Program Overview

BA with a Major in History

The Bachelor of Arts degree in History is offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago. To earn this degree, students must complete university, college, and department degree requirements.

Degree Requirements

• Program Codes: 20FT0342BA
• Total Hours: 120
• Major Requirements: 33
• General Education and Electives: 87

General Education

Students must meet the General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline requirements as outlined in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section.

Major Requirements

• Required Courses:
  • 100-level history courses: 3-9 hours
  • 200-level history courses: 9-15 hours
  • 300-level history courses, including HIST 300: 3-9 hours
  • 400-level history courses, including HIST 440: 12-15 hours
• Distribution Requirements:
  • African, Asian, Middle Eastern, or Latin American: minimum of 6 hours
  • European: minimum of 6 hours in Ancient, Medieval, or Modern European history
  • United States: minimum of 6 hours in U.S. history
• Field of Concentration: History majors must define a field of concentration consisting of at least 12 semester hours (four courses) beyond the 100 level, in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

Recommended Plan of Study

The following plan of study is recommended for students majoring in History:

First Year

• Fall Semester:
  • ENGL 160: Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts (3 hours)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (3-5 hours)
  • Foreign Language (4 hours)
  • General Education Requirement course (3-5 hours)
• Spring Semester:
  • ENGL 161: Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research (3 hours)
  • HIST 1xx (3 hours)
  • Foreign Language (4 hours)
  • General Education Requirement course (3 hours)
  • General Education Requirement course (3-5 hours)

Second Year

• Fall Semester:
  • HIST 1xx (3 hours)
  • HIST 2xx (3 hours)
  • Foreign Language (4 hours)
  • General Education Requirement course (3-5 hours)
  • General Education Requirement course (3 hours)
• Spring Semester:
  • HIST 2xx (3 hours)
  • Foreign Language (4 hours)
  • General Education Requirement course (3 hours)
  • General Education Requirement course (3 hours)
  • General Education Requirement course/Elective (3 hours)

Third Year

• Fall Semester:
  • HIST 2xx (3 hours)
  • HIST 4xx (3 hours)
  • General Education Requirement course/Elective (3 hours)
  • Electives (6 hours)
• Spring Semester:
  • HIST 300: History Methods Colloquium (3 hours)
  • HIST 4xx (3 hours)
  • Electives (9 hours)

Fourth Year

• Fall Semester:
  • HIST 440: History Research Seminar (3 hours)
  • HIST at any level (3 hours)
  • Electives (9 hours)
• Spring Semester:
  • HIST 4xx (3 hours)
  • Electives (8 hours)
  • HIST at any level (3 hours)

Students majoring in History are encouraged to consult with the department advisor for History during the fall semester of their second year to plan a concentration.