Student ID:__________________________ Student Name:_______________________ Advisor Name:_______________________ Catalog: 2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog Program: History, B.A.
This is for planning purposes only, please check with your advisor with questions about your degree progress

History, B.A.

History training sharpens skills such as critical thinking, logical argumentation, archival research, data analysis, oral communication, and written communication. These skills are invaluable for a meaningful and productive life beyond college. The study of history also integrates different modes of thinking: students examine complex issues that shape societies and institutions (the social sciences), as well as the ways individuals and groups understand their experience through culture and ideas (the humanities). Students learn to study the past from many approaches and to relate their findings in formats geared toward a variety of audiences. Graduates pursue a wide range of careers in fields such as business, education, government, diplomacy, law, non-profit organizations, and cultural heritage institutions. 

Students start with our signature course for history majors, followed by three introductory courses that emphasize the breadth and diversity of the human experience. Next, students take electives in five themes that include several world regions and periods (ancient to present): local and public history, social and cultural history, war and diplomacy, political and economic history, and transnational history. In the final year students concentrate on a specific theme and develop a sophisticated research project in the senior seminar. As they progress, students receive skills-based training specific to the discipline of history, and they learn how to apply these skills to professional contexts through internships and other experiential learning opportunities.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in history are expected to:

  • Evaluate core assumptions about historical thinking and the discipline of history;
  • Apply historical skills and knowledge to a variety of career options;
  • Produce historical scholarship integrating ethical and civic values, as well as professional standards;
  • Analyze historical events and processes;
  • Compose historical narratives integrating varied modes of expression.

BG Perspective (BGP) Requirements

Must complete at least 1 course in each of the following:

   English Composition and Oral Communication
   _____________________________    ________

   Quantitative Literacy
   _____________________________    ________

Must Complete at least 2 courses in each of the following:

   Humanities and the Arts
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________    

   Natural Sciences - at least one Lab Science required
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________                                                                                      

   Social and Behavioral Sciences
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________                                                                        

Complete total required BGP credit hours by selecting courses from any of the above categories:

   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________                                                                                    

University Requirements

Designated courses in Humanities and the Arts and the Social and Behavioral Sciences domains may be used to fulfill both the BGP requirement and one of the following university requirements:

Cultural Diversity in the US    ____________
International Perspective       ____________

Composition Requirement:
WRIT 1120                             

Total BGP Credits: Must be at least 36                      

Arts & Sciences Requirements (WLC)

World Languages and Cultures (_____ yrs of HS_______) 

Consult the Undergraduate Catalog or the Arts and Sciences Student Handbook regarding approved course options in the different language and culture areas. 
​   ________1010_________________    ________ 
​   ________1020_________________    ________ 
​   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________ 

Lab Science  

   _____________________________    ________ 

Multidisciplinary Component

Select from approved offerings, in consultation with an advisor and a faculty mentor. Four courses total, each with a different subject prefix. At least two courses at 3000/4000 level. Courses applied to the Arts & Sciences MDC may not be used to fulfill other Arts and Sciences degree requirements, nor may they be used to fulfill major, minor, BGP or other program requirements.   
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________  

Major Requirements

I. History Professional Core

(6 Hours)

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
HIST 1001 - The Historian’s Craft OR
HIST 3791 - Historiography

 

HIST 2001 - Historical Writing
HIST 3001 - The Historian and the Public
HIST 4001 - Professional Practices in History

II. History Content Core

(9 Hours)

Choose Two of the Following Courses:

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
HIST 1250 - Early America

or

HIST 1260 - Modern America

or

HIST 1510 - World Civilizations

or

HIST 1520 - The Modern World

Choose One of the Following Courses:

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
HIST 1800 - Asian Civilizations

or

HIST 2210 - North American Indigenous People

or

HIST 2220 - Women in American History

or

HIST 2320 - African American History from Slavery to Freedom

or

HIST 2250 - Reacting to the Past

or

HIST 2910 - Special Studies in History

III. History Themes

(18 Hours)

Choose six of the following courses distributed in three themes. A minimum of two 4000-level courses is required. Taking three courses in one theme is recommended.

