The History Department offers a wide variety of chronological, geographical, and thematic courses that enhance individuals’ understanding of themselves and the contemporary world by expanding their experiences to include the experiences of other peoples, both past and present. These courses range from ancient times to the present, cover most geographical regions of the world, and allow topical specialties ranging from women’s or environmental history to the history of technology or labor history. History graduates find employment in a wide range of occupations. Traditionally they have gone into teaching and education careers in primary and secondary schools and, with appropriate graduate-level training, colleges and universities. More recently, increasing numbers of history graduates are finding their way into private and public non-profit organizations and agencies, such as museums, archives and libraries, research and service institutions, legislative bodies, and planning agencies. Others find career opportunities in the private sector, including publishing, journalism and broadcasting, and law firms; in fact, history is an ideal pre-law major.
The Department of History offers lower level baccalaureate courses (HTY 103-HTY 280), upper level baccalaureate courses (HTY 301-HTY 499), and graduate level courses (HTY 501-HTY 699). Senior history majors may take 500-level graduate courses. Other students may take graduate level courses by permission.
Majors must complete at least twelve three-credit courses in history, including:
- At least 2 courses (1 must be upper level) from each of the following groups:
- United States history
- European history
- The history of areas outside Europe and the United States or history with either a worldwide or a topical focus. Only one Canadian course may count.
- At least eight upper-level history courses, distributed as follows:
- A primary concentration of four courses from a single geographical, chronological or topical area.
- One senior seminar (HTY 498) normally taken during the student’s final undergraduate year.
- Three upper-level elective history courses from any area.
In addition, History majors must complete an “outside field” requirement that may be satisfied by one of the following:
A. Demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language at the intermediate level, by either examination or through course work with a grade of “C” or better.
B. Completion of a minor in another discipline requiring at least four non-history courses above the survey level and two additional at any level. All approved University minors meet the Department’s “outside field” requirement.
C. Completion of an approved Interdisciplinary Curriculum (see section on “Interdisciplinary Curricula” in this catalog) requiring at least four non-history courses beyond the survey level and two additional at any level. The History Department reserves the right to devise and approve additional, but comparable, “interdisciplinary curricula” other than those listed in this catalog.
D. Completion of a second major.
Students who transfer from other institutions must take a minimum of six courses within the department. All students must earn at least a “C” in all courses applied to the major. University requirements place a limit of forty-eight (48) hours of degree credit within the major to be counted toward the Bachelor of Arts degree. Thus a maximum of sixteen (16) history courses may be applied toward the 120 total credits required for graduation, with at least 72 credits taken outside the major department. History majors should be careful to limit the number of courses taken below the 300-level; the minimum of eight upper-level courses required for the major leaves a maximum of eight 100-level and 200-level courses to be counted toward graduation.
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