Program Overview
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Location: Ross Hall 3270
Email: HSS@unco.edu
Website: www.unco.edu/hss/history
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of four parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Required Minor Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
Historical study is concerned with the record of the human past and forms the indispensable background for all other areas of knowledge in the humanities, the social sciences and the sciences. A well-rounded curriculum of American and world history courses is provided in which students are encouraged to be critical and analytical in thought as well as to be incisive and cogent in their writing. The capstone of a student's study is a seminar during the senior year, which includes an extensive research paper as the central component.
Graduates with a bachelor's degree in History/Liberal Arts pursue careers in law, government and social service, medicine, non-profit work or occupy various positions in the business world; additionally, they are qualified to work towards graduate degrees in history.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Program Requirements:
- History majors must obtain a grade of “C-” or better in all history courses taken at UNC. Majors receiving a grade of "D+" or lower must retake the course -- or an equivalent approved by the academic advisor -- and receive a grade of "C-" or better to have the course counted toward the major.
- All History majors must take HIST 280 either before or concurrently with their first 300 level HIST course.
- All history courses numbered 300 or higher include a research and writing component.
- Only 6 credits of HIST prefixes may be counted toward the LAC.
- History majors must complete a minor of at least 18 semester credits, preferably within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. (History Education majors seeking elementary or secondary licensure are exempted from this minor requirement.)
Program Recommendations:
The study of a foreign language is recommended for those majors who plan to pursue graduate study in history.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
Written Communication — 6 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
NOTE: Two of the 100-level HIST courses listed under the Required Major section below will count towards LAC credit. One course will satisfy History; one course will count as 3 of the 15 credits required in Arts & Humanities, History, or Social & Behavioral Sciences of the LAC.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 19 credits
Choose 1 of the following courses:
| HIST 100 | Survey of American History from Its Beginnings to 1877LAH1 | 3 |
| HIST 101 | Survey of American History from 1877 to the PresentLAH1 | 3 |
| HIST 120 | Western Civilizations from the Bronze Age to 1689LAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 121 | Western Civilization from 1689 to the PresentLAH1LAIS | 3 |
Choose 1 of the following courses:
| HIST 110 | African CivilizationLAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 112 | Asian Civilization I: From Prehistory to 1500LAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 113 | Asian Civilizations II: From 1500 to the PresentLAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 114 | World History to 1500LAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 115 | World History Since 1500LAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 118 | History of MexicoLAH1LAIS | 3 |
Choose 2 additional 100-level courses not already taken above:
| HIST 100 | Survey of American History from Its Beginnings to 1877LAH1 | 3 |
| HIST 101 | Survey of American History from 1877 to the PresentLAH1 | 3 |
| HIST 110 | African CivilizationLAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 112 | Asian Civilization I: From Prehistory to 1500LAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 113 | Asian Civilizations II: From 1500 to the PresentLAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 114 | World History to 1500LAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 115 | World History Since 1500LAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 118 | History of MexicoLAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 120 | Western Civilizations from the Bronze Age to 1689LAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 121 | Western Civilization from 1689 to the PresentLAH1LAIS | 3 |
Take all of the following courses:
Choose 1 of the following courses:
Senior seminar requirement
Only students enrolled in the History 4+1 BA/MA program are eligible for HIST 580
Remaining Major — 24 credits
-
In addition to the required credits, each major will also take twenty-four hours of electives at the 200-level or above. See course listings below.
-
Students must take at least three credits in all three elective (United States, European, African/Asian/Latin America/World), but no more than twelve credits in one elective area can count toward the major. At least eighteen of the twenty-four credits must be 300-400 level.
-
Six credits may be 200-level.
United States Area
Select at least 1 course (3 credits) but no more than 4 courses (12 credits) from the list.
| HIST 224 | History of Colorado | 3 |
| HIST 230 | Class and Culture in America | 3 |
| HIST 240 | Critical Issues in Modern America | 3 |
| HIST 250 | LGBTQ History in the United States (1900-2000)LAH1LAMS | 3 |
| HIST 290 | American Immigration | 3 |
| HIST 300 | History of Feminism | 3 |
| HIST 320 | Early America to 1763 | 3 |
| HIST 321 | Revolutionary America, 1763-1815 | 3 |
| HIST 322 | Religion in American History | 3 |
| HIST 328 | The United States West Since 1846 | 3 |
| HIST 329 | Indigenous North America | 3 |
| HIST 331 | Civil War and Reconstruction | 3 |
| HIST 338 | Advanced Overview of American History | 3 |
| HIST 342 | American Constitutional History | 3 |
| HIST 347 | United States Women's History to 1877 | 3 |
| HIST 348 | United States Women's History Since 1877 | 3 |
| HIST 351 | The United States and World War II | 3 |
| HIST 353 | The Rise of the American Century: The United States from 1898-1945 | 3 |
| HIST 354 | The United States and the Vietnam Wars | 3 |
| HIST 355 | America as a World Power: United States History from 1945 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 356 | The 1970s: America's Decade of Change | 3 |
| HIST 357 | The United States and the Middle East | 3 |
| HIST 395 | Topics in History | 3 |
| HIST 500 | Historiography | 3 |
Only students enrolled in the History 4+1 BA/MA program are eligible for HIST 500.
Africa/Asia/Latin America/World Area
Select at least 1 course (3 credits) but no more than 4 courses (12 credits) from the list.
