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2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog
History, B.A.
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 Return to: Programs of Study
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Program Description
History courses introduce students to the way historians think and use evidence. The 100- and 200-level courses serve both general education and history majors with an overview of how to approach history. 300-level courses allow majors and interested non-majors to dive into historical thinking and argumentation through courses highlighting different themes and areas of the world. 400-level courses offer capstone-guided research experience intended for majors and experienced history students.
The requirements for a major in history consist of introductory and upper-level courses. All courses introduce students to the nature of history. In addition to involving reading, writing and critical thinking, these courses help students develop skills in using historical thinking and conducting research and interpretation for the 21st-century world. Majors in history are strongly encouraged to continue study in foreign languages beyond the minimum university requirement and, when appropriate, to integrate their foreign language studies into their history classes.
The major requires five core courses. The first two introductory courses include HIST 101 and HIST 102 . HIST 225 is the final introductory course. HIST 300 is a required course in research methods and thinking about how to do history. Entering majors should take HIST 300 as soon as possible. HIST 299 helps students to gain knowledge and confidence to translate academic learning to the post-college workforce.
All majors take a 300-level course that emphasizes the “big picture” of global history and the way ideas spread across space and time. All majors also take a 300-level course that applies historical thinking to today’s world and to skills outside the classroom. This can include internships, courses that use the dedicated History Studio and courses that delve into the archives. Students may choose from the list of courses that meet these requirements.
Majors also complete two capstone courses at the 400-level that offer opportunities to develop and share their own historical interpretations with a wider audience. For students writing a senior honors thesis, only three hours of HIST 499C may be counted among the two 400-level courses required for the major.
Majors must also take three elective courses at the 300- or 400-levels. Students may elect a major concentration of either public history or teacher education. A concentration is not required. Students who elect a concentration must fulfill all the specific requirements for those programs.
Degree and Major Requirements
| Degree Requirements |
Credit Hours |
| General Education 1 |
41 |
| Foreign Language classes (intermediate level required) [requirement for B.A. degree]2 |
0-14 |
| Philosophy course (in addition to General Education courses) [requirement for B.A. degree] |
3 |
| Major requirements |
35-47 |
University electives
Total
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15-41
120
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Footnotes
1 The General Education program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. Some requirements may be fulfilled by courses within the major.
2 The foreign language requirement may be satisfied by successful completion of the second semester of the intermediate level of the student’s chosen language (typically 232) or by placing out of that language through the Department of World Languages and Cultures’ placement test.
Major Requirements
Core Requirements: 14 Credit HoursHistory Majors (No Concentration Option): 21 Credit Hours
These are requirements outside the core for upper-level courses. Connected History - Choose One: 3 Credit Hours
The Connected history requirement offers classes that think historically about big-picture issues in a global context. Classes might consider regions or the globe. These classes guide students in how to use historical inquiry to understand deep connections and cause and effect relationships across time and place. We intend this to be world history in its broadest sense. Applying History - Choose One: 3 Credit Hours
Applying history classes move beyond the confines of the traditional classroom. These classes apply historical thinking and historical source-based evidence in real world settings. These can take different forms. Internships are an option here. So are classes that focus on acquiring and applying digital and technological skills, or on using history to think about public policy. Others guide students in archival research either online or in an in-person archive. Many study abroad classes also fulfill these goals. Research Capstone Requirement: 6 Credit Hours
Majors need to take two courses at the 400-level. These courses are designed to offer all students guided research experiences. Students may choose any two courses they wish at this level. Elective Courses: 9 Credit Hours
Students need to take three additional elective courses chosen from 300- and 400-level courses. Students have free choice of these elective courses. Students may not double-count courses that meet other specific requirements in history. In other words, students could choose to take two different courses that meet the connected history requirement. One would count toward the connected history requirement and the other would count as an elective course for the major. HIST 300 and HIST 391 do not count toward this requirement. History Majors (Concentration Option): 21-33 Credit Hours
Choose one of the concentrations below: History Teacher Education Concentration
History Teacher Education Concentration Courses: 21-24 Credit Hours
Do you want to teach history in a middle or high school setting? A history major is good preparation for a professional path in social studies education which allows students to combine a passion for history with a clear professional path. Students may choose between a four-year program and a five-year program that lead to preparation for teacher licensure. The five-year program (including a pre-professional secondary education minor and social studies (SS) minor , and then application and acceptance to an M.A.T. program in the fifth year) allows students to extend and deepen their historical knowledge and skill at historical thinking, while learning to apply it in field experiences. The four-year program (a double major in secondary education and history, with a minor in SS ) provides an accelerated program for motivated students to get into the classroom sooner.
Students interested in teaching licensure must also complete the SS minor and either the Secondary Education Major or the Secondary Education Minor .
Students who take POSC 457 cannot also take or receive credit for HIST 357 .
Pre-professional secondary education minors (5-year program) should ordinarily take POSC 457 for the SS minor and therefore not receive credit for HIST 357 . If they do take HIST 357 instead (with prior permission), it cannot double-count for the major and SS minor .
Secondary Education majors (four-year program): HIST 357 can double-count with the SS minor .
Choose one. Thinking with Economics: 3 Credit Hours
Choose one. Virginia history requirement: 3 Credit Hours
Connected History - Choose One: 3 Credit Hours
The Connected history requirement offers classes that think historically about big-picture issues in a global context. Classes might consider regions or the globe. These classes guide students in how to use historical inquiry to understand deep connections and cause and effect relationships across time and place. We intend this to be world history in its broadest sense.
