Bachelor of Arts in History

About
Requirements
Academic Plan

Learn more about the Bachelor of Arts in History.

The history major requires twelve courses (36 credits). Students must take two introductory level courses selected from American and World history surveys. Students may opt to take two survey courses from either area or one from each. These should be taken as early as possible, preferably in the freshman year. The three-course sequence in research methods and writing should be taken in the following order: HIST 2001 The Historian's Craft, then HIST 3096 Intermediate Writing Seminar, culminating in the senior level course, HIST 4096 Capstone Seminar in History in which students develop a research and writing project on the topic of their choice.

In addition, students in this major have a high degree of freedom, selecting seven upper level electives in history (numbered 2000+).

Students must select two "American" and two "non-American" courses. This requirement can be fulfilled with a combination of the required survey courses and the upper level electives. (Note: HIST 2001, HIST 3096 and HIST 4096 may not be used for this requirement.)

Undergraduate Honors

There are two ways to enhance your history degree by achieving honors within the major:

Participate in the History Honors Thesis Program
Become a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honors Society

Students in the History Honors Thesis Program research and write an original history thesis. All students who have a 3.4 cumulative and history averages are eligible to apply by contacting the History Honors Thesis Program Advisor, Dr. Eileen Ryan. Note, this program is separate from the University Honors Program and is designed to complement that experience.

In addition to meeting other requirements, students who successfully complete two courses [HIST 4934 Honors Historiography and Research Methods (3 credits, History major elective) and HIST 4997 Honors Thesis Seminar (3 credits, taken in lieu of HIST 4096)] are eligible to graduate with distinction in major.

Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honors Society, is open to both history majors and non-majors who have completed at least 12 credits in history and achieved a history GPA of 3.25 and a cumulative GPA of 3.10. Participation in Phi Alpha Theta is separate from the History Honors Scholars Program or the University Honors Program. For more information, contact the Phi Alpha Theta advisor, Dr. Katya Motyl.

Summary of Degree Requirements

University Requirements:

MATH 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or ENG 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.
All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of the major.
Students must complete requirements of the General Education (GenEd) Program. See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for more details.

College of Liberal Arts Requirements:

Completion of a minimum of 123 credits, including:
- 90 credits in CLA/CST courses;
- 45 credits of which must be at the upper level (numbered 2000-4999).
  - History is designated as a "social science" major in the College of Liberal Arts.
    - Distribution Requirement: Social Science majors must take 6 upper level credits (numbered 2000-4999) in Humanities subject areas: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek (Ancient), Greek and Roman Classics, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Philosophy, Religion, Russian, and Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts, Art History in the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, or any department in the College of Science and Technology.
- A minimum GPA of 2.0, cumulatively, in CLA/CST coursework, and in the major.
- Only courses in which a student receives a grade of at least C- can satisfy GenEd, major, minor, or CLA Foreign Language and Global Studies requirements.
- Professional Development Requirement
  - All students in the College of Liberal Arts are required to take a 1 credit seminar in professional development. History majors may select either HIST 1012 Professional Development for History Majors or CLA 1002 Professional Development for Liberal Arts Majors. Other courses that fulfill this requirement may be found on the CLA College Requirements page. Only one course in this category may count towards graduation.
- Foreign Language/Global Studies Requirements:
  - All students must complete or test out of the first and second levels of a foreign language - these courses are numbered 1001 and 1002;
  - All students must complete at least one course from the GenEd Global/World Society category; and
  - All Bachelor of Arts students must complete one of the following options:
    - Third semester of a foreign language;
    - Demonstrated proficiency beyond the third semester in a foreign language (placement exam or certification from the language department);
    - Take one Global Studies course from the list on the CLA College Requirements page;
    - Study Abroad at an approved program; or
    - Take a second General Education Global/World Society course.
  - Notes on Foreign Language Study
    - The third level of language is numbered 1003 in French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese and numbered 2001 in all other foreign language subjects.
    - Students are strongly encouraged to take the third level of a foreign language as it is the minimum required for election to the prestigious honor society Phi Beta Kappa. (Taking the course does not guarantee admission but not taking it guarantees exclusion.)
    - See the College of Liberal Arts Policies section of this Bulletin for more information on the Foreign Language Placement, Regression in Coursework, and guidelines for students' other experiences with language.

General Electives are typically one-third of a student's program of study and can be focused on a second major, a minor, or towards some other personal enrichment or professional goals. See an academic advisor for assistance in developing an academic plan for these courses.

Major Requirements (36 credits/12 courses in history):

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Select a minimum of 12 courses in History, distributed as follows:
Select two Introductory Level courses from: ¹		6
HIST 1101	U.S. History to 1877
HIST 1102	U.S. History since 1877
HIST 1701	World History Ancient
HIST 1702	World History Modern
Select 7 electives in History numbered 2000-4999 ¹		21
HIST 2001	The Historian's Craft	3
HIST 3096	Intermediate Writing Seminar	3
HIST 4096	Capstone Seminar in History	3
Total Credit Hours		36

From the introductory and elective courses, two courses must be taken in American History and two courses in non-American history.

Distinction in Major

To receive Distinction in Major, students must complete HIST 4934 Honors Historiography and Research Methods and HIST 4997 Honors Thesis Seminar. The end product of the Honors Thesis Seminar is an Honors Thesis, which the student will present at a scholarly conference sponsored by the department. The Honors Thesis will also fulfill the History major's thesis/capstone requirement. Students must maintain a 3.4 GPA in all history courses and a 3.4 GPA in Temple courses overall. Students who are not in the University Honors Program will require special permission from the History Honors Scholar Program Director Dr. Eileen Ryan to enroll in HIST 4934 and HIST 4997.

Suggested Academic Plan