History
The Department of History offers the undergraduate student a variety of courses in American, European, African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern history. Studying history equips students with the tools to understand the complexities of this modern, globalized world. As a history major or minor, students develop critical thinking skills, learn to write persuasively, and deepen their cultural awareness. While some graduates go on to study history at a graduate level, others thrive in professions such as law, business, finance, government, journalism, and teaching.
Major Requirements
Class of 2024
- Two-semester US History survey (US History I & II (HIST 2401 2402))*
- The Study and Writing of History (3000-level classes for history majors only)
- One free elective (2000- or 4000-level)
- Two LAMA (Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Africa) electives (2000- or 4000-level)**
- Three+ upper-division electives (4000-level)
- Senior Honors Thesis or Senior Colloquium or Making History Public (5000-level classes for history majors only)
*Majors in the Class of 2024 who have not taken the US History survey should take two US History electives (2000- or 4000-level) instead.
**LAMAs taken at the 4000-level can co-count for the upper-division requirements, as long as the student has a total of ten history (non-Core) history courses
Class of 2025 and After
- One US History elective (2000- or 4000-level)
- The Study and Writing of History (3000-level classes for history majors only)
- Two free electives (2000- or 4000-level)
- Two LAMA (Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Africa) electives (2000- or 4000-level)*
- Three+ upper-division electives (4000-level)
- Senior Honors Thesis or Senior Colloquium or Making History Public (5000-level classes for history majors only)
*LAMAs taken at the 4000-level can co-count for the upper-division requirements, as long as the student has a total of ten history (non-Core) history courses
Of the 30 required credits for the major, students may take a maximum of 12 credits abroad, no more than 6 of which may be upper-division credits. Likewise, students may earn a maximum of 6 credits for the major through summer school. However, at least 18 credits, including The Study and Writing of History and 6 of the upper-division credits, must be taken at Boston College during the regular academic year.
Minor Requirements
The History minor consists of five courses for a total of 15 credits. Please note that each requirement is separate. There is no co-counting.
- Two upper-division electives (4000-level)
- One LAMA (Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Africa) elective (2000- or 4000-level)
- Two free electives (2000- or 4000-level)
Core courses do not satisfy minor requirements.
Study Abroad for Major and Minor Credit
History majors may take as many as four courses (12 credits) abroad for major credit (including a maximum of two courses—6 credits—for upper-division credit). Six history courses (18 credits) beyond the Core, including The Study and Writing of History, must be taken at Boston College during the regular academic year. Students should complete the Study and Writing of History requirement before studying abroad.
History minors may take up to two courses (6 credits) abroad for minor credit, including one upper-division course worth 3 credits.
Students seeking major or minor elective credit need only show that they passed a course offered in a history department. Typically, the department does not give upper-division credit for history courses taken abroad. Students seeking upper-division credit should present the course syllabus and the paper(s) written for the course to the Director of Undergraduate Studies after they have completed the course.
Students who are contemplating a senior Honors thesis and who will be abroad during the normal application process in the spring of their junior year are strongly urged to plan ahead. They should try to establish a thesis topic and identify a faculty member willing to supervise their work before departing and verify that they will be able to be in e-mail contact with their thesis advisor while abroad. They should be aware that the deadline for submission of applications is in April of their junior year. For additional information, they should consult with the director of the History Honors Program early in the semester prior to their departure for study abroad.
For additional information on foreign study for history majors, please visit the Foreign Study page.
For more information on the application of these guidelines to the history minor, please visit Minor in History page.
If you have further questions about study abroad, please contact Professor Charles Gallagher. For questions about the History Honors Program, contact Professor Mike Glass. For questions about History Core courses, contact Professor Ling Zhang. For questions about the History major, minor, or general questions about the undergraduate program, please contact Professor Penelope Ismay.
Information about the History Core
The University History Core requirement consists of two courses in history from late medieval times to the present. Students must take two halves of a sequence: History Core I, which covers c. 1500–1800; and History Core II, which covers c. 1800 to the present.
History Core courses examine the complex historical processes that structure the modern world. These courses introduce students to key historical concepts, methods, and controversies, and examine how the past shapes the present and vice versa. Covering several centuries of time and multiple cultural contexts, all History Core courses trace the political, social, economic, and cultural changes that created the modern world. As part of the Core Curriculum, these courses seek to broaden students’ intellectual horizons by exposing them to new places, periods, and perspectives. Through the History Core, students will learn how to (1) use primary sources to interpret the past, and (2) explain change over time using those sources.
Taught by historians who specialize in distinct areas, eras, and approaches, History Core courses vary in their emphases on different parts of the world. The History Core currently includes courses focused on Asian, Atlantic, European, Latin American, African, and global experiences. Students are not restricted to taking a History I and a History II course in the same subject. For example, if a student takes History I in “Asia and the World,” the student can follow that with “Modernization II” for their History II requirement. The key is to take one course marked History I and one marked History II.
Advanced Placement and Study Abroad for the Core
Students who scored a 4 or 5 on the European History or World History Advanced Placement exams fulfill the History Core and are invited to take a history elective.
Students who would like to apply foreign study courses for Core credit must get permission from the Director of the Core, and they are strongly urged to do so before going abroad. In order for a course taken abroad to fulfill the History Core requirement, it must cover the time periods outlined above (c. 1500–1800 for History Core I, and 1800 to the present for History Core II) and examine more than one country, surveying historical developments in a global or world-regional framework. Similar guidelines apply to summer classes and courses transferred from a previous institution. At least one of the Core courses must be taken at Boston College.
For further information about the History Core, please visit Core Requirements page.