Congress
• Milwaukee Historical Society
• Philadelphia Daily News
• U.S. Defense Department
• New York Power Authority

Your major in history could prepare you for positions such as:

• Teacher/Professor
• Lawyer/Politician
• Government Employee
• Curator
• Archivist
• Director of Historical Societies and Museums
• Librarian
• Geologist
• Religious Leader
• FBI Agent

Philadelphia is full of historic landmarks, museums, and cultural sites. We use the city’s storied past to our advantage when educating our students. Interning at one of Philadelphia’s landmarks is encouraged for every history major at La Salle. These internships often lead to full-time employment after graduation. Our campus is home to one of the city’s many interesting historic sites. The Peale House, which now serves as the University’s Alumni House, was home to 18^th century painter Charles Willson Peale and is one of the oldest buildings still in use on a college campus. Philadelphia is also home to:

• The Constitution Center
• Independence Hall
• The Liberty Bell
• The Mütter Museum
• The Franklin Institute
• The African American History Museum
• Walnut Street Theater
• Colonial Germantown Historic District
• Elfreths’s Alley Historic District
• Eastern State Penitentiary
• First Bank of The United States
• Edgar Allen Poe House and more

The culmination of your education as a history major at La Salle will be a two semester senior seminar. You’ll compile a capstone research project in an area of your own choosing. With an in-depth focus on historiography and primary source use you’ll create a well-rounded, thought provoking project that showcases all you have learned. Past student topics have included:

• George Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy
• Major General Robert Clive of the British East India Company
• Chinese Communities in 19th Century Latin America
• General Douglas McArthur and the Bataan Death March

You may work with a faculty member to learn more in your chosen area or assist with his/her research.

5-Year B.A./M.A. in History

For those students who want to pursue further education we offer a 5-year B.A./M.A. program in History or History Education. Students may apply for the program at the end of their junior year. Once accepted they will be on the fast track to graduating with two degrees.

We also offer master’s degrees in history with a concentration in public history. Our history students have attended graduate school at other prestigious institutions including:

• Yale University
• Georgetown University
• University of Taipei