history (as a field of study); historical studies
Refers to the academic discipline, not to a narrative of past events (which is 歴史). Used in university contexts and scholarly writing.
He is majoring in history at university.
There are various approaches to research methods in historical studies.
考古学 reconstructs the past from physical evidence like artifacts and ruins, whereas 歴史学 relies primarily on written documents and records.
Compound of 歴史 (history) and 学 (study, -ology). The term is a straightforward Sino-Japanese formation for the academic field of history.