History, B.A.

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Minimum hours required for the major: 36, at least 27 of which must be upper-level (300- or 400-level)

Admission to the Major:
After admission to the university, a student obtains an “Entrance Interview” packet from the History Department in RT 1319 that explains the advising procedures and asks the student for a writing sample and answers to a few questions. Once this information has been gathered, the student phones the History Department (687-3920) for an initial advising appointment with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The Director will evaluate transfer credits for the major and give the student a copy of the filled out check-sheet. Following this advising session, students will receive a letter with the name of their individual faculty advisor in the department.

Major-Field Requirements

Credit hours:

A minimum of 36 hours is required for the major, at least 27 of which must be upper-level (300- or 400-level).

Survey requirement:

Students are required to complete two of the following survey courses:

Introduction to Historical Studies

All students are required to take:

HIS 299 - Introduction to Historical Studies

Geographical diversity:

Students are required to divide their 24 upper-level credits among at least four of the following six geographical areas.

North America
Europe
Latin America/Caribbean
Asia/Pacific world
Africa
Middle East

Chronological diversity:

At least two of the student’s upper-level credits (6 credit hours) must be in courses dealing with the pre-modern (before nineteenth century) period. These courses may also be used to fulfill the geographical distribution requirement.

Capstone requirement:

Upon reaching at least 18 credit hours in History, students are required to take one capstone research seminar. This three-credit hour course may be either HIS 400: Local History Seminar or HIS 401: Research Seminar (topics to vary by instructor). Pre-requisite HIS 299.

No course with a grade below C may be counted toward the History major.

Thematic concentration:

As a means of fulfilling the requirements for the major, students are encouraged to consult with their advisor about the possibility of developing a thematic focus (e.g., African Diaspora, Atlantic world).

Transfer students:

Transfer students must complete a minimum of 21 credit hours in history courses (which must include HIS 299 and HIS 400 or HIS 401) taken in the Department of History at CSU in order to major in History.

Honors Program/University Scholars Requirements

Honors and Scholars students in history have to complete:

A total of 4 Honors contract courses in upper-division history courses with a 3.5 average.
1 of the 4 courses will result in the production of a substantial historiographic essay.
The remaining 3 courses will require 25-page papers at least one of which uses primary sources.

Accelerated 3 + 3 Degree

The CSU/Cleveland-Marshall College of Law 3+3 program permits a student who has completed three years of undergraduate study to be admitted to the College of Law to begin J.D. studies. The undergraduate degree will be awarded upon successful completion of the first full year of the J.D. curriculum, thus permitting the student to graduate with both an undergraduate and law degrees in six rather than seven years of full-time study (or its equivalent). In effect, the first year of law school completes the fourth year of the undergraduate degree (serving, in effect, as undergraduate elective courses) and serves as the first year of law school. This arrangement saves both time and money for the student.

History 3+3 map