The History Department at Northampton Community College
The study of history has long been recognized as central to a Liberal Arts education and has served as a foundation for successful careers in many fields. The study of history is not designed simply to teach students to regurgitate dates or facts, or even to explain how our present world emerged from its murky origins in other times or places. The true study of history is understanding cause and effect: why events happened the way they did and what consequences those events had. This training in objective thinking is useful in ways that students may not always anticipate, but which employers often understand. There are many ways in which skills learned in the study of the past can be translated into the enterprises of the present.
Like many college disciplines, history majors are trained to both read and write critically, not only to follow arguments but to understand texts that often present multiple views. That kind of openness to research and awareness of the complexity of events (the ability to "connect the dots") is exactly what decision-making in business, government, law, journalism, and other fields often require. Skills learned through historical study have proven useful in a great variety of professions. While students cannot directly major in history at Northampton, they may obtain a major in the Liberal Arts (Associate in Arts Degree) that qualifies them to become history majors, minors, and history education majors at four-year institutions.
The term historian covers a broad range of career options and job settings. In general, historians study, assess, and interpret the past to determine what happened and why. They examine court documents, diaries, letters, and newspaper accounts; they conduct research, write, teach, evaluate, and make recommendations. They interview individuals and study archeological and artifactual evidence. Based on this training, career paths for history majors are almost limitless: schools, universities, libraries, museums, government offices, and newspapers are just a few of the potential professional choices for history students.
Related careers include, but aren't limited to: Anthropologist, FBI / CIA, Journalist, Archeologist, Lawyer, Archivist, Genealogist, Legal Assistant, Government Official, Librarian, Historian, Historic Preservationist, Market Research Analyst, Consumer Advocate, Media Consultant, Counselor, Museum Curator, Criminologist, Demographer, Park Ranger, Editor, International Relations, Teacher, Professor, Public Relations Specialist, Technical Writer, Urban Planner, Research Assistant, Sociologist.
The History Faculty at Northampton Community College are fully committed to teaching not just potential Liberal Arts majors, but all students who enter our classrooms. We are a community of teachers, scholars, and staff, dedicated to quality community college undergraduate education, excellence in research, and service to the College, our communities, and our profession.
Thinking of obtaining a Liberal Arts degree for potential major or minor in history? See Northampton's requirements for the Associate in Arts degree here.
Thinking of obtaining a History Education degree? See Northampton's requirements for the Associate in Arts in Education degree here.
