Students develop critical thinking skills, learn to write persuasively, and increase their cultural awareness. All of these skills are valued in any profession, so while students may decide to continue on to study history at a graduate level, our majors also enter other professional fields such as law, business, government and foreign service, journalism, and teaching.

The Boston College History Department’s M.A. and Ph.D. programs attract talented students from the United States and around the world. The M.A. program prepares students for a broad range of careers in public history, education, publishing, and elsewhere. The goal of the Ph.D. program is to produce historians who are both leading scholars and distinguished teachers. While most graduates of the doctoral program become academic historians, the department is committed to assisting students who are interested in positions in university administration, museums, archives, and research institutes.