A variety of special opportunities for history majors can significantly enrich a student’s undergraduate experience. For example, The Civil War Institute, directed by a member of the history faculty, provides a number of students with work related to the Institute's summer program; Civil War Era Studies offers The Gettysburg Semester as well as a minor program.
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Our history minors and history majors have ample opportunities to engage in meaningful service to their communities through the Center for Public Service, get connected to hands-on public policy experiences at the Eisenhower Institute, or contribute to the student-led Gettysburg Historical Journal and Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era.
Wherever your research leads you, the Gettysburg College history department is here to support you.
“Faculty research forms the core of my teaching endeavors and pedagogical objectives... It’s important for students to see that I am an active scholar, and that the books and ideas we engage with in class are being created here at Gettysburg College. I, like many of my colleagues, am producing the knowledge that contributes to their education.” — Prof. Jim Downs
Civil War Institute
Open to the public and all Gettysburg students, the Civil War Institute is an exciting organization that promotes dialogue about the history of the Civil War era. To provide a unique platform, the Civil War Institute offers all audiences week-long Civil War conferences and educational programming, which includes exhibits, lectures, and performances.
Students enrolled in the bachelor’s in history degree program may find the Civil War Institute particularly useful as they search for hands-on research topics, internships, or information about a variety of professional careers in the field of history.
Experiential learning
History students have endless opportunities to engage in hands-on learning at Gettysburg. Whether that’s enrolling in a study abroad program to gain course credit towards your history major or completing a summer internship at the Saratoga Battlefield National Park, you have options.
Explore all of your experiential learning opportunities.
Career preparation
Graduates of the bachelor’s in history degree program are prepared for graduate school or immediate entry into the workforce. Moreover, the history department’s curriculum and experiential learning opportunities provide you with the tools you need to succeed in fields such as education, nonprofit, law, government, or marketing.
Gettysburg history graduates have held jobs in the following positions:
- Assistant state’s attorney
- Foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State
- Museum director
- Press secretary for the Maryland Governor
- Writer/editor for the National Archives
All history majors and history minors are encouraged to visit the Center for Career Engagement for insight into shaping their career path.
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Graduate and professional study
To support students earning their bachelor’s in history, Gettysburg College offers a fully online Master’s Degree in American History in partnership with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. This fully accredited, fully online 30-credit history program is taught by professors from Columbia, Harvard, and Yale, and other leading higher education institutions.
Learn about the Master’s Degree in American history offered through The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
The Gettysburg Network and connectGettysburg
As a history major, you have access to the Gettysburg Network via the connectGettysburg platform, your hub connection to over 32,000 alumni. Serving as our key engagement, networking, and mentoring platform, connectGettysburg offers limitless connections to alumni inside and outside the field of history.
Student life opportunities
Along with the Civil War Institute and the Eisenhower Institute, Gettysburg offers a fully student-led history club that encourages members to engage in historical conversations. To encourage further insightful historical discussions, the Gettysburg College Historical Society is open to students of all majors.