Welcome from the Department Chair, Mark Hendrickson

As the newly elected chair, I want to personally welcome to the UCSD Department of History! At
the crossroads of the humanities, the arts, and social sciences, history is the study of human
experiences as it has unfolded over the ages. As an academic discipline, it presents a unique gateway
both to the richness of our cultural heritage and to the immense diversity of world civilizations.

Our forty full-time faculty members teach thousands of undergraduate students a year; train Ph.D
students to become the next generation of professors; publish award-winning research; and engage
the world through a range of public and digital history projects. We embrace the many different
pathways of doing history and invite you to peruse our website to learn more about what we do!

At the graduate level, our PhD students focus on one of our areas of specialization for their
dissertation research, but also pick two “minor fields” that provide greater breadth to their training. 
We have a good placement record for our doctoral students, many of whom go on to full-time
academic jobs, as well as positions in government, archives, NGO’s, and the private sector.

Our department offers an opportunity to have meaningful learning experiences both in and outside
of the classroom. We are growing major and have seen a doubling of our history majors over the
past ten years. Our undergraduate students hold leadership positions in our Undergraduate History
Network (UHN), fulfill major requirements abroad and in the UCDC Program, serve the
community, get accepted into top graduate programs, and begin successful careers in law, business,
nonprofits, education, and other fields. Undergraduate students interested in pursuing a graduate
degree are well served by our Honors Program.

Becoming a Triton history major or Ph.D. means that you are joining a community that learns from
each other. A few years ago, the UHN and the department began a series of alumni panels that
helped our majors learn from and connect to our alumni. This year we will build on that tradition
with our Ph.D. alumni. These events are open to students after they graduate from UCSD, and you
should not be surprised if one day you are a panelist or featured presenter at one of these events.

Mark Hendrickson
Chair and Associate Professor