The History major offers students the opportunity to explore the complex relationship between our understanding of the past and our experience of the present. Through the study of history, students will learn to interpret past events, understand societies and peoples, and recognise patterns and structures in history. They will also attend to the ways in which historians’ narratives of the past often reflect contemporary concerns and assumptions.

History at Yale-NUS

Course offerings in the History major span a wide range of geographical regions, such as East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Indian Ocean. They also address important thematic issues such as empire, colonialism, modernisation, urbanisation, science and technology, migration and diaspora, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and material culture. In consultation with the History faculty, students will have the freedom to shape their own pathways in the major according to their geographical and thematic interests.

History Careers

History majors can pursue careers in a wide array of fields. These include advertising, consulting, business, government, public policy, personnel management, ergnomics, education, technology, and research. Listed below are just some of the organisations our History alumni have joined after graduation: 

• Educational technology start-up, Singapore
• Ministry of Education, Singapore
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
• Ministry of National Development, Singapore
• National Heritage Board, Singapore
• Shophouse & Co., Singapore
• The Edge Singapore

Our graduates have also gained admission into a variety of graduate programmes, ranging from history to digital humanities to East Asian studies. Some of the universities our students have gone on to include:

• Harvard University, USA
• Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore
• Loyola University Chicago, USA
• National Institute of Education, Singapore
• University of Chicago, USA