Internships
Undergraduates at SUNY Potsdam are encouraged to obtain extra career related experience in their chosen field by doing off-campus internships. Contact the Experiential Education Office at (315) 267-2507 or visit their website to learn more. Examples of previous internships in which History students have participated include:
Our history students have interned at:
- SUNY Potsdam History Department, Potsdam, NY
- Akwesasne Cultural Museum, Hogansburg, NY
- St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY
- Historian’s Office, DeKalb, NY
- Potsdam Public Library, Potsdam, NY
- Potsdam Public Museum, Potsdam, NY
- Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, NY
- Oneida County Historical Society, Oneida, NY
- National Archives, Washington, DC
What can I do with a history major?
- One modern historian answered this hoary question in the following way. See Catherine Lavender's "What can I do with a History Major?"
- For a taste of opportunities in various fields of history, see the American Historical Association's guide to careers.
- Information about skills expected of job candidates in public history is covered in Philip M. Kutz, "Public History Employers--What Do They Want?"
- For opportunities in business, here's an inspiring article by John Pepper, former CEO and Chairman of Procter & Gamble.
Opportunities in the Field
About half of the department's majors also seek certification as teachers, primarily in secondary education. The remainder seek, and receive, a broad liberal arts education that prepares them for a variety of careers. Some SUNY Potsdam history alumni enter the workforce immediately after completing their degree or education. They work in a wide variety of jobs in corporations and government agencies. Others pursue professional graduate education in fields in the discipline, completing graduate school in history. Several who have earned advanced degrees in history work in museums or historical sites, preserving the artifacts of the past and presenting them to the public. Others teach in colleges and universities.
"The history department at SUNY Potsdam does more than teach you how to think, read and write like a historian—it gives you the skills to assess credibility in sources outside of historical contexts, which is so important in our personal as well as professional lives. What really makes the department stand out, though, are its professors who are some of the most caring and intellectually rigorous individuals on campus! For me, studying in this department was an invaluable first step into a life of academia."