old letters and postcards

The Department of History

Why study history?

The world around us right now is the product of history.

Tracing the turning points and individual actions that built the present helps make sense of the world around us and points to ways that we can make a difference in the future.

History students develop practical, marketable skills that transfer into a wide range of workplaces. 

Our classes focus on how to:

  • find and make sense of data ;
  • apply critical thinking to that information;
  • and effectively communicate an analysis to a broad audience.

Research, analysis and communication are in-demand skills.

Your history degree applies to a career in education, business, journalism, government, law and the non-profit sector.

For more information about career opportunities, see: What Can I Do with My History Degree? and our Alumni page.


Featured news

Federal funding for research in the Faculty of Arts

SSHRC Insights and Partnership Development grants awarded to faculty researchers

Outstanding Book award

Frank Stahnisch's publication honoured by the International Society for the History of the Neurosciences

Courtnay Konshuh awarded 2026 CHA Teaching Prize

Hands-on courses in Medieval History at the University of Calgary exemplify innovative pedagogy that drives student engagement

David Garneau Wants You to Look Again

Books without words. Bubble-wrapped bison heads. Sunlight soap. In David Garneau’s latest exhibitions, everyday objects carry unsettling histories.

Beau Cleland awarded the Wiley Silver Prize

Beau Cleland's latest book has been honoured by the University of Mississippi's Centre for Civil War Research

In the media

Featured events


two researches in the arctic

Understanding Arctic Sea Ice

Dr. John Yackel, PhD, professor in the Department of Geography in the Faculty of Arts, is leading an international team studying Arctic sea ice in the High Arctic. The project will improve satellite measurements to better understand climate change.

Learn more

Connect with us

Please reach us at hist@ucalgary.ca