Admission to the Major

Admission and Declaring a Major

The Department of History has no admission prerequisites or requirements before declaring a major. You can become a History major by scheduling an appointment with our Advising Specialist to fill out a Major Declaration Form. We urge you to meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and our Advising Specialist when you declare, so that we can get to know you and your interests, explain the major, and help you get the most out of it. There's no set time for declaring your major, but you should try to contact the department early for advising, preferably before the end of your sophomore year.

If you're double-majoring, you should plan early and carefully. You should be advised each semester by both of the departments in which you plan to major. Many history students also major in political science, English, a foreign language, biology, philosophy, women's studies, economics, or area studies, such as East Asian studies.

You can get either a B.A. or a B.G.S. in History. The department encourages the B.A. for the foreign language skills you will develop, but the department does not require it.

Double Major in History

The KU Core curriculum creates opportunities for students to double or even triple major in history and something else. With the introduction of the Core, general education requirements have been reduced dramatically and are much more focused on outcomes than content, so it has never been easier to take classes in a variety of disciplines while crafting an education that gives you broad training and expertise. History courses can fulfill almost every Core requirement, leaving you with plenty of freedom to take numerous classes in business, economics, political science, museum studies, regional or international studies, foreign languages, or whatever else interests you. The department is currently working on ways to work with other schools in the university, as well, so that journalism majors, for example, can have a co-major or concentration in history. A history major fits nicely with these and other fields by helping provide historical background and context.