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

New lecture series commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Event fosters reflection and dialogue within the UCalgary community

“Joe Clark, The Prime Minister from High River”

Dr. Matthew Hayday speaks in the relaunched History Matters public lecture series

HTST 220 – Medieval Worlds

A new History undergraduate course that offers hands-on experiential learning about the medieval world

In the media

Featured events


Black Milk: 2025 University of Calgary Holocaust Memorial Lecture

Black Milk: The Fragility of Childhood in the Shoah

Dr. Sara R. Horowitz (York University) presents the 2025 University of Calgary Holocaust Memorial Lecture, exploring the wartime experiences of four children.

Feb. 2, 1 p.m.
Calgary Central Library

Learn more & register

Connect with us

Please reach us at hist@ucalgary.ca