Our majors
History (B.A.)
The History major emphasizes analysis of change over time and in-depth understanding of the societies, cultures, economies, political systems, and conflicts that have shaped our world. You’re strongly encouraged to pursue your own curriculum that explores seven distinct regions across antiquity and modernity, and our seminar-style classes allow History majors to work closely with faculty mentors, who illuminate and explain links between past and present conversations. The broad analytic, research, and writing skills cultivated by the History major prepare students for success in a wide variety of careers. Core strengths of the History department include courses on democracy and citizenship, criminal justice, healthcare and medicine, labor, technology and A.I., the environment, race and civil rights, and gender.
Anthropology (B.A.)
Anthropology is an interdisciplinary major designed for individuals interested in questioning what makes us human, how humanity engages with the broader world (including our environments), and how human connection leads to past and present processes of globalization. In other words, this program will give you a broad understanding of your prospects and responsibilities as a citizen of the world, confronting challenging contemporary problems. Our major offers ample room for professional specialization–especially if your personal interests relate to diplomacy and human rights, community development, cultural preservation, immigration and naturalization, environmental sustainability, and hospitality.
Ethics, History, & Public Policy (B.A./B.S.)
This highly interdisciplinary program is jointly administered by the Department of History and the Department of Philosophy. You’ll develop a deep historical understanding of how modern-day problems have evolved, a facility with frameworks for ethical decision-making that help formulate and evaluate solutions to these challenges, and a grasp of public policy needed for moving toward a better state of affairs. In addition to gaining a strong humanistic foundation necessary for today’s leaders, EHPP majors learn how to conduct historical research, analyze and construct arguments, evaluate evidentiary statements, and find persuasive means of presenting their ideas. You’ll also conduct research under time and resource constraints, and craft policies that address real-world problems in a way that’s sensitive both to history and to competing sets of values.
Science, Technology & Society (B.S.)
Our Science, Technology & Society majors examine complex interactions of science and technology with social, cultural, and economic systems through a fundamentally humanistic lens. Our dynamic coursework introduces majors to transdisciplinary theories and methods that enable them to better understand how science and technology both shape — and are shaped by — the social contexts from which they emerge and are deployed. The major is designed to build intellectual bridges across the university. For students in scientific and technical disciplines, STS provides the intellectual framework and the social and cultural perspectives needed to meaningfully reflect on what they are learning in their classrooms and laboratories, and to understand the implications of that knowledge. For those grounded in the humanities and arts, STS provides the knowledge needed to meaningfully engage in debates about the impact of science and technology on humanity and the world we inhabit, and to advocate for better outcomes in research, development, and deployment of new technologies.
Talk with our Academic Advisor
Beth JamesonHistory Advisor & Humanities Coordinator
bjameson@andrew.cmu.edu
Internships
Internships allow students to embrace causes they care most about or learn more about new opportunities.
Study Abroad
Both of our majors are designed to be flexible to allow students to study abroad.
What do our graduates do?
The broad analytic, research, and writing skills cultivated by the History major prepare students for lifelong success, especially in business, law, government, education, journalism, social work, urban planning, media, museums and libraries, the armed forces, and the ministry. For individuals interested in pursuing a professional career in history, options today include not only research and teaching, but also expert positions in the public and private sectors.
Anthropology majors have enjoyed success across varied fields, including private and non-governmental sectors, law and public affairs, media, and tourism. Recent alumni of our program have pursued advanced degrees in psychology, business, medicine, and international studies. You could work as a diplomat, a conservationist, a non-profit leader, an international market researcher, a journalist, or an aid-relief coordinator, amongst other possibilities.
The Ethics, History, & Public Policy (EHPP) major serves as an excellent springboard for graduate study, and our alumni represent careers in law practice, business and finance, non-profit management, and government. Our curriculum prepares students for a wide range of policy areas, including medicine and public health, criminal justice, civil rights and accessibility, education, labor protections, voting rights and elections, and ethical debates surrounding A.I and drones. Your future role may be a legislator, an attorney, non-profit director, a human rights analyst, an environmental conservationalist, or even an historian or philosopher in your own right.
Our flexible curriculum prepares Science, Technology & Society (STS) majors for careers that focus on biotechnology, healthcare, A.I., conflict and surveillance policies, waste and pollution management, renewable energies, urban development, food production, and global communications. Your future job could be an industry manager, a research ethicist, a corporate consultant, a technical writer, a museum curator, an exhibit designer, or a historian of science.
Hands-on Educational Opportunities
麻豆村 Prison Education Project
Modeled after the nationwide prison education program , 麻豆村's Prison Education Project courses are taught once a week inside a local prison and are made up of half non-incarcerated ("outside") students and half incarcerated ("inside") students. 麻豆村 students learn alongside students who are incarcerated and both inside and outside students receive full credit for their coursework in this curriculum. The program is the result of years of effort and careful planning on Professor Wendy Goldman's part, who serves as the program's Director.
"The 麻豆村 Prison Education Project was one of the most influential experiences I have ever had. I have never been in class with more engaging, perceptive and dedicated students, and this program entirely changed my relationship with education and learning. 麻豆村 PEP is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I could not recommend this course more." - Rowan, 麻豆村 student
Grand Challenge Seminars
All first-year students are required to take a Grand Challenge Seminar, which focus on real, complex global problems like climate change, food insecurity or racism. Seminars are co-taught by multiple faculty members who bring a multi-disciplinary lens to problem-solving. Faculty teams propose seminar topics and engage with students in critical thinking, communication and collaboration. The courses harness the intellectual power of humanists and social scientists from Dietrich College, in collaboration with engineers, roboticists, chemists and other experts from across the university.
麻豆村 PEP students and faculty gather for dinner after class at SCI Somerset.