History Major, B.A. with Optional Public History Concentration

Requirements for the major with Concentration

The public history concentration prepares students for careers in museum work, state and national parks, historic sites, historical societies, public and private archives, historic preservation and government agencies that employ historians; or for graduate study in the field of public history. It combines a strong foundation in American history with specialized coursework and practice in public history.

Students must fulfill the following requirements for the concentration, along with the regular requirements for the history major. (Note: Some of the specific concentration requirements will also fulfill more general history major requirements.)  The concentration requires 30 credits.

Required courses (9 credits):

HIST 208Introduction to Public History

3.0

HIST 217History of the United States to 1877

3.0

HIST 218History of the United States since 1877

3.0

Two of the following (6 credits):

AFHS 257The African American Experience

3.0

HIST 268Latin America

3.0

HIST 269Women in America

3.0

Three of the following courses (9-10 credits):

ENSP 103Intro to Geographic Information Systems

4.0

HIST 371ETopics in Public History

3.0

HIST 381Collections: Museums and Archives

3.0

HIST 382Exhibiting History

3.0

MGMT 315Managing Nonprofit Organizations

3.0

HIST 371E: (may be taken more than once)

Two of the following introductory World History courses (6 credits)

HIST 264Ancient and Medieval World to 1200

3.0

HIST 265Medieval and Early Modern World, 1200-1800

3.0

HIST 266The Modern World, 1750 to Present

3.0

Three required Methodology Courses (9 credits)

HIST 373Research and Writing in History

3.0

HIST 399Internship in History

3.0 - 15.0

HIST 470Seminar: Topics in History

3.0

Three more courses, distributed as follows (9 credits)

  • At least one course must be from each of the following three areas,
  • At least two courses must be 300-level history courses, and
  • at least one course must focus mainly on a time period before 1500 (i.e., an ancient or medieval period); the ancient/medieval courses are: HIST 202, HIST 300, HIST 309, HIST 312, HIST 314, HIST 347, HIST 354, HIST 365, HIST 366, HIST 371A and are noted as (E) for “Early” after course description:

One course in American History (3 credits)

HIST 318Colonial and Revolutionary America

3.0

HIST 319The Civil War and Reconstruction

3.0

HIST 320America in the Sixties

3.0

HIST 338The Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 1877-1929

3.0

HIST 339New Deal America, 1929-2000

3.0

HIST 353US Foreign Relations since World War II

3.0

HIST 358African Americans and Sports

3.0

HIST 359Black Women in America

3.0

HIST 371BTopics in American History

3.0

HIST 376American Frontiers

3.0

HIST 377Civil Rights and Black Power

3.0

HIST 378Blacks and American Law

3.0

HIST 379Making of the American City

3.0

HIST 380The Native American Experience

3.0

One course in European History (3 credits)

HIST 202Medieval Europe

3.0

HIST 300From Celts to Vikings 400-1000

3.0

HIST 306Heresy and Society in Europe, 1400-1800

3.0

HIST 312Women in Medieval Europe

3.0

HIST 314Medieval and Tudor England

3.0

HIST 349Europe in the Age Total War

3.0

HIST 354Medieval Warfare

3.0

HIST 365The Ancient Near East and Greece

3.0

HIST 366Ancient Rome

3.0

HIST 371ATopics in Early History

3.0

HIST 371CTopics in Modern European History

3.0

One course in Global History (3 credits)

HIST 246Modern Africa, 1400-Present

3.0

HIST 309Islam & the Crusades

3.0

HIST 330Cultural Encounters in LatAm Hist

3.0

HIST 347The Indigenous World

3.0

HIST 356Global Empires I

3.0

HIST 357Global Empires II

3.0

HIST 371DTopics in World History

3.0

Preparation for Graduate School and Professional Studies

Students who plan to attend graduate school in history should work closely with a departmental adviser both to develop the credentials necessary for admission to a graduate program and to gain expertise in a specific area of historical interest. The department advises that students aiming for graduate study complete a minimum of 40 credits in history at the 200 level or above; choose an informal concentration within the major; take four courses in cognate fields of study (archaeology, art history, English, economics, political science, philosophy, religion and sociology, among others); and become proficient in at least one foreign language.

History is also an excellent preparation for law school and other professional programs. Students interested in such a career path should consult the appropriate pre-professional adviser. Students preparing for law school are advised to take courses in American and British history, with additional coursework in English, economics and philosophy.