History, BA; Public History Concentration

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The History Program offers a B.A. Degree in History as well as concentrations in Pre-Law, Public History, and Teacher Preparation in History and Social Science. A Minor in History is also available.

No grade below “C-” in major course work is accepted for graduation.

Civitae Core Requirements (39-40 credits)

Civitae Core

History majors in the Public History concentration may count Civitae Core courses satisfying major requirements as also satisfying their respective Civitae Core requirements, up to two Pillar courses and one Perspectives course. The following are the courses in this major that may be used in this way:

HIST 125 and HIST 126 can satisfy the Global Citizenship Pillar requirement, for students who place into a 211-level language course or above
HIST 221 , among others, can satisfy the Historical and Contemporary Insights Pillar requirement
ANTH 202 can satisfy the Human Behavior and Social Institutions Pillar requirement

Courses satisfying major requirements that are designated as Civitae Core courses subsequent to the print deadline of this Catalog will not appear in the above listings but will be eligible to also satisfy Civitae Core requirements, subject to the same rules as the others. (If doing so would otherwise decrease the total credits required for the degree below 120, General Elective credit must be substituted to restore the total.)

Additional Degree Requirements (3 credits)

In addition to the courses required for the Civitae Core Curriculum Program, students completing the History BA Degree are required to take one additional course in either the Humanities or Foreign Language.

Major Requirements (53-56 credits)

As noted above, some courses that meet major requirements are also designated Civitae Core Curriculum courses; such courses taken to meet Civitae Core requirements will be considered to also satisfy the associated major requirements (up to two Foundations pillars and one Perspectives course).

Core Requirements (11-14 credits) (Plus 3-6 credits included in Civitae Core Curriculum)

HIST 101 - Introduction to the History Major 1 credit
HIST 125 - World History I 3 credits (Satisfies FGLO Pillar for some students)
Or
HIST 150 - Historical Inquiry I 3 credits
HIST 126 - World History II 3 credits (Satisfies FGLO Pillar for some students)
Or
HIST 151 - Historical Inquiry II 3 credits
HIST 221 - United States History Colonial-1877 3 credits (Satisfies FHCI Pillar)
HIST 222 - United States History 1877-Modern Times 3 credits
HIST 250 - Historical Methods 3 credits
HIST 450 - Career Preparation in History 1 credit

Public History Requirements (6 credits)

HIST 316 - Public History 3 credits
HIST 492 - Internships in History 1-15 credits (3 credits) **
**A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required to enroll in an internship.

Public History Electives (9 credits)

Choose nine credits from the following courses:

HIST 318 - Introduction to Museum Studies 3 credits
HIST 319 - Archival Management 3 credits
HIST 325 - Digital History 3 credits
HIST 326 - Oral History 3 credits
HIST 397 - Virginia History 3 credits

Area Electives (18 credits)

A minimum of six credits of Area Electives must be taken at the 400-level and must be taken in at least two different areas (US, EU, NW).

United States History Electives (US)/6 credits at the 300 level or above
European History Electives (EU)/6 credits at the 300 level or above
Non-Western History Electives (NW)/6 credits at the 200 level or above

Additional Concentration Requirements (6-9 credits) (Plus 0-3 credits included in Civitae Core Curriculum)

Choose nine credits from the following courses:

ANTH 202 - Archaeology 3 credits
ANTH 210 - Folklore 3 credits
ANTH 212 - Archaeology of Virginia 3 credits
ANTH 296 - Field Methods in Archaeology 6 credits
ANTH 352 - Historical Archaeology 3 credits
ART 261 - History of Western Art: Prehistoric to Medieval 3 credits
ART 262 - History of Western Art: Renaissance to Modern 3 credits
ART 369 - American Art 3 credits
ART 400 - History of Photography 3 credits
GEOG 275 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4 credits
CMSC 140 - Introduction to Programming 3 credits
GEOG 240 - GIS Programming with Python 1 credit
GEOG 358 - Map Design and Analysis 4 credits

General Electives (21-25 credits)

It is recommended that students take electives in a field related to their major, such as Anthropology, Political Science, or Art History.

Total Credits Required

BA in History with concentration in Public History 121