Undergraduate Studies in History
Undergraduate students at Pizza & Profs event
History is a dynamic curriculum of study that helps students cultivate coveted skills for life after college. History students become inventive and capable thinkers, researchers, writers, and communicators. Our major and minor encourages teamwork and trains students to approach issues from diverse viewpoints to make informed decisions. In addition, historical research requires analysis of primary sources, secondary sources, and an array of technology and web-based resources to make clear and compelling arguments, observations, and informed recommendations. Few other disciplines hone such a wide variety of skills, making history students uniquely suited to excel in multiple professions.
As a history major or minor, you will learn to:
- Organize and manage diverse and complex information
- Express strong and persuasive evidence-based arguments in writing and speech
- Build unparalleled research skills through deep and broad inquiry
- Explore the complexity of the human experience across time and space
- Use the lessons of the past to understand the present
Developing these skills is vital for success in the major and minor and in college more generally. More importantly, these skills enable individuals to achieve success beyond their formal education: they engender self-confidence, they enhance the ability to solve problems creatively and fairly, and they encourage individuals to recognize their capacity to become influential leaders at home, in the workplace, and within their communities. In other words, emphasizing these skills ensures that our history majors and minors are highly adaptable in a rapidly changing global economy. Moreover, acquiring and refining these skills also helps history students realize that while not all problems are easily solved, they are equipped with the knowledge and expertise to meet present challenges carefully and thoughtfully. They can do so because they can draw on their understanding of the extraordinary complexity of the past to understand the present and help usher in a better future.
The major in History provides students with a broad range of choices. Students may concentrate their studies in any part of the world or era in history. The major also provides a carefully designed sequence of courses that teach students how to practice history as a discipline, from the critical examination of existing knowledge, to the techniques of original historical research. These techniques can be applied using an almost limitless variety of sources, including diaries, journals, film, literature, visual images, and government documents. Students may also minor in History or pursue, in addition to a BA, other interdisciplinary certificates such as historic preservation, public history, etc.
Major Requirements
A History major consists of 36 credits and is structured to reflect the department’s philosophy and pedagogical goals. Students begin with two survey courses chosen from among European, U.S., Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, African, and world history. Building on this broad overview, students take a gateway course, “Introduction to Historical Thought and Methods” (HIST 3000), where they are introduced to historiography, critical thinking and intensive writing and rewriting. Five upper-division elective courses give students the freedom to develop their own field of special interest, while one course (at any level) in any area other than American or European history and one course (at any level) from pre-1800 history ensures a breadth of knowledge. The capstone “History Research Seminars” (HIST 5000) offer History majors experiential learning, allowing the students to integrate their training in critical thinking, research skills and writing to produce an original piece of scholarship. All History majors should consult with the department’s Director of Undergraduate Advising when they declare their major.
Minor Requirements
A History minor consists of 18 credit hours and allows students to experience some of the philosophy and pedagogical goals of the department. Students are required to enroll in 6 credit hours of 1000-2000 level history elective courses. Moving from this broad perspective, students next take “Introduction to Historical Thought and Methods” (HIST 3000). They then will need to enroll in two 3001-6000 level History elective courses. Finally, a student will need to take an additional 3 credit hours of History electives, at any level. All History minors should consult with the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies when they declare their minor. All History minors should consult with the department’s Director of Undergraduate Advising when they declare their minor.
Students have the option of double-majoring in History and other disciplines. It’s frequently the case that students interested in other areas, including teaching, law, area studies, and medicine, need complete only a handful of additional course in order to satisfy the History major. The UC College of Arts and Sciences offers flexible degree requirements that encourage multiple areas of study. Some of the most common pairings are Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Geography, International Affairs, Journalism, Languages, Law and Society, Political Science, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
The history department actively participates in the following programs:
Students who want to show future employers the full breadth and depth of their preparation in their subject areas may choose to become dual majors. This is common within the College of Arts & Sciences but students with majors in other colleges can also become dual majors, which means they will have completed both the general education requirements and major requirements in both colleges. Others with more restrictive schedules may choose to pursue a Cross-College major, which means that they will have completed all general education and major requirements in their home college, but only the major requirements for History.
One common example of the Cross-College major involves students in CECH pursuing a BS Ed. As you can see in the chart below, those who choose this path will only need to complete five additional upper-division classes in History to receive the Cross-College major. Students in CECH preparing to teach secondary Social Studies will already have earned the History minor through their coursework, and simply have to declare it for it to show on their transcripts.
| Requirement Category | History Major | Education Major (History; Social Studies) |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Level Courses | 9 HRS | 15 HRS |
| Methods | 3 HRS | 3 HRS |
| NonUS/Non-Euro Courses | 3 HRS | 3 HRS |
| Pre-1800 Courses | 3 HRS | 3 HRS |
| Upper-Level Electives | 12 HRS | 3 HRS |
| History 4000 | 3 HRS | 3 HRS |
| Capstone | 3 HRS | 0 HRS |
| Total | 36 HRS | 30 HRS |