You can do just about anything with a degree in history. Our students learn how to think critically and independently, analyze sources, and write clearly. These skills are not only useful, but essential in all walks of life. Our alums are teachers and professors, librarians and archivists, entrepreneurs, activists, lawyers, health-care professionals, and pursue many other exciting professions.
Featured Alumni
Stephen Penney
I work as an analyst in the expanding asset management division of Barclays, called Barclays Wealth. I am exploring how the financial sector operates, and building relationships in the business. Studying history at Wheaton has opened my eyes to many things most finance majors never learned in college, such as the manifestations of society and culture in the business world.
Charles Allen
I am currently the Career Program Manager for the Posse Foundation’s Boston office. Posse helps outstanding high school students succeed in higher education through scholarships and other types of support. I was inspired by my history courses to work for more access to professional leadership for people of all backgrounds.
Related links
- Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services
- Jobs and Careers in History – American Historical Association
- “Iphigenia and the iPhone” – Inside Higher Ed
Fellowships
Our majors win a variety of post-graduate fellowships.
Neill Brandon won a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Jinju, South Korea, working at a science high school for gifted students. “I had a chance to travel around Korea and make Korean friends. Living and working in Korea, I had to adjust on the fly and understand centuries-old traditions. Being a history major taught me to assess multiple viewpoints and to refine communication skills for any situation. Studying history helped me explore cultures across the globe. History Department faculty fostered my passion for education with their contagious enthusiasm and dedication to their work.”
Albert Kramer was a fellow in New York City’s Urban Fellows Program working at the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability. “I studied and analyzed possible solutions to the threats currently facing New York City’s wetlands. I also helped OLTPS update New York City’s comprehensive sustainability plan (PLANYC 2030) by Earth Day 2011. Studying history has allowed me to develop the research, critical analysis, and writing skills necessary to locate, weigh, and assess different policy options.
Graduate school
Our majors enter graduate programs of all kinds.
Lacey ChrystalAfter Wheaton, Lacey completed a masters degree in American History at the University of Texas at Arlington where she taught college history courses. She plans to start a doctoral program. “My desire to be a college professor came 110% from my education at Wheaton – I wanted to be the kind of supportive, inventive, and passionate teacher that had influenced me so much as a student.”
Marie Jamieson
After graduation, Marie worked at the Dallas Heritage Village on Texan-American history from the Civil War to 1909. She then entered a masters program in special education at Simmons College in Boston and worked at Brookline High School. “I love helping students push themselves intellectually. Just the other day a student needed a book for an economics class, and I suggested Nickel and Dimed from my Labor History class! Wheaton taught me to think more analytically about history, that it’s not all just facts. I try to help students by connecting history to the present. It’s a challenge, and I love every minute of it!”