Your History Major Beyond Coe

A history major is a wonderful course of study, both as an interesting way to spend your years at Coe and as strong preparation for the world beyond. History is a classic liberal arts major, which means you will learn skills that will help you in work and life, regardless of the particular field you enter. And, seriously, that is a great gift, for the pace of change in society and the economy is so fast that knowing how to read, to write, to speak, and to learn new things will only become more crucial in the future.

History students, in particular, develop the ability to gather information via research, to interpret information and arguments, to think critically and analyze skillfully, and to communicate their findings in writing and in person. These abilities prove valuable in many ways and in many walks of life.

In particular, a history major is strong preparation for students interested in:

• Teaching, whether in kindergarten, at a high school, or back at a place like Coe College.
• Working for the government, whether local, state, federal, or in foreign service.
• Working with people, in fields like social work, non-profit work, community development and the ministry.
• Working with communication, in fields like journalism, public relations, publishing, and advertising.
• Going to law school.
• Going on to graduate study in history.
• Going on to other graduate studies or fields, such as library science, museum studies, historical preservation, public history, classical studies, and anthropology/archeology.

We have former students building successful careers in a wide variety of fields.