The Department of History offers many opportunites, resources, and experiences that are meant to help students succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Opportunities such as internships and study abroad programming play a great role in the college experience, resume building, and work in the degree field. As a History major, you will have the mentorship and resources available to succeed in any path you take after graduation.

Study Abroad

We believe that studying abroad is a critical component to any student's educational experience. With support from the Office of International Programs and Study Abroad, you have the opportunity to study abroad for different durations and ina multitude of locations. 

Careers

Are you wondering if the Department of History is a right fit for you and your future? Learn about job outlooks for each of our majors and minors from accredited sources.

Latin Tutoring

Students Who Excel in Latin

If you excel in Latin, you may be hired as a student tutor within the Department of Classics. Our tutors typically work about 11 hours per week as University work-study or non-work-study students and are responsible for maintaining appointments with students, both undergraduate and graduate, through an online appointment system. Tutors meet with these students during sessions ranging from 30- to 60-minutes in length. Tutors also help out with small tasks within the main office of the Department of Classics.

Students Who May Need Help in Latin

If you find that you need some extra help in Latin, you are able to make appointments with our Latin tutors, free of charge, through a user-friendly online appointment system. Tutoring sessions range from 30- to 60-minutes in length, depending on your needs, and you can choose which tutor you prefer to work with based on that tutor's availability. There is no limit to the amount of tutoring sessions you can sign up for, which allows for individualized assistance tailored to your needs.

Student Clubs & Organizations

  • Interested in art and/or history?

  • Want to go to galleries, museums, and other areas of interest?

  • Passionate about art and public history advocacy?

  • Like participating in social events for the historically and artistically inclined?

The Department of History and the Art History Program offer students the opportunities to engage in the above-mentioned activities through the Art/History Club. 

Phi Alpha Theta is a professional honor 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. It seeks 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."

To join, undergraduate students must:

  • complete a minimum of 12 credits (4 courses) in History

  • achieve a minimum GPA of 3.1 in History and a GPA of 3.0 or better overall

  • be in the top 35% of their class

Students enrolled in an online program are not eligible. Membership is not limited to History majors.

Each spring semester, the Department of History inducts its new members in a community gathering that includes a reception afterward. For more information, please contact the History department.

The Classical Society is dedicated to exploring and promoting ancient Greek and Roman society, language, and culture among students at Duquesne University. In recent years, our members have attended productions of ancient plays and films, hosted a costume party and Roman banquet, and held roundtable discussions on topics such as, "What can I do with a degree in Classics?" We also provide resources for Classics majors and minors searching for study partners, language tutors, academic resources, and camaraderie with other enthusiasts of antiquity.

At our meetings, we discuss topics such as the role of mythology in popular culture books such as Harry Potter and the Hunger Games and cool discoveries in archaeology and other Classical fields. 

The Classical Society meets several times per semester. Meetings are open to any member of the Duquesne community--students of any major or level, faculty, and staff--and refreshments are usually served. You can even join their Facebook group.

Chat with Faculty Sponsor

Professional Organizations

As a History major, you have the opportunity to connect with several professional organizations in the field of History. Many offer student memberships, making it easier for students to build on their skills outside of the classroom and diversify their thinking through professional mentorship.

Some of those organizations include:
  • American Historical Association
  • H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online
  • National Council on Public History
  • Organization of American Historians
  • Pennsylvania Historical Association 
  • Phi Alpha Theta: National History Honor Society

Internships

Students in the Department of History are encouraged to partake in an internship for credit. Internships provide valuable opportunities that allow you to acquire first-hand knowledge and grow your professional skill set. They also offer a chance to build your resume and network with professionals. Internships also play a vital role in helping you find exciting and rewarding positions after finishing your undergraduate degree. We will be developing our internship program with a few new opportunities, so stay tuned for updates!

There are many opportunities throughout Pittsburgh for internships in the fields of History and Public History. Take a look at the graduate student internship page to see where students have performed their internships in the past.
We currently offer four different archaeological internships that cover fieldwork, archaeological collections, and digital artifacts.
  • Christine Davis Consultants: Archaeology interns work at local archaeological firm, Christine Davis Consultants. Christine and her team have excavated in and around Pittsburgh for over two decades, digging everything from Native American villages to Three PNC Plaza. Interns assist both in the main office (a beautiful old cider mill in Verona, PA) and in the field. Gain training in a wide variety of archaeological skills, including field surveys and shovel tests, water flotation, and cleaning and labeling newly discovered artifacts. Watch this video to learn more about what Christine Davis Consulting discovered under the PNC Plaza site!
  • Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Conservation Internship: Conservation interns focus on collections preservation, working on artifacts from all the museum's departments. Interns help maintain collections through environmental management, treatment (including properly cleaning objects and specimens), and storage improvements. Students also learn about risks to the collection. In addition to hands-on exposure to the basics of conservation, students develop a better understanding of the particular materials found in natural history collections (including anthropology).
  • Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Collections Management: Learn the basics of managing and organizing artifacts and archives with the 1.5 million-piece archaeological collection at the Carnegie. Collections interns experience a hands-on course in general collection management, doing photography, writing descriptions, and building storage boxes and mounts, among other things. Participate in major projects to rehouse the artifacts, and tackle the loads of archaeology-related jobs they have for interns.
  • Digital Humanities at Duquesne: Interns learn the basics of 3D-scanning and modelling for archaeological outreach and research. Receive training and gain familiarity with 3D processing software MeshLab and SketchFab. Interns work with scanned artifacts from ancient Greece, creating models that will be used by archaeologists and museums, including the Corinth Excavations and Corinth Archaeological Museum.

Contact for more info

Dr. John Mitcham

Department Chair