The History Major

Welcome to the history major website! A flexible major adaptable to your interests, history combines rigorous intellectual and professional training while empowering students to seek out connections between the past and the present. The history major emphasizes research and communication; understanding contemporary issues and the historical path which shaped their development; and learning through your own custom course of study, within a collaborative environment.

Declaring a History Major or Honors in the Major

Students may declare the history major at any point in their academic career, however, the earlier you declare, the sooner you can get involved with the department and the full range of opportunities available to History majors. Declaring the major and/or honors in the major can be done during an advising appointment.  Students can also declare the major by completing the electronic form on our declaration page.

If you would like to preview a major’s requirements and see how they fit with your previous coursework, you can order a “what-if” DARS by following the instructions on the Registrar’s website.

Major Requirements

A minimum of 30 credits in HISTORY and/or HISTORY of SCIENCE is required to complete the major, to include:

Geographic Breadth: at least one course from 4 of the following categories:

Chronological Breadth: At least one course must deal with the history of Europe and/or the Mediterranean before A.D. 1500 or with the history of Africa or Asia before these areas fell heavily under European influence.

History Writing and Research Sequence

History majors must complete both of the following:

• The Historian’s Craft (HISTORY 201 or HISTORY of SCIENCE 211).  Students are encouraged to complete this requirement as early as possible.
• Advanced Seminar in History (HISTORY 600 or HISTORY of SCIENCE 555), to be taken after satisfactory completion of the Historian’s Craft. Enrolling in an advanced seminar requires instructor consent. Instructions for gaining permission to enroll and a list of available seminars can be found on the department’s History 600 webpage.

Notes on History Breadth Requirements:

• Breadth courses may be taken in any order.
• Chronological Breadth courses may also count toward a Geographic Breadth category.
• Some courses qualify for more than one Geographic Breadth area, but a course may only count for one Geographic Breadth category for the purposes of meeting the requirement.
• Most topics courses in HISTORY and HISTORY of SCIENCE may count for Geographic and/or Chronological Breadth (see the Course Notes in Course Search & Enroll for current breadth information.  Topics courses include HISTORY 200, 201, 221, 225, 227, 229, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 283, and 500; HISTORY of SCIENCE 180, 211, 250, 280, 286, 350, and 668.
• The following courses may not be used for breadth in the major: HISTORY 199, 600, 680, 681-2, 690, 691-2, 698, and 699; HISTORY of SCIENCE 555, 681-2, 691-2, 698, and 699.