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 (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) Credits
- University-Wide Credits
*For Educator licensure majors, PTEP coursework counts towards the minimum of nine upper-division UNC credits (300-400).
Program Description:
This program fulfills an important role in training teachers at the undergraduate level. In addition to its emphasis in content areas of history and social science, it participates in the UNC/partner school program and the student-teaching experience/placement for its students. Experienced history faculty are regularly assigned the responsibility of observing our teacher candidates in the field. The end result of a student's study is a senior seminar completed under the direction of a faculty advisor during the senior year in residence.
A graduate with a bachelor's degree in history and who receives endorsement in the Grades 7-12 social studies licensure area is qualified to teach social studies in middle and high schools and to pursue graduate study in history.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Program Requirements:
- History majors must obtain a grade of “C-” or better in all courses required for the major. 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 and LIB 180 either before or concurrently with their first 300 level HIST course.
- All history courses numbered 300 or higher include a research and writing component.
PTEP Program Requirements:
Teacher candidates who complete an approved content degree and the UNC professional teacher education program, as well as pass the appropriate Colorado Department of Education designated PRAXIS exam (if applicable), will be eligible for recommendation from UNC for a Colorado Department of Education teaching license.
If you are seeking licensure in your program area, the following items are required to complete your program.
- Completion of Application for Initial Admission to PTEP – referred to as Checkpoint #1 (Enrollment in this checkpoint will result in a one-time program fee, assessed to student accounts to pay for assessment software. This checkpoint will also require an out-of-pocket payment - to the chosen approved vendor - to obtain a fingerprint background check, which is required by the Colorado Department of Education.)
- Completion of Full Admission to PTEP – referred to as Checkpoint #2
- Completion of Application for Student Teaching – referred to as Checkpoint #3
- Completion of content specific PRAXIS test prior to Student Teaching
- Candidates may not take extra courses with Student Teaching without prior approval from the Program Coordinator and the STE Director.
- All PTEP Field Experiences and methods courses need to be successfully completed prior to Student Teaching.
- Student Teaching outside the supervision of UNC Faculty may or may not be approved.
- Teacher Candidates will not be placed in a school where they were once students or where they have a close relative attending and/or working.
- Teacher education and educator preparation licensure programs do not accept Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) or field based courses that are more than ten years old. PLEASE NOTE: Teacher Candidates have the right to petition this policy at the discretion of the program coordinator.
Please work with your content advisor to determine when these requirements will be completed throughout your program.
Degree Requirements — 121 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 121 credits as outlined, the program recommends the LAC courses below that also count toward the required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
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 course 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.
HIST 114 or HIST 115 is recommended to fulfill the History and International Studies requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
GEOG 100 is recommended to fulfill Social & Behavioral Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
PSCI 100 is recommended to fulfill additional Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and a major requirement.
ECLD 260 is recommended to fulfill Arts & Humanities MS designation.
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 — 37 credits
Take both 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 |
Choose one of the following courses:
| HIST 114 | World History to 1500LAH1LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 115 | World History Since 1500LAH1LAIS | 3 |
Choose one 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 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 the following courses:
Choose one of the following courses:
Only students enrolled in the History 4+1 BA/MA program are eligible for HIST 580.
Required Social Science Support Courses — 18 credits
Two of the courses in this area (GEOG 100 and PSCI 100) are recommended to be taken as part of the LAC. Any additional LAC coursework completed outside of these recommendations may extend the length of the program of study.
| ANT 110 | Introduction to Cultural AnthropologyLAB3LAIS | 3 |
| ECON 203 | Principles of MacroeconomicsLAB1 | 3 |
| GEOG 100 | World GeographyLAB2LAIS | 3 |
| PSCI 100 | United States National GovernmentLAB1 | 3 |
| Choose two 200-level or above courses in ECON, GEOG, or PSCI | 6 |
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 areas (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 one course (3-credits) but no more than four courses (12-credits) from the list.
| HIST 224 | History of Colorado | 3 |
| HIST 230 | Class and Culture in 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 329 | Indigenous North America | 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 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 to enroll in HIST 500.
Africa/Asia/Latin America/World Area
Select at least one course (3-credits) but no more than four courses (12-credits) from the list.
Only students enrolled in the History 4+1 BA/MA program are eligible to enroll in HIST 500.
European Area
Select at least one course (3-credits) but no more than four 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 to enroll in HIST 500.
3. Required PTEP — 38 credits
Phase I (5 credits taken concurrently)
| STEP 161 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching I | 2 |
| EDF 290 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
Phase II (8 credits taken concurrently)
| STEP 262 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching II | 2 |
| EDSE 360 | Adaptation, Modification, and Integration of Curriculum for the Secondary Exceptional Learner | 3 |
| PSY 349 | Educational Psychology for Secondary Teachers | 3 |
Phase III (11 credits taken concurrently)
| ECLD 341 | Content-Based Literacies for Equitable Access to PK-12 Instruction | 3 |
| ET 449 | Integrating Technologies into Secondary Education Pedagogy | 3 |
| SOSC 341 | Teaching Secondary Social Studies | 3 |
| STEP 363 | Clinical Experience: Secondary | 2 |
ECLD 341: (may be taken outside of Phase III)
Phase IV (14 credits)
The History Secondary Education major should follow the phase program delineated by the STEP program.
No history major may apply for admission to the PTEP program until completion of at least 15 semester hours in the major. At least 9 of these hours must have been taken at the University of Northern Colorado. To be admitted to the Secondary PTEP in History (Phase III), a student must have a B- grade point average in courses counting toward the major and taken at UNC.
Before being permitted to apply for student teaching, a history major must have completed successfully 27 hours in the major and have at least a B- grade point average in major courses taken at UNC.
PTEP students majoring in history are required to take:
| SOSC 341 | Teaching Secondary Social Studies | 3 |
4. University-Wide-Credits — 0 credits*
*Note: Students must apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum requirements and the major requirements to complete this degree program in 121 credit hours. This degree does not require university wide electives and has received an exception from the CDHE to exceed the typical limit of 120 credit hours.
Accelerated M.A. (4+1) 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 listed above (124 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 148 for those with a Secondary Teaching 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 M.A. 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) and HIST 580 (Senior Seminar) in the fall semester of their Senior year. These are the six 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 Secondary Teaching concentration and M.A. in History - Total 30 Credit
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)
HIST 580 Senior Seminar (3 credits, double-counted)
Spring Semester, Senior year
Student Teaching
Summer after Senior year
Two online 6-week 500-level courses (6 credits)
Notes:
- Only two of these courses will be offered each summer.
- Because students are required to register for their six 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.