The curriculum for the B.A. in history is designed to encourage students to explore a diverse array of historical topics and fields over their four years of study.  All history majors progress from introductory 100- and 200-level courses, to intermediate 300-level seminars, to intensive 400-level thesis courses in which they conduct original historical research and analysis. Our courses cover a range of topics: in any given semester, a history major might find herself choosing among courses that range from Ancient Greece to the Russian Revolution to Modern Cuba. By the time they enroll in their 400-level junior seminar and senior thesis courses, history majors are also required to conduct focused, intensive research on a particular period, location, or theme. Our majors therefore develop both a breadth of knowledge and expertise in a specific historical area.

Any student considering majoring in history should contact the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS), Dr. Árpád von Klimó, to discuss and plan.

Curriculum
The history major requires a minimum of 11 courses in history. Of these 11, at least two and no more than four courses must be at the 100- or 200-level; two must be junior research seminars (HIST 40-, 41x, 42x), ordinarily taken in consecutive semesters during the junior year); and one must be a senior thesis (496), taken in the first semester of the senior year. All remaining classes must be at the 300-level and above.

Entry into the Major
At the end of the sophomore year students are formally accepted as history majors. In order to be accepted, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and grades of C or better in all history courses taken up to the point of acceptance..

Recommended course sequence
Freshman Year:  two 100- or 200-level courses
Sophomore Year: two 100-, 200-, or 300-level elective
Junior Year: two junior seminars (one per semester);* two history electives
Senior Year: HIST 496; two history electives
*students who study abroad in their junior year should take a junior seminar in the Spring of their sophomore year

Honors courses
All four HSHU courses (101, 102, 203, 204) can count as 100-, 200- or 300-level HIST courses.

Dual enrollment courses
One year of dual-enrollment work at the high school level should transfer in as one undergraduate course; equivalency to be decided by the DUGS (usually HIST 150).