History Department

Lawserve Manchester NH
LawServe is a global multilingual immigration law firm in Manchester, NH. Interns perform immigration law research, work on client applications, complete translations, correspond with clients, and have opportunities to observe court and jail visits, as well as USCIS interviews.

Manchester Historic Association
The MHA collects, preserves, and shares the history of Manchester, NH. Interns have cataloged the photograph collection, done research for upcoming museum exhibits, helped conserve artifacts, and done museum education, publicity, and membership relations.

New Hampshire Historical Society
The NHHS is located in Concord, NH and has curatorial, archival, and museum education internships. Interns have researched information for upcoming exhibits, transcribed diaries and letters for web publication, created teaching materials for visiting school groups, and learned curatorial skills related to historic objects.

Catholic Diocese of Manchester Archives
The Archives Office exists to collect, preserve, and make available materials related to the Catholic Church of New Hampshire. Interns create inventories and finding aids, do research for publication, and work with art, artifacts, and correspondence. Relevant collections include Catholic war veterans, bishops, clergy, devotions, laity, men and women religious, missions, parishes, priestly formation, and Catholic schools.

Currier Museum of Art
The Currier Museum is an internationally renowned art museum in Manchester, NH. Interns have helped catalog new acquisitions, researched material for exhibitions, learned visitor services and fundraising skills, given tours, and worked with school groups.

Goffstown Main Street Program
The Goffstown Main Street Program, located 15 minutes from campus, is committed to the promotion, preservation, and economic vitality of the historic business district. Interns work on specific projects geared toward their interests including economic development, historic research, marketing and special events.

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
This branch of the New Hampshire state government focuses on protecting and restoring the environment and preserving public health. Interns work on research, education, and legal projects.

Saint Anselm College Archives
The College Archivist takes interns interested in doing research on campus history, or learning archival, records management, and preservation skills. Interns have inventoried collections, provided research for exhibits, and digitization projects.

Chapel Arts Gallery
Chapel Arts is the campus art gallery with its own extensive art collection and exhibition space. Interns have helped to curate exhibits, researched art in the collection, learned presentation and museum outreach skills, and written gallery publication text.

Eric Boumil, Class of 2014 Manchester Historic Association
"My internship at the Manchester Historic Association was both incredibly useful and enjoyable. I loved being able to take part in preserving Manchester's history through cataloging their ever-growing collection of photographs. I feel having that experience working with the photo collection at the Research Center and working with visitor services at the Millyard Museum helped build something that got me to my current job at the Sports Museum in Boston. The staff at the MHA gave me tips on where to look and how to stand out when applying for jobs in the museum field. They also really seemed to care about making sure I was getting what I wanted to get out of my internship. My experience there is something I still reflect upon and talk about with my fellow colleagues in my line of work."

Sabrina Fahy, Class of 2016 Chapel Art Center
"While interning with the Chapel Art Center, I worked closely with the curatorial team to complete the various tasks involved in exhibition preparation. Aside from exhibition work, I prepared, manipulated, and managed extensive permanent collection databases. I also took on general museum maintenance responsibilities, including the documentation process for updating, as well as the accession and deaccession of pieces. Various history courses had provided me with the chronological and thematic organization skills, as well as the comprehensive vision needed when working in a museum setting. I then completed two other internships in Boston over the summers. My internship tasks demanded careful research skills, the ability to articulate my research in reports, and the ability to be perceptive of past and future connectedness, all skills I developed in history classes."

Alexandra Madsen, Class of 2015 Currier Museum of Art
"At my internship, I created educational teaching tools be used by the Head Educator in docent training sessions for a Smithsonian Museum traveling exhibition. I also developed presentations, learned web archiving, and attended a day long training session on visual thinking strategies. Working in the education department at the Currier altered my graduate school choices, and helped cement my desire to pursue a career as a professor. I am now a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin working towards my PhD."

Joseph Donahue, Class of 2013 Upton and Hatfield Law Firm
"I have had four internships during college to help figure out a career path for myself. My internship with Upton and Hatfield helped me decide whether to go to law school. Among the benefits of a liberal arts education are the development of skills such as critical thinking, analysis, research and communication, all of which are applicable to a variety of careers. I used my internship experience to practically apply these skills in a workplace setting as I was discovering which profession I wished to pursue upon graduation. My internships helped me realize my passion for working in higher education and my desire to work in that particular field. I encourage all students to seek internships during their time as undergrads in order to help them discern what their skills are and how they can best be utilized as they join the workforce. Currently, I am working as an Administrative Assistant for the First Year Experience Program at Boston College."

Aleesha Griffin, Class of 2014 Manchester Historic Association
"I loved my internship. It had helped narrow down what type of museum work I was interested in pursuing. I found the internship to be one of the most valuable experiences I had in college. It not only allowed me to apply my research skills, it also allowed me to explore different career options. It has also been helpful as a talking point on resumes and as a valuable reference in my job search."

Founded in 1921, Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honors society, recognizes and encourages excellence in the study of history. The Saint Anselm College Sigma Omega Chapter, the first in the State of New Hampshire, was founded in 1972. Membership is by invitation only and based on academic performance. For more information, please contact the Phi Alpha Theta advisor, Professor Sean Perrone or visit the Phi Alpha Theta website.

Incoming first year students have the option of going on a Passages Adventure Leadership Program. Multiple trips exist, including one to Gettysburg to explore Civil War history. Find more information on these trips. Read the story of four history majors who experienced the Gettysburg trip.

Approximately 15% of history graduates in the past 4 years have gone to graduate school. Our graduates have pursued law degrees at Suffolk Law School (Boston), University of New Hampshire Law, Quinnipiac University Law (CT), and New England School of Law (Boston).

History majors have also gone on to graduate school for masters degrees in many fields: History (M.A.), Library Science (MLS), Social Science (M.A.), International Relations (M.A.), Education or Educational Leadership (M.Ed) and Business Administration (MBA). Recent schools include Indiana University, the University of Chicago, the London School of Economics, Emmanuel College, the University of Texas at Austin, and Providence College (R.I.).

The history department works with the Pre-Law Advisor to advise students interested in law school.

We also work with the Academic Advising Office, librarians, archivists, and other departments to advise students interested in graduate programs.

Approximately 30% of history majors pursue a career in teaching. Students interested in teaching grades 5-12 can pursue a double major in History and Secondary Education. The Secondary Education major cannot be earned alone; it must be paired with a major in a content area such as History. Students have an advisor in each department and spend the second semester of their senior year student teaching in a local public or private school. Students graduate with a B.A. and teacher certification in social studies or ESOL through the state of New Hampshire. For more information about Education, please contact Professor Laura Wasielewski.

History majors who are not sure if they want to teach are encouraged to take a few education courses, and perhaps explore an internship in museum education. Students can also minor in Education. The history and education departments have also had good success placing history graduates in programs such as the Alliance for Catholic Education program at University of Notre Dame or the Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers program at Providence College. In these programs, history majors earn teacher certification and an M.Ed. after graduation while teaching in an under resourced Catholic middle or high school.