Welcome to the Department of History!
The Department of History prides itself on providing students with rigorous training in writing, research, and analytical thinking. The history major offers students three 36-credit tracks in history, public history, or secondary education, as well as a variety of minor programs. The Department produces more social studies teachers every year than any other campus in the UW system, and the public history program is the only such program in Wisconsin. As a result, students are extremely well prepared for the work and life challenges of the 21st century.
Public History Major

Class field trip to Milwaukee including visits to the Milwaukee Public Museum, the 3rd and 5th Wards, and the Lakefront Brewery.
What is Public History?
Public History is for students interested in pursuing a career in history beyond teaching. Public Historians work in museums, archives, the fields of historic preservation, film and digital history, historical consulting, oral history, among others.


