Information for the History Major

How to Major in History

To become a history major, all CLAS students should fill out a Major Declaration Card and submit it to the History Department. Major Declaration Cards are available in the hallway outside 124 Wood Hall. Students switching to History from a different CLAS major should also submit a Change of Major Form to the Registrar.

Upon submitting the Major Declaration Card, each student will be assigned a faculty advisor within the History Department. Students should consult their faculty advisors for information on how best to fulfill the major requirements outlined below, and to discuss general aspirations and expectations as history majors. The History Department does not have advising bars blocking students from registering for classes but recommends that students set up advising sessions with their advisors a week before the registration period begins. Undergraduates whose faculty advisors are on leave or otherwise inaccessible should direct their questions to the History Department's Undergraduate Advising Office, 124 Wood Hall. They may also contact the Undergraduate Director.

To graduate, History majors must satisfy the requirements of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, including the General Education Requirements. Students with questions or problems related to general education, which includes W and Q courses, may speak directly to CLAS Academic Services, 423 Whitney Road, ext. 6-2822. History faculty advisors can advise students on the major, but CLAS Academic Services can better answer student questions on general education.

To complete the History major, students must satisfy the following requirements:

• Required Courses: HIST 2100 & HIST 4994W. All majors should take HIST 2100 in the semester after declaring the major. All majors except Honors students must take HIST 4994W in their senior year. Honors students should take in sequence 4999 and 4997W; (in some cases, honors students may substitute 4994W for 4999).
• Course Credits in History. History majors need at least 27 credits of upper-level History courses, including History 2100 and History 4994W. Students planning careers in teaching are also encouraged to take at least two of the following introductory courses: History 1300 (Western Traditions Before 1500), History 1400 (Modern Western Traditions), History 1501 (United States History to 1877), and History 1502 (US History since 1877)
• Distribution requirements. The 27 credits in History must include one 3-credit course from each of Groups A, B, and C, and two 3-credit courses from Group D. Any "Variable Topics" courses (HIST 3100W, 3101W, 3102, 3991, 3993, 3995, 3998, 4989, 4994W, 4997W, 4999, or graduate-level course) may be applied as determined by course content and Advisor consent. The same course may not be counted in two different distribution groups.

At least one course	GROUP A – Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern
At least one course	GROUP B – Modern Europe
At least one course	GROUP C – United States
At least two courses	GROUP D – Africa, Asia, Latin America and Middle East

• Grade Point Average. History majors must achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in the 27 credits counting towards the History major. Individual courses for which the student received grades below a 2.0 may be counted toward the major, as long as the cumulative GPA for the 27 credits is at least 2.0.

• Transfer Credits. The History Department will accept no more than six transfer credits (typically, two courses) towards the major. Students should consult the History Department Undergraduate Director for approval of transfer credits
• Related Courses. History majors must receive at least 12 credits in Related Courses. History will accept as “related” any upper-level course in the humanities or social sciences (courses with the designation ANTH, ARTH, AASI, CAMS, COMM, CLCS, DRAM, ECON, ENGL, FREN, GEOG, GERM, HEB, HDFS, INTD, ILCS, JOUR, JUDS, LAMS, LING, PHIL, POLS, PSYC, PRLS, SOCI, SPAN, URBN or WS). Other courses need advisor approval. Related courses may be taken from a single department or from a variety of departments. Courses cross-listed as History courses cannot be counted as "Related Courses." The 27 History credits and the 12 Related credits may be included in the total of 45 upper-level credits required by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.