Yale History major maintains popularity

A recent study reported a national decline in the number of history majors over the past six years. But at Yale, history remains the third most popular major for the class of 2019 as the department sponsors new efforts to bolster its global focus.

Last week, the American Historical Association published a study comparing the percent change in various fields of undergraduate study from 2011 to 2017, which found that the number of history majors has decreased by roughly 30 percent in the given time frame. This decrease marked a dip even below the major’s previous popularity decline in the 1980s. Despite national trends, Yale’s undergraduate program remains one of the five most popular majors at Yale, with 129 students declared in the class of 2019 alone.

According to department chair Joanne Meyerowitz, Yale’s Department of History plans to add as many as 11 new professors of history, six of which would focus on non-American and non-European history.

“Yale has a long tradition of a robust history major, and the college places emphasis on the importance of the liberal arts,” Meyerowitz said. “Over the past few years, we’ve made a concerted effort to hire more faculty in African-, Asian- and Latin American history and, more generally, in international and transnational history.”

While history has long been a renowned program at Yale, the number of history majors at Yale was in decline just five years ago, according to Edward Rugemer, director of undergraduate studies in history. He said the financial crisis may have factored into the major’s decreasing popularity as students turned to fields such as economics that are “perceived as more practical.” Similarly, the National Center for Education Statistics reported a decrease in history majors nationwide from nearly 35,000 students in 2008 to fewer than 25,000 in 2017.