Applying History Requirement for Teacher Education - Choose One: 3 Credit Hours
Applying history classes move beyond the confines of the traditional classroom. These classes apply historical thinking and historical source-based evidence in real world settings. Students in the history teacher education program should consider choosing courses that apply history in K-12 classrooms. HIST 357 concentrates on thinking through K-12 pedagogies. For students in the 4-year history teacher education program, HIST 357 double-counts for a similar requirement in the SS minor . Research Capstone Requirement: 6 Credit Hours
Majors need to take two courses at the 400-level. These courses are designed to offer all students guided research experiences. Students may choose any two courses they wish at this level.
Elective Courses: 3-6 Credit Hours
Students need to take one elective course chosen from 300- and 400-level courses. Students have free choice of that elective course. Students may generally not double-count courses that meet other specific requirements in history.
Students may double-count a course toward the Thinking with Economics requirement and another requirement if the course is approved for both requirements. In that instance, students will then need to complete one additional elective history course at the 300- or 400-level to complete the required credit hours in the major.
HIST 300 and HIST 391 do not count toward this requirement.
History Teacher Education Concentration Total: 35-38 Credit Hours
Public History Concentration
Public History Concentration Courses: 27-33 Credit Hours
Historians today practice their discipline in a variety of careers as well as in more traditional academic settings. Those historians who work in museums, archives, government agencies, libraries, historic preservation organizations, businesses, contract history firms, cultural resource management firms and historic sites are known as public historians because they use their skills as historians to serve a public audience. The concentration in Public History trains students in the broad range of skills and issues associated with public history while providing them with a solid general background in history.
Students pursuing the public history concentration augment their foundation of traditional history courses by taking introductory and specialized public history courses and completing a semester-long internship. History majors opting to pursue the public history concentration will complete all history requirements and additional courses designed to train students in public history.
Students are required to complete two public history core courses as well as meeting all history department requirements. Two of the three elective courses should be chosen from the list of primary electives; the remaining elective course may be chosen from either the primary or secondary list of elective courses.
Centering Public History Requirement: 3 Credit Hours
Connected History: 3 Credit Hours
The Connected history requirement offers classes that think historically about big-picture issues in a global context. Classes might consider regions or the globe. These classes guide students in how to use historical inquiry to understand deep connections and cause and effect relationships across time and place. We intend this to be world history in its broadest sense. Applying History Requirement for Public History: 3 Credit Hours
All students planning to graduate with a concentration in public history need to complete an approved internship. This internship counts as the applying history requirement. Public History Primary Courses: 6-9 Credit Hours
Students need to take two or three courses from this list of approved public history courses. Students who take two of these courses also need to complete one course from the secondary public history list. Students who complete three of these courses do not need to take a course from the public history secondary list. Public History Secondary Courses: 0-3 Credit Hours
Students either take three courses from the Public History primary courses list or two from that list and one from this Public History secondary list. Between the two requirements, students must take 9 credit hours without double-counting a course. Research Capstone Requirement: 6 Credit Hours
Majors need to take two courses at the 400 level. These courses are designed to offer all students guided research experiences. Students may choose any two courses they wish at this level.
Elective Courses for Public History Students: 3-9 Credit Hours
Students need to take one elective course at the 300 or 400 level in addition to the other requirements for this program. Students have free selection of that course from any 300 or 400 level course in the major. In the event that a student takes a course that meets both the public history primary or secondary course requirement and the research capstone requirement, the student will take an additional elective history course at the 300 or 400 level to complete the required credit hours. Any 300 or 400 level course in history meets this requirement. HIST 300 and HIST 391 do not count toward this requirement. Public History Concentration Total 41-47 Credit Hours
Major Requirements Total: 35-47 Credit Hours
Recommended Schedule for Majors
Recommended Schedule for Majors without a Specific Concentration
(Non- History Teacher Education Concentration) Total: 28-30 Credit Hours
Second Year
We encourage majors to begin taking 300 level courses in the major in their second year after completing General Education courses, but waiting until the third year to begin taking 400 level courses in the major. - HIST 300. Historical Thinking Credits: 3.00 (Students are encouraged to take HIST 300 by the end of the second year.)
- Foreign language courses (if needed) or electives Credits: 9.00 - 10.00
- General Education courses Credits: 9.00 - 12.00
- University Electives Credits: 6.00 - 9.00
Total: 30-31 Credit Hours
Total: 30-31 Credit Hours
Recommended Schedule for the Major with History Teacher Education Concentration
A more detailed recommendation for combining the majors and minors leading to licensure can be found on the History department website. First Year
Students who have a double-major in which the other major is a BS degree may be subject to the BS degree requirements instead, which do not include a foreign language. Be sure to talk to your advisor. Total: 28-30 Credit Hours
Second Year
We encourage majors to begin taking 300 level courses in the major in their second year after completing General Education courses, but waiting until the third year to begin taking 400 level courses in the major. Total: 30-31 Credit Hours
Fourth Year
- History electives (mix 300 and 400 levels) Credits: 9.00
- Electives Credits: 21.00
- Student teaching for students in the 4-year program
Program Total: 120 Credit Hours
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