History

As a history student, you gain the knowledge and analytic skills needed to learn and grow in diverse fields of today's global economy. You learn to pose and answer big questions, research the past to understand contemporary events, and appreciate the many ways that history informs public debates. Seminars expose you to key concepts through which scholars and others have sought to make sense of the past. And through original research, you engage a wide range of sources - textual, visual, material, and digital - and synthesize them to draw insights and conclusions.

You can choose from seminars spanning diverse topics, including:

• The history of capitalism
• Intellectual, social, cultural, and political history
• The history of gender and sexuality
• The history of race and class formation
• The history of science, technology, and the environment

Numerous courses also address New York's history and connect you to the city's rich cultures, institutions, and communities.

Major requirements

Minor requirements

Lang continues to offer courses and co-curricular opportunities in history. Students who begin their studies at Lang in Fall 2026 or after can continue to explore this subject through:

• The History minor.
• Topical courses in history, such as History of American Education, Oral History: Theory and Methods, and Exhibitions as History.
• Civic Liberal Arts classes that connect partners at local institutions and organizations with your coursework. Recent offerings include Infamous Lives: The Archive.
• Programming and events hosted by institutes such as the Center for the American Experience, the India China Institute, and the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies.
• Fellowships and grants such as the Lang Social Science Research Fellowship and Engaged Learning Opportunity Awards. A recent grant supported a student’s internship at Tatter Textile Library, where she managed the archives.
• Internships and independent work in the community. Students have recently interned at the Museum of the City of New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of the Moving Image.
• Lang’s annual Dean’s Honor Symposium, in which students connect their interests and scholarship with experiences outside of the classroom and in context with one another. One recent participant presented her research on producing an exhibition on the continued negative effects of 9/11 at the 9/11 Museum.  

Connecting to New York City

While it offers the atmosphere and intimacy of a small college, Eugene Lang College is part of The New School, a major progressive university in New York City. With access to many the finest museums, libraries, and archives in the world, and we treat New York City as a source, resource, and educational laboratory. Our students and faculty make use of local history and local historical institutions in their coursework, in original research, and in a variety of internships.

Career Paths

History majors have gone on to graduate school in diverse disciplines and have pursued careers in law, politics, economics, journalism, and international relations, working in nonprofit organizations, museums, and public history projects.

Consult our 4-Year Lang Career Pathways Map (PDF) for helpful steps and resources to link your academic journey to your future plans. If you are planning to pursue graduate studies, consider applying to the Bachelor's-Master's program, which enables you to earn graduate credits that will apply to both your Lang degree and a master's degree in Historical Studies at The New School for Social Research.

Outcomes at Lang