Major in History
Please check out the Four-Year Plan in History and Social Studies for a quick guide for how and when to register for courses to graduate with a History or Social Studies major.
The History major (reference number 695) requires 33 semester hours and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. Twenty-four credit-hours must be at the 300- or 400-level. A minor or second major is required.
- For students who choose not to declare a concentration, 15 hours will be in foundational study, historical research, and required electives; an additional 18 hours will be flexible electives.
- For students declaring a concentration, 21 hours will be in foundational study, historical research, and required and flexible electives; an additional 12 hours will be in the concentration. Students may declare more than one concentration. Concentrations will be included on student transcripts.
The courses required for the major are distributed as follows:
| Foundational Study (6 hrs) |
| HIST 101 or HIST 102: World History I or II |
| HIST 240 or HIST 241: US History to 1865 or since 1865 |
| Historical Research (3 hrs) |
| HIST 498: Senior Seminar |
| Geographic and Chronological Electives (6 hrs) |
| The Global South (choose at least one) |
| HIST 200: Latin American Society: Past and Present |
| HIST 331: History of Africa Since 1500 |
| HIST 364: Colonial Latin America, 1400-1825 |
| HIST 365: Modern Latin America, 1800-Present |
| HIST 465: The Mexican Republic |
| HIST 370: Modern South Asia: from Empires to Nations |
| HIST 378: History of Yoga: Tradition, Literature, Practice |
| HIST 379: Gandhi: The Creation of a Global Legacy |
| HIST 461: Modern East Asia |
| HIST 462: History of the Middle East |
| HIST 466: The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Local and Global Influences |
| HIST 471: Modern China |
| Ancient to Early Modern History (choose at least one) |
| HIST 304: Ancient Identities |
| HIST 305: Ancient Greece |
| HIST 306: Ancient Rome |
| HIST 307: The Middle Ages |
| HIST 308: Conflict, Culture and Commerce in the Medieval Mediterranean |
| HIST 317: Renaissance Europe |
| HIST 318: Age of the Reformation |
| HIST 323: The British Isles to 1688 |
| HIST 330: History of Africa Before 1500 |
| HIST 404: History of Ancient Egypt |
| HIST 407: The Crusades: West Meets East |
| HIST 419: Tudor-Stuart England |
| HIST 440: Colonial North America to 1763 |
| HIST 460: Traditional East Asia |
| HIST 463: The Atlantic World |
| Elective Courses (6 hrs) |
| Students may select any 200, 300, or 400-level history course not already counted toward the major. A maximum of three hours across all elective categories may be at the 200 level. |
| Major Without an Optional Concentration (12 hrs) |
| Students who choose not to declare a concentration should complete four additional history courses, from any 200, 300, or 400-level history course not already counted toward the major. A maximum of three hours across all elective categories may be at the 200 level. |
| Major With Concentration (12 hrs) |
| Students may complete more than one concentration. However, a single elective cannot count toward completion of more than one concentration. |
| Cultural History (select any course below not already counted toward the major) |
| HIST 308: Conflict, Culture and Commerce in the Medieval Mediterranean |
| HIST 316: The American Civil War in Film |
| HIST 320: American Studies I |
| HIST 340: History of Popular Culture Since 1500 |
| HIST 347: Social History of the United States Since 1800 |
| HIST 378: History of Yoga: Tradition, Literature, Practice |
| HIST 379: Gandhi: The Creation of a Global Legacy |
| HIST 391: History of Sport |
| HIST 395: A Cultural History of Alcohol |
| HIST 402: Pirates in World History |
| HIST 407: The Crusades: West Meets East |
| HIST 420: History of Sexuality |
| HIST 432: Coffee & Chocolate: Food in World History |
| HIST 447: History of American Popular Culture |
| HIST 454: History of Religion in America |
| History of Identity (select any course below not already counted toward the major) |
| HIST 302: Disability in the United States |
| HIST 304: Ancient Identities |
| HIST 309: History of HIV/AIDS |
| HIST 310: Comparative Slavery |
| HIST 320: American Studies I |
