This direct access to faculty, both inside and outside the classroom, is of great importance, especially to freshmen and sophomores. The History Society is an organization of students, both majors and non-majors, interested in historical topics and in the academic and nonacademic uses of history. Majors have the opportunity to join the local chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the international history society. Students are also invited to attend the History Forum, a monthly meeting with history faculty and guest speakers. The department recognizes the best undergraduate work in history each year and students are invited to many informal faculty presentations throughout the year.
Every effort is made to place interested students in internships related to their career goals.
In addition, a limited number of department work-study positions are available, allowing selected students to work directly with faculty members engaged in research projects. The most important areas of preparation are reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Basic grounding in mathematics and foreign languages is useful. History students should also have a genuine curiosity about their own and other societies and the motivation to pursue serious studies. Students who have not taken all these recommended courses may be required to make up any deficiencies.