Note: HIST 1910, HIST 2910, HIST 3913, and HIST 4000 count in the area appropriate to the course topic. See History advisor.  

A. Local, Regional, and Public

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
HIST 3062 - History of Ohio
HIST 3142 - History of Canada
HIST 3892 - Internship
HIST 4302 - American Collective Memory
HIST 4802 - Seminar in Local and Public History
HIST 4952 - History Workshop

B. Social and Cultural

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
HIST 3103 - Latin America Before Independence
HIST 3153 - Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Atlantic World
HIST 3173 - African Cultures and Societies
ETHN 3173 - African Cultures and Societies
HIST 3213 - American Colonial History, 1492-1763
HIST 3223 - American Revolutionary Era, 1763-1789
HIST 3293 - America Comes of Age: 1917 - 1945
HIST 3403 - Women in Ancient Greece & Rome
HIST 3463 - Early Modern Europe, 1450-1750
HIST 3683 - Pre-Modern Japan
HIST 3913 - Topics in Social and Cultural History
HIST 4413 - Roman Social and Cultural History
HIST 4463 - The French Revolution: Liberty and Death, 1789-1804
HIST 4803 - Seminar in Social and Cultural History

C. Military and Diplomatic

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
HIST 3014 - American Military History
HIST 3034 - World War II
HIST 3264 - The US Civil War
HIST 3334 - The Vietnam War
HIST 3344 - The Wars after 9/11: Afghanistan, Iraq, and Beyond
HIST 3484 - Hitler’s Germany: Rise and Fall of Nazism

 

HIST 4044 - Africa and World Politics

or

ETHN 4044 - Africa and World Politics

 

HIST 4214 - United States and the World, 1775-1945
HIST 4224 - United States and the World: The Cold War Era
HIST 4444 - War and Diplomacy in Europe, 1914 - Present
HIST 4804 - Seminar in War and Diplomacy

D. Political and Economic

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
HIST 3115 - Democracy and Development in Latin America
HIST 3255 - Early National U.S., 1789-1848
HIST 3285 - America Becomes Modern: 1877-1917
HIST 3295 - U.S. Since 1945: Affluence and Anxiety
HIST 3365 - Drugs and Alcohol in American History
HIST 3385 - American Environmental History
ACS 3385 - American Environmental History
HIST 3445 - Ancient Rome
HIST 3675 - Modern China
HIST 3695 - Modern Japan
HIST 4115 - Modern Mexico
HIST 4555 - Europe Since World War II
HIST 4805 - Seminar in Political and Economic History

E. Transnational

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
HIST 3137 - Caribbean
HIST 3417 - Ancient Greece
HIST 3447 - Making of Europe
HIST 3477 - 20th Century Europe
HIST 3567 - Genocide and Holocaust
HIST 3607 - Representative Personalities of 20th Century
HIST 3907 - Ancient Historians
CLCV 3907 - Ancient Historians
HIST 4027 - Colonial Africa
ETHN 4027 - Colonial Africa
HIST 4037 - Contemporary Africa
ETHN 4037 - Contemporary Africa
HIST 4807 - Seminar in Transnational History

Total Hours: 33

Minor Requirements

(Usually 21 Hours)

Electives and Non-Credit Courses

For Graduation You Will Need:

  1. 122 credit hours minimum.
  2. Minimum GPA 2.00.
  3. At least 30 credit hours of BGSU course work.
  4. 40 credit hours at the 3000/4000 level.
  5. Completion of all degree requirements, including the BG Perspective Core.
  6. A major, and if required, a minor, specialization or emphasis.

Any substitution or waiver of courses required for your major or minor program must originate in the department/school offering the major or minor and must be approved by the College Office.

To ensure a timely graduation, see a College Advisor during the semester prior to your intended graduation.

Remember to complete an Application for Graduation by the end of the second week of classes during the fall semester or spring regular session, or by the end of the first week of the summer semester. For the specific dates, check your DARS. You may log onto MyBGSU to complete the online application. After the deadlines, you will need to complete an application in person in the College Office.

Notes: