Students of history do more than study the past. They learn broad, critical thinking, to look beyond what happened to why. History is not only inherently interesting, it’s also good preparation for anything else you do.
History Degree Paths
Major in History
Students pursing a History majors don’t rely on a rote mastery of facts. They learn how to analyze primary sources and formulate original ideas. The History Major program favors seminars over classroom lectures for most courses.
Minor in History
Courses for a history minor must cover at least two geographic areas. For example, Europe and the United States, or Asia and Europe.
Program Highlight
The Senior Thesis
The department offers an integrated curriculum: every course leads up to your senior thesis. We stress learning how to locate and use sources and documents creatively. By the time you’re a senior, you’ll be ready to undertake a 50-page research paper.
The emphasis is on creativity. You pick the topic and the method, so you can use what you’ve learned in English, sociology, and art to help you make your own kind of history.
In the past, our history majors conducted thesis research at places like the University of California at Berkeley, the Baltimore City Archives, the George C. Marshall Library, and the Library of Virginia archives.
Recent senior thesis topics include:
- Magic and the Medieval Church
- Mexican Society during the Second World War
- The Desegregation of Roanoke
- American Women in the Vietnam War
- Women Revolutionaries during the Paris Commune of 1871
- Rhetoric in Pre-Revolutionary Massachusetts
- Slave Markets in Richmond, VA
- LGBT Community-building in the 1950s
Internships
Our history students gain invaluable professional experience through prestigious internships spanning Capitol Hill, global communications firms, and local advocacy organizations.
These diverse placements across the public and private sectors allow Hollins historians to apply their research and analytical skills to real-world challenges in Roanoke, Washington, D.C., and beyond.
Full stories on recent internships
- “I Came to Hollins on a Mission”: A Smithsonian Summer Internship Helps Fulfill Hailee Brandt ‘25’s Commitment to Experiential Learning
- In Her Summer Internship, Sophia Ciatti ’24 Uncovers Little-Known History of Virginia’s Indigenous Peoples
- Alyssa Lawhorn ’26 Curates Warhol Exhibition to Encourage “Seeing the Artist in a Different Way”
Recent internships by Hollins History majors
- U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.
- U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Washington, D.C.
- The White House Historical Association, Washington, D.C.
- Ogilvy Government Relations, Washington, D.C.
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Va.
- Estée Lauder Global Communications, New York, N.Y.
- MSNBC, Washington, D.C.
- Business Dialogue, London, England
- PBS NYC, New York, N.Y.
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, D.C.
- Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, Washington D.C.
- International Spy Museum, Washington, D.C.
- Index on Censorship, London, England
- District Court of Maryland, Baltimore, Md.
- Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, Henrico, Va.
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Graduate and Professional Schools
Below is just a small sampling of acceptances into graduate and professional schools by social science majors from Hollins:
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- Brandeis University Heller School of Social Policy and Management
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- College of William and Mary, Mason School of Business
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- Johns Hopkins University
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- New School of New York
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- Purdue University
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- University of Houston Law Center
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- University of Michigan Law School
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- University of Southern California
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- University of Virginia Law School
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What Can You Do With a History Major?
Because they can think creatively and write quickly and effectively, Hollins history majors find work in a range of rewarding fields – not just history. These include:
- Communications and Media: Journalism, public relations, and corporate communications.
- Education and Academia: College and high school teaching and administration.
- Museums and Archives: Curation, preservation, and exhibit design.
- Business and Strategy: Market research, hospital risk management, and publishing.
- Community and Advocacy: Non-profit management and social justice advocacy.
Meet our Faculty
Learn more about our history professors and their background. Schedule a time to meet or request more information about Hollins and our history program below.
Rachel Nuñez
Associate Professor and Chair; Batten Chair in Leadership; Director of Core Curriculum and First-Year Foundations
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