History | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | The University of Iowa

students sitting on lawn in front of Schaeffer Hall studying

Centerpiece of a humanities education

With its global scope, history helps us to understand today’s crises as well as today’s success stories.

Why Iowa?

With the geographical breadth of our courses, our students develop a global consciousness along with key transferable skills such as critical thinking, communication, and empathy.

Study Here

History students listening in class at their desks, some are wearing hawkeye sweathsirts

Build a foundation

Students of history learn how to locate, verify, and interpret many kinds of evidence in order to understand the causes and effects of changes over time.

Build a foundation

students in special collections with history professor

We are a small, selective program offering students individually tailored study in a range of historical fields alongside opportunities to closely work with faculty on research, teaching, and public engagement at the MA and PhD levels.

Expand your horizons

Tyler Priest interacting with students in his History of Oil class

Learn from experts

In addition to teaching, our faculty members do cutting-edge research in their fields of specialization.

Learn from experts

See Yourself Here

Share our enthusiasm for the study of past societies and cultures to unlock important insights into the world we inhabit.

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Everything has history behind it

History is the centerpiece of a humanities education. It's about problem solving, gathering evidence, and fitting that evidence together to understand what happened in past societies – and why those things happened.

Write Your Story

Become an expert in analyzing and contextualizing the past to guide decisions for today and future. With our programs in history, you’ll find intellectual satisfaction and wisdom in understanding the past on its own terms.

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Iowa Native Spaces

Until recently, Iowa Native history was not a big part of social studies curricula in Iowa’s public schools. That is changing, and the University of Iowa is helping drive the change.

History Writing Center

The History Writing Center is available to any student in a history course needing assistance with a writing assignment.

History Corps

History Corps is a graduate student-led, online digital and oral history project based out of the Department of History at the University of Iowa.

News and announcements

History Undergraduate Chosen for Research in the Capitol Program

Friday, February 27, 2026

Jamison Stone, an undergraduate honors student, was selected as one of just 20 Iowa students to participate in the prestigious Research in the Capitol program.

2025 Hamod Habhab Keeshan Scholarship Awarded

Friday, October 31, 2025

Associate Professor Mariola Espinosa receives prestigious NEH grant

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Mariola Espinosa, associate professor of history, was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant, the nation’s most prestigious humanities scholarship.

Upcoming events

Career Trek: Day at the Museum(s)

Thursday, March 5, 2026 6:45am to 7:00pm

Pomerantz Center

Forget Night at the Museum, we’re trading movie magic for real-life museum moments (only because Ben Stiller couldn’t make it...)

You’ll connect with curators, educators, and creative professionals. Hear their stories, explore their spaces, and see how a passion for culture, education, and community can turn into a fulfilling career.

We'll be visiting:

Living History Farms: An interactive, 500-acre outdoor museum that tells the amazing 300+ year story of how Iowans transformed the fertile prairies...

This Ain’t No Riot!: Naming and Framing Unrest

Friday, March 6, 2026 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Jefferson Building

The Department of American Studies will host as series of research presentations by a faculty member, recent Department PhD, or American Studies graduate students. As experts and emerging scholars in fields devoted to the study of American culture in the U.S. and globally, we invite students and scholars, at any stage of research, to attend and participate in discussions of the core issues and challenges of our time.

Iowa Women's Archives Women's History Month Lecture: Finding Black Joy in the Iowa Women’s Archives

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 4:30pm to 6:00pm

Iowa City Public Library

Dr. Ashley Howard, assistant professor of history at the University of Iowa, will discuss her experiences researching and teaching with the Iowa Women's Archives at the University Libraries. By integrating rich depictions of Black life and joy, Howard amplifies stories of Black Iowans as they see themselves, celebrating a child’s birthday, dancing at a party, or devouring a great book. In the process, she also addresses critical issues around archives, historical practice, and the Black Midwest...

The Great American Bison Road Trip

Sunday, March 15, 2026 1:30pm to 3:00pm

University of Iowa Museum of Natural History

Join the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History during their day as a stop on the national bronze bison road trip!

Winifred Tate | Art After the Unspeakable: Reflections on Works by Doris Salcedo and Jeremy Frey

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 2:30pm to 4:00pm

Stanley Museum of Art

This talk examines mourning and worldmaking through community action and art in the wake of violence, dispossession, and collective loss. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with communities in southern Colombia and rural Maine, Tate considers the intersections, possibilities and limitations of rights activism and art through an exploration of the visual repertoires and material practices of Colombian sculptor Doris Salcedo and Passamaquoddy artist Jeremy Frey. This program is free and open to all...

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