Only students enrolled in the History 4+1 BA/MA program are eligible for HIST 500
European Area
Select at least 1 course (3 credits) but no more than 4 courses (12 credits) from the list.
| HIST 264 | Magic in Europe from Antiquity to the Enlightenment | 3 |
| HIST 283 | Russian Cultural History | 3 |
| HIST 361 | History of Classical Greece and Rome | 3 |
| HIST 363 | Medieval History | 3 |
| HIST 365 | Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Medieval Europe | 3 |
| HIST 367 | Topics in Early Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST 368 | England: National and Global Histories, 1485-1800 | 3 |
| HIST 371 | The European Enlightenment | 3 |
| HIST 372 | Renaissance and Reformation in Early Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST 373 | France, Empire and War to 1804 | 3 |
| HIST 382 | Hitler's Germany 1890-1945 | 3 |
| HIST 383 | Great War and Aftermath | 3 |
| HIST 384 | Three Germanies | 3 |
| HIST 385 | History of the Holocaust, 1933 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 386 | Twentieth Century Russia | 3 |
| HIST 388 | Imperial Russia, 1700-1917 | 3 |
| HIST 391 | Gender and Difference in Pre-Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST 392 | Sex and Gender in Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST 394 | European Intellectual History | 3 |
| HIST 395 | Topics in History | 3 |
| HIST 500 | Historiography | 3 |
Only students enrolled in the History 4+1 BA/MA program are eligible for HIST 500
3. Required Minor — 18 credits
To ensure a broad based liberal arts education and help students develop a wider range of critical thinking skills across disciples, a minor is required for all History-Liberal Arts major. Choices that align well with a history major include Anthropology, Economics, Geography, and Political Science. The history major is very flexible and allows for additional course work. Students interested in other minors or certificates should consult with their academic advisor.
The required minor is automatically waived for any student who completes a second major.
4. University-Wide Credits — 28 credits*
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree, that will typically be 28 credits.
*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.
Accelerated M.A. in History
Motivated students may seek to complete the requirements for the B.A. and M.A. in History in five years. To obtain both degrees, students must complete all the requirements for the B.A. in History described above (120 credit hours) and all of the requirements for the M.A. described in the Graduate Catalog (30 credit hours). However, the accelerated B.A./M.A. program involves shared credit hours shared between the Bachelor's and Master's programs, so the total number of credit hours to complete the accelerated Master’s program is 141 for students with a Liberal Arts concentration. Completing the requirements for both degrees is made possible by taking double-counted B.A./M.A. credits during the Senior year (paid for at the undergraduate tuition rate) and graduate-level credits (online – graduate-level tuition rate) in the summer following the Senior year and completion of the undergraduate program. While this is the most efficient route, students may also elect to complete the program at a slower pace. Students remain eligible for financial aid as an undergraduate; any Graduate School aid is not available until students are admitted to the Graduate Program.
Accelerated M.A. Admission
Due to its necessarily streamlined path of progression, admission to the Accelerated B.A. and M.A. in History occurs in the Fall semester only. Students interested in transferring into the accelerated program must:
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 to take graduate-level courses as a Senior.
- Meet with the History Department’s Director of Graduate Studies in the fall semester of the Junior year and apply during the spring semester of the Junior year (following the same procedure and meeting the same requirements as other M.A. applicants). Full admission is dependent on completing the B.A. requirements in the Senior year while maintaining a minimum 3.25 GPA. The program application will be signed and forwarded to the Graduate School with signatures of the program advisor indicating the approval of graduate course transfer.
- Complete HIST 500 (Historiography) in the fall semester of their Senior year followed by HIST 580 (Senior Seminar) and another 500-level graduate course in the spring. These are the nine credits double counted within the accelerated program.
- Students must apply for completion of their B.A. degree the semester before completing the degree (e.g., in the fall semester of their Senior Year). To apply, students must be registered for all remaining courses in their final undergraduate semester.
Accelerated M.A. Timeline
Outline for degree completion of the Accelerated B.A. with a Liberal Arts Concentration and M.A. in History - Total 30 Credits
Fall Semester, Junior year
Meet with faculty advisor or Director of Graduate Studies and apply for the program
Fall Semester, Senior year
HIST 500 Historiography (3 credits, double-counted)
Spring Semester, Senior year
HIST 580 Senior Seminar (3 credits, double-counted)
A Second 500-level Graduate Course in History (3 credits, double-counted)
Summer after Senior year
One online 6-week 500-level courses (3 credits)
Notes:
- Only two of these courses will be offered each summer.
- Because students are required to register for their three 500-level summer credits while they are still undergraduates, they must call the Office of the Registrar no later than the drop period for the summer semester to change their registration to graduate level.
Fall Semester, fifth year
Two 500-level HIST courses (6 credits)
HIST 690 Writing Seminar (3 credits)
Spring Semester, fifth year
Two 500-level HIST courses (6 credits)
HIST 690 Writing Seminar (3 credits)
Notes: Students will take 6 credits of HIST 690.
Four Year Plan
This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.
Year 1 – 31 credits
Fall Semester
| | 100-Level HIST Liberal Arts CurriculumLAH1 | 3 |
| | 100-Level HIST Liberal Arts CurriculumLAH1 | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| | 100-Level HIST Liberal Arts CurriculumLAH1 | 3 |
| | 100-Level HIST Liberal Arts CurriculumLAH1 | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
100-Level HIST LAC: Choose two courses not already taken.
Year 2 – 31 credits
Fall Semester
| HIST 280 | Sophomore Seminar | 3 |
| LIB 180 | History Library Research | 1 |
| | Major Elective | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Spring Semester
| | Major Elective | 3 |
| | Upper Division Major Elective | 3 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 3 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| | Upper Division Major Elective | 3 |
| | Upper Division Major Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| | Upper Division Major Elective | 3 |
| | Upper Division Major Elective | 3 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 4 – 28 credits
Fall Semester
| | Upper Division Major Elective | 3 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| HIST 480 | Seminar in History | 3 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |