History Major

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Major Program

The major is organized into introductory survey courses, topical upper-level courses, methodology courses, and senior seminars, taken in sequence. History majors may also select other programs, certificates, minors, and/or second majors that reflect their personal and career interests.

Major Requirements

A major in history consists of a minimum of 10 courses:

Three 1000-level courses
Five courses numbered above 3010
Two additional courses (one from each group listed below)

Select One Course from Either:

Note: Students may choose to take both HIST 3000 and HIST 3010 and only four courses numbered above 3010.

HIST 3000 - Workshop in History
(recommended in preference to HIST 3010 for students who plan to teach at the K-12 level)
HIST 3010 - Historical Methods

Select One Course from Either:

HIST 5950 (the Senior Seminar) or
HIST 5010 (the Senior Honors Essay)

Senior seminars provide the capstone experience in the major. In them, students practice and polish previously learned skills and experiences to produce a significant historical research paper. Outstanding students may choose to write a Senior Honors Essay rather than taking the Senior Seminar. These students apply to work with a faculty advisor (in the spring of the junior year), write a significant research paper based on primary source materials, and present it to the department for consideration.