Diversify your thinking through our undergraduate program tracks and dual programs! History is not only fascinating to pursue on it's own, but is equally as valuable to pair with other programs and schools across Duquesne's campus. We provide a number of opportunities for students to expand their horizons through study abroad, internships, and other on- and off-campus activities.

Faculty Commitment

The majority of our courses are taught by full-time faculty who, in addition to being fine teachers, are all published scholars in their fields. They bring to the classroom both their enthusiasm for the discipline and the rich insights of their scholarship. All of the Department's instructors, whether full-time or adjunct, are committed to excellence in education. That commitment is reflected in the Department's reputation for first-rate instruction.

The faculty members of the Department of History:

  • endeavor to help students become educated and conscientious citizen scholars
  • serve not only the students at Duquesne but also students of history elsewhere and through time by contributing to historical discourse through presentations and publications
  • offer a wide variety of courses in American, European, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African histories

Program Tracks

The study of History enriches all who undertake it. It sits at the center of the liberal arts, for it is concerned with all areas of human endeavor—politics, economics, social arrangements, psychology, thought, and religion.

Our History Majors and Minors:

  • engage in a challenging education
  • learn to apply the methods of historical scholarship in contemplative and ethical ways
  • deepen their understanding of the United States of America and the world and how and why different cultures have developed as they have
Explore History & Dual Programs

The study of Classics is a balanced investigation into the societies of ancient Greece and Rome - two of the most enduring and influential societies in the western world - and is uniquely equipped to benefit its students.

Our Classical Civilazation Minors:

  • engage in a challenging education
  • gain insights into the perplexing problems that continue to confront any society and every individual
  • obtain broad and deep training which enables them to be flexible, incisive, articulate, persuasive citizens

The Undergraduate Certificate in Public History allows students to develop "hands on" skills in fields such as Museum Studies, Archival Methods, Historic Preservation, Oral History, and the Digital Humanities.

  • Students will learn from Duquesne's Public History faculty
  • work in our Digital Lab and Oral History Studio
  • enroll in internships with community partners like the Heinz History Center, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, and the City of Pittsburgh.

Additional Tracks

Undergraduate Professional Track

The Department of History provides opportunities for its undergraduate majors to explore the field of public history and to undertake internships at local historical institutions. Students who are admitted to the Professional Track program choose to take either HIST 526: Museum Studies (3 credits) in the spring semester of their junior year or HIST 525: Archival Studies (3 credits) in the fall semester of their senior year. Upon the successful completion of the course, they will become eligible for a three-credit internship aspect of their course work. The Department will make every effort to place the student in an internship, depending on the availability of an appropriate placement. The 6 credits in the professional sequence will not count towards the required 30 credits in History, but they serve as electives.

Students apply for this program during the fall semester of their junior year. They must meet the following requirements:

  • 3.0 overall GPA
  • 3.3 QPA in their History courses
  • completion of 15 credits in History by the end of the fall semester of their junior year, including U.S. to 1877 and U.S. since 1877 (HIST 203 and HIST 204, respectively) and Writing History (HIST 311W)
  • letters of recommendation from two History professors
  • Students are strongly urged to take HIST 396 (Public History: People's Pasts) before or as they are applying for this track.

Pre-Law Track

History is great preparation for education in and the practice of law. The Department offers a series of law-related courses and recommends that majors who plan to apply to law school select from one or more of these classes.

The School of Law has a 3/3 program that allows qualified students to earn both an undergraduate degree in History and a law degree in six years. It is a highly competitive program to which students must apply in their junior year.Students apply for this program during the fall semester of their junior year.