Requirements

The Major in History

I. Electives (7 or 6 courses)

For students who enrolled at the College in 2022 or earlier, the major requires 7 elective courses distributed as follows:

  • No more than THREE electives at the 100 level.
  • At least FOUR electives at the 200 or 300 level.

For students who enrolled at the College in 2023 or later, the major requires 6 elective courses distributed as follows:

  • No more than TWO electives at the 100 level.
  • At least THREE electives at the 200 level.
  • At least ONE elective at the 300 level.

II. History core sequence (4 courses)

  • HIST 201xx: The Craft of History.  The department offers two or three sections of this required course each semester, with each section on a different topic. This is a writing intensive course (W) and must be completed before beginning HIST 401 Junior I.S.
    • ONE of these eight courses must fulfill the department’s Pre-1800 course requirement, and another must fulfill the department’s Global requirement. (Students may not use the same course to fulfill both requirements.)
    • The History Department offers a number of 200-level half- and quarter-credit workshops. Any combination of workshops that adds up to at least 0.75 credits will be counted as one 200-level elective for purposes of meeting the required number of courses for the major.
    • Students may take multiple sections of HIST 101xx, 201xx, 275xx, and 301xx.
  • HIST 401 Junior Independent Study. This course is offered both fall and spring.
    • It is strongly recommended that students enrolled in HIST 401 also enroll the same semester in HIST 20216 Communications Skills for Historians, a 0.25 credit workshop.
  • HIST 451 and 452: Senior Independent Study.

 

The Minor in History

For students who enrolled at the College in 2022 or earlier, the minor requires 6 courses distributed as follows:

  • No more than TWO electives at any level.
  • At least THREE electives at the 200 or 300 level.
  • HIST 201xx: The Craft of History.  The department offers two or three sections of this required course each semester, with each section on a different topic. This is a writing intensive course (W) and must be completed before beginning HIST 401 Junior I.S.
    • ONE of these eight courses must fulfill the department’s Pre-1800 course requirement, and another must fulfill the department’s Global requirement. (You cannot use the same course to fulfill both requirements.
    • The History Department offers a number of 200-level half- and quarter-credit workshops. Any combination of workshops that adds up to at least 0.75 credits will be counted as one 200-level elective for purposes of meeting the required number of courses for the major.
    • Students may take multiple sections of HIST 101xx, 201xx, 275xx, and 301xx.

For students who enrolled at the College in 2023 or later, the minor consists of 5 courses distributed as follows:

  • No more than ONE elective at the 100 level.
  • At least TWO electives at the 200 or 300 level.
  • At least ONE elective at the 300 level.
  • HIST 201xx: The Craft of History.

Advanced Placement

A student obtaining a score of 4 or 5 on one of the CEEB Advanced Placement Examination in history will receive one course credit in history. A student may receive a maximum of two course credits in history for any combination of Advanced Placement Examinations or International Baccalaureate coursework. Students may count these credits toward a major or minor in history. Students receiving Advanced Placement credit should consult with the department before registering for 100-level survey courses in the department.

For further information see the College’s Advanced Placement policy in information on Admission.