History

APPLY TO ATTEND

VISIT CAMPUS

Study at the location where the historical events took place—from an island in the Caribbean or research it in the archives of a museum. Hold artifacts in your hands and visit the places where they were found. Talk to the history makers. Come together with historians, antiquarians, archaeologists, archivists, and librarians to understand the historical context. As a Cornell history major or minor, you will learn how to make history come to life. 

Get off-campus

The block plan works well for off-campus and international study because you don’t need to be gone for an entire semester. In three weeks, you can immerse yourself in a culture, broadening and deepening your real-world experiences. You can conduct research as part of a block-long course like some of the history seminars that travel to the Newberry Library in Chicago. Or you can work closely with faculty to develop an independent research block focused on what interests you the most. 

Scholarships for history travel and research

As a Cornell history major or minor, you may be eligible for financial support for off-campus courses or research opportunities through the Richard H. Thomas History Scholar Awards for Off-Campus Research. We're dedicated to making sure all students who want to study off-campus for a block or even a semester or a year will have the financial support they need. Often, your need-based aid travels with you.

Internships and fellowships

Internships and fellowships at museums, libraries, and historical societies provide you with hands-on job experiences to add to your resume. Work with the career coaches at the Berry Career Institute to explore your options. The Cornell Fellows program sponsored by the Berry Career Institute provides funding for students to dive deep into their fields of study and truly explore what it would be like to work in that field. A recent Cornell fellowship included the Chaffin Fellow in Museum Studies at the African American Museum of Iowa.