HISTORY MAJOR
at Meredith College
The unique perspective provided through the history major offers intellectual insight, provides the basis of informed citizenship, and cultivates a skill set that can be applied to various careers.
Our History Major
As a history major at Meredith College, you will gain a deep knowledge and understanding of today’s world by learning about the importance of the past. The skills learned in studying the past prepare students for traditional careers in law, government, education, and historical or cultural institutions while also enabling graduates to compete successfully in the global marketplace.
At Meredith, we send students into a wide variety of professional fields and collaborate closely with the Office of Career Planning. As a history major, you can expect to engage in mock interviews, networking events, career panels, and resume workshops. You’ll emerge from Meredith’s history program career-ready in our increasingly service-driven economy where human interaction and expertise will always be in demand.
Why Study History at Meredith?
- Meredith’s location near the state capital gives students on-site experience and creates personal connections.
- Meredith’s history department has one of the most comprehensive and successful programs in the state for undergraduates interested in museums, historic sites, archives, documentary editing, and historic preservation.
- Graduates from Meredith’s history major have been placed at
- Ronald Reagan Presidential Archives
- North Carolina Museum of History
- Historic Mordecai
- Duke Homestead
- Graduates from Meredith’s history major have been placed at
- History majors have found success in a number of fields, including
- Education
- Business
- Nonprofit and Museums
- Government
- Law
- Through internships, we prepare our history majors for meaningful professional careers. Recently placed interns have gained experience at
- North Carolina Museum of History
- Duke Homestead Historic Site
- North Carolina State Capitol, Legislature, and Supreme Court
- Nonprofit organizations
- International businesses in the Research Triangle
- A history degree can be paired with Meredith’s teaching licensure program for a B–K, K–6, 6–9 social studies concentration, and 9–12 social studies.
- Students in the history program at Meredith graduate ready for law or graduate school.
- The history degree can be paired with Meredith’s accelerated law degree program, where students can complete their senior year of undergraduate study and first year of law school simultaneously.
- There are several student organizations for history majors to participate in, including
- Model UN
- History and Politics Club
- Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society
- Meredith has scholarships available exclusively to history students, including
- The Sarah Lemmon Award
- Alice B. Keith Scholarship
- The Frank & Caroline Grubbs Award
History Major Jobs
A degree in history prepares students for a multitude of career paths. Such paths include work in law, government, museum and historic site management, research and archives, teaching, and journalism. The major is also excellent preparation for graduate and law school.
Meredith graduates have secured prestigious positions, such as
- Research Specialist, Supreme Court of Virginia
- Christie’s Auction House, New York, N.Y.
- Analyst, National Security Agency
- Development Research Analyst, Duke University
The average salary for someone with a History degree is $50,893 a year.
Recent graduate schools attended by Meredith alumnae include
- Master’s Program in Archaeology, University of Sheffield
- Master’s Program in History, UNC Greensboro
- Master’s Program in Asian History, University of California, Berkeley
- UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law
- Elon University School of Law
- Ph.D. Program in International Studies, Warwick University
- MLS Program, University of Pittsburgh
From the moment Emily Chilton, ’18, stepped foot on campus she knew she wanted to connect with as many people as possible and leave a lasting impact.
Armed with her Meredith degree in history, Jessica Feltner pursued a master’s degree in Asian Studies at UC-Berkeley.
Miranda Bohl, ’21
As project director of the Criminal Justice Oral Histories internship program, Miranda Bohl, ’21, explored her interest in history and gained new appreciation for the importance of helping people tell their stories.
The Academic Benefits of Meredith’s Beverly Perdue Collection
Beverly Perdue, the first woman to serve as governor of North Carolina, recently donated a collection of her materials to Meredith College. The materials have already provided valuable research opportunities for students interested in undergraduate research.
History News
On Wednesday, March 10, 2022, Meredith’s Department of History, Political Science, and International Studies hosted an information session on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Meredith College is one of seven colleges and universities from across the country selected to serve as regional hubs for a multiyear project of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). The selection was announced on February 8, 2021.
Meredith’s School of Arts & Humanities is using its annual Common Experience as an opportunity to explore “Belonging” and what it means to belong at Meredith College.
Contact Information
Gregory Vitarbo
Head, History, Political Science, & International Studies Department
214 Lux Hall
(919) 760-8089
vitarbog@meredith.edu
History & Political Science & International Studies Department »
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