| HIST 325: Blacks in the Civil War and Reconstruction |
| HIST 329: Black Intellectual History |
| HIST 330: History of Africa Before 1500 |
| HIST 331: History of Africa Since 1500 |
| HIST 332: Riots, Rebellions, and Revolutions: A Global History of Protest |
| HIST 333: History of Genocide |
| HIST 343: Communities of Struggle |
| HIST 353: Native American History to 1865 |
| HIST 354: Native American History Since 1865 |
| HIST 358: Blacks in American History to 1877 |
| HIST 359: Blacks in American History Since 1877 |
| HIST 359: Blacks in American History Since 1877 |
| HIST 420: History of Sexuality |
| HIST 430: History of the Civil Rights Movement in America |
| HIST 453: American Women’s History |
| HIST 454: History of Religion in America |
| Peace, Conflict, and Human Rights (select any course below not already counted toward the major) |
| HIST 299: Introduction to Military History |
| HIST 308: Conflict, Culture and Commerce in the Medieval Mediterranean |
| HIST 310: Comparative Slavery |
| HIST 325: Blacks in the Civil War and Reconstruction |
| HIST 332: Riots, Rebellions, and Revolutions: A Global History of Protest |
| HIST 333: History of Genocide |
| HIST 335: Twentieth Century Europe |
| HIST 343: Communities of Struggle |
| HIST 348: United States, 1900-1945 |
| HIST 349: The United States Since 1945 |
| HIST 352: Borderlands and the American West |
| HIST 379: Gandhi: The Creation of a Global Legacy |
| HIST 380: Human Rights in History |
| HIST 407: The Crusades: West Meets East |
| HIST 422: The French Revolution and Napoleon |
| HIST 426: Hitler and Nazi Germany |
| HIST 430: History of the Civil Rights Movement in America |
| HIST 438: Twentieth-Century Russia |
| HIST 441: The American Revolution and Early Republic, 1763-1815 |
| HIST 443: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877 |
| HIST 449: Korea and Vietnam |
| HIST 464: Latin America and the United States |
| HIST 466: The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Local and Global Influences |
| HIST 481: The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy |
| HIST 423: A Global History of the First World War |
| HIST 494: U.S. Military History |
| Legal and Constitutional History (select any course below not already counted toward the major) |
| HIST 323: The British Isles to 1688 |
| HIST 332: Riots, Rebellions, and Revolutions: A Global History of Protest |
| HIST 333: History of Genocide |
| HIST 343: Communities of Struggle |
| HIST 380: Human Rights in History |
| HIST 419: Tudor-Stuart England |
| HIST 430: History of the Civil Rights Movement in America |
| HIST 441: The American Revolution and Early Republic, 1763-1815 |
| HIST 445: American Legal History to 1865 |
| HIST 446: American Legal History Since 1865 |
| Africana History (select any course below not already counted toward the major) |
| HIST 304: Ancient Identities |
| HIST 310: Comparative Slavery |
| HIST 325: Blacks in the Civil War and Reconstruction |
| HIST 329: Black Intellectual History |
| HIST 330: History of Africa Before 1500 |
| HIST 331: History of Africa Since 1500 |
| HIST 332: Riots, Rebellions, and Revolutions: A Global History of Protest |
| HIST 343: Communities of Struggle |
| HIST 358: Blacks in American History to 1877 |
| HIST 359: Blacks in American History Since 1877 |
| HIST 390: Blacks in the American South |
| HIST 404: History of Ancient Egypt |
| History of Science, Environment, and Medicine (select any course below not already counted toward the major) |
| HIST 302: Disability in the United States |
| HIST 303: Monsters, Maggots, and Morphine: Disease and Medicine in the United States |
| HIST 309: History of HIV/AIDS |
| HIST 332: Riots, Rebellions, and Revolutions: A Global History of Protest |
| HIST 362: Genetics and Family History |
| HIST 378: History of Yoga: Tradition, Literature, Practice |
| HIST 420: History of Sexuality |
| HIST 421: Environmental History |
| HIST 480: A Social History of Science |
*Important Note: Students who declared a major in history prior to Fall 2017 may choose to complete the major under the "old" major requirements. Please see the undergraduate advisors for more information.
Some of the links on this page may require additional software to view.