The Department of History at Washington University in St. Louis is committed to studying the past in a way that informs, challenges, and inspires. Situated at the core of the university, the department is committed to a comprehensive and diverse curriculum that not only imparts important knowledge, but cultivates skills that are crucial for life and work in today's twenty-first century world. We believe that a critical understanding of the past is foundational not only to an education, but to responsible global citizenship.

Undergraduates can major or minor in history. The major is structured to be broad and flexible to encourage students to both pursue established interests and to explore topics, time periods, and locales that may be less familiar. Courses span from the ancient world to the present, and across Africa, Asia, the Mideast, Europe and the Americas. For graduate students, the department offers a doctoral program in history and notes particular expertise in the history of Africa, American civil rights, Britain, Central Europe, East Asia, Empire, medieval Europe, and the early modern world.

The Department of History takes great pride in the individual attention that it can offer its students—this makes for a truly individualized, personal course of study. To engage students beyond the classroom, the department sponsors the Phi Alpha Theta Honorary Society, produces a regular Undergraduate Studies Newsletter, and works with the International Relations Roundtable, a group that provides a platform for undergraduates who seek informed discussion on pertinent issues in international relations. All of these components make for a multi-faceted, dynamic academic experience when studying history.