History Department

History Provides a Glimpse Into Your Future

A student is more likely to leave Spelman College as a history graduate than enter as a history major.  Kathleen Phillips-Lewis associate professor and former chair of the Spelman department of history is OK with that premise. “For us, we start with a few, and we add majors as they go through their undergrad years,” she said.

Students often come into the College unaware of the range of opportunities available following undergraduate study of history.

“You can do anything with a history degree. History teaches some of the basic skills like how to do research and verify sources; how to document; how to read quickly and extract the central core of information; how to write and construct an argument,” Phillips-Lewis said.  In addition, it helps a student understand the dynamics of the world in which she lives, the role of the past in constructing the present and the future.

History Equals Transferable Skills

Able to develop transferable skills, history buffs and majors find career opportunities in law and education, Phillips-Lewis said, noting that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has an undergraduate degree in history.

Phillips-Lewis points out that a lot of Spelman grads go on to law or teaching careers.  “Others are archivists, librarians, curators,” she said. Some are pursuing careers on Wall Street, in the ministry, working in public history conservation and building preservation, international studies, women’s studies and other fields.