The History Major 

About the Major:                                           

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM 

     The Department of History offers preparation for teachers of history in the public schools and for students who want a well-rounded liberal arts education as a background for a wide range of future careers.

     History majors may earn either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts degree.  The Bachelor of Science degree prepares students for varied employment opportunities in business, law, or government.  The Bachelor of Arts degree prepares the student for similar careers and is recommended specifically for students planning graduate work in history or other social science fields.  Careful planning of the undergraduate program, with supplementary courses in other fields, can equip the student for future positions in libraries, museums, archives or similar institutions and for research oriented occupations. 

The department also offers basic courses in American and world history to meet general education requirements as well as supplementary courses of general interest for non-majors, including American and non American courses in regional/national history, political/social/military history and ethnic/gender history.                                                 

                               

REQUIRED COURSES

All requirements for the history major are outlined below.  Among the requirements are 39 credit hours of Required Courses. Majors must also complete general education requirements and other university requirements for graduation.

HIST 101, 102.  World History.                                                          6

HIST 111, 112. U. S. History.                                                            6

HIST 295/305.  The Historians Craft/Introduction to Historical Research.   3
            (To be taken ideally during the sophomore year.)

HIST 495.  Senior Seminar (to be taken during the senior year)               3

Other required History courses                                                           21

3 courses from Group A (United States)

2 courses from Group B (Europe)

2 courses from Group C (Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East)       

(Students may not count any one course for more than one group)

Group A courses include:

300, 302, 303*, 306*, 320, 330, 331, 352, 354, 355, 356, 306, 361, 364, 365, 368, 370, 371, 373, 374, 381, 392*, 498* 

Group B courses include:

300, 302, 303*, 306*, 308, 309, 311, 337, 338, 341, 342, 343, 345, 346, 349,350, 392*, 498*

Group C courses include:

300, 303*, 306*, 311, 313, 316, 317, 319, 320, 325, 326, 345, 346, 392*, 498* 

*The group designation for these courses depends on the content.

 Other requirements
                 Completion of a senior writing project (to be completed as part of HIST 495).

B.A./B.S. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS                                              6-12

B.A Requirement

The Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of the B.A. language requirements as described in the undergraduate catalog.  History majors, particularly those planning graduate work in history, are strongly urged to pursue a B.A. Degree. 

B.S. Requirement

To complete a Bachelor of Science degree, History majors must complete (with the approval of their advisers) two courses in one of the following areas:

ANTH:  any 200-400 level course except 220, 320, 330, 420, 488-499.

ART: 412, 422, 424, 428, 444, 445, 462, 482, 486.

ECON:  203, 271, 309, 311, 408, 442, 461, 480.

ENGL:  306, 431, 433, 434, 435, 437, 438, 439, 442, 443, 444, 445, 446, 447, 449, 450, 451, 453.

GEOG:  101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 280, 302, 322.

PHIL:  114, 201, 202, 203.

POSC:  any 300-400 level course except 485, 488, 498.

SOCY:  331, 334, 337, 339, 340, 361, 430, 433, 441, 446.

Any mathematics (except MATH 315), statistics, information technology

or computer science, science or geography (physical science division) courses.
 

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS 

To graduate with a major in History,  a student must have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in all courses taken with a HIST prefix.  A grade of “C” or better is required in HIST 295 (or HIST 305) and HIST 495. 

TEACHING

 Students wishing to teach History should declare a Social Science major.  To strengthen credentials as a History teacher, students should consider a double major in both Social Science and History. 

HISTORY INTERNSHIPS 

Students wishing to earn academic credit for an Internship in History should consult with the Office of Experiential Learning or the Department’s faculty liaison.

HISTORY MINOR                                                        (21 semester hours)

HIST 101, 102, 111, 112.  Also, one course from each of the course designation groups (Group A, U.S.; Group B, Europe; Group C, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East).   Students may not count any one course for more than one Group.

HONORS PROGRAM 

The History Department offers a departmental honors program.  For a general description of the Honors Academy follow this link to the Honors Academy web site.  For specific requirements of this department’s program, contact the department chairperson or the director of the Honors Academy.