Requirements for the Major
The Department of History is organized into 10 fields of study. For the purposes of the undergraduate major, these fields are divided into two categories, reflecting a Western or non-Western orientation.
Category I
- Ancient
- History of Science
- Medieval
- Modern Western Europe
- Russia/Eastern Europe
- United States
Category II
- Africa
- East Asia
- Latin America
- Middle East
- Native America
The minimum requirement for a major in history consists of 30 credit hours representing both Categories I and II, as follows:
- HIST 301 The Historian's Craft
- Five courses (15 hours) in either Category I or Category II
- Three courses (9 hours) from the other Category
- HIST 696 Seminar
- 24 hours numbered 300-699 (i.e., no more than 2 courses numbered 100-299)
Exceptions to any of the above requirements must be by petition to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Only two courses are required for all majors: History 301 (Historical Methods), ideally taken as soon as the student decides to major in history, and must be taken before a student can register for the other required course, History 696 (Senior Research Seminar). HIST 696 is normally taken during the senior year. Students with at least a 3.5 grade-point average in history and a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average may also apply to complete a 2-semester Honors Thesis class (HIST 498 and HIST 490) instead of HIST 696. We urge every major to work closely with an advisor to develop a coherent course of study that reflects his or her intellectual interests.
Special Field
You may construct your own special field of concentration outside of the fields listed above in consultation with a major adviser. Such special fields may be topical - for example, in women's history or military history - or they may be chronological. You should consult with a departmental major adviser to construct an integrated and coherent program of study.
