Department of History
Department of History

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR IF DECLARED SPRING 2021 OR BEFORE

  • To declare a History major, students must have completed at least one university-level (i.e., UVa or transfer) history course with a grade of C or better. AP and IB courses do not satisfy this prerequisite.
  •  Eleven history courses of 3 or 4 credits each, taken for a letter grade.
    • one in pre-1700 European history (HIEU).
    • one in post-1700 European history (HIEU).
    • one in U.S. history (HIUS).
    • two from one or more of the following fields: Africa (HIAF), East Asia (HIEA), Latin America (HILA), Middle East (HIME), South Asia (HISA).
    • one Major Seminar (HIXX 4501 or 4502) or Major Colloquium (HIXX 4511 or 4512)
      • A grade of “C” or better is required for the Major Seminar or Colloquium to count toward the major.
      • Major Seminars and Colloquia are offered in a wide range of topics. Students should select a Major Seminar or Colloquium whose topic is familiar to them based on their work in at least two previous History courses.   
    • five additional courses chosen from among the total offerings of the department.
  • Of the eleven courses required for the major:
    • five -- including the Major Seminar or Colloquium -- should be numbered 3000 or above.
    • no more than six courses may be taken in any one field of history. (For purposes of this requirement, each History Department mnemonic – i.e., HIAF, HIEA, HIEU, HILA, HIME, HISA, HIST, and HIUS – represents a distinct field of history.)
  • No more than two 1500-level history seminars may be counted toward the eleven courses required for the major.  HIST 4501/4502 or HIST 4511/4512 count as the Major Seminar or Major Colloquium.
  • Courses with the General History (HIST) mnemonic count towards the major, HIST 4501/4502 and HIST 4511/4512 courses count as the Major Seminar or Major Colloquium.
  • Advanced Placement (AP)/ International Baccalaureate (IB) courses:
    • Students with AP and IB courses cannot apply both toward the major. This is a clarification of the requirements for the History major.
    • One Advanced Placement (AP) History course with a score of 5 may be applied toward the major. The AP course does not fulfill departmental requirements in the fields of United States (HIUS) or European (HIEU) History. The AP course will transfer as HIST 2000T. This is a revision of the requirements for the History major. It is effective for all students whose AP credits transfer to the University after the Spring 2010 semester.\
    • International Baccalaureate (IB) courses with a grade of 6 count as one course toward the major; courses with a grade of 7 count as two courses toward the major. The IB course will transfer as HIST 2000T, with either three or six credits.
  • Up to four approved transfer courses may be applied toward the major. Courses taken before matriculation transfer toward the major if they have been approved by the University and are on SIS with a History mnemonic (HIAF, HIEA, HIEU, HILA, HIME, HISA, HIST, HIUS).  Courses taken after matriculation require departmental approval.  Consult the Transfer Credit Approval Procedure link.
  • Courses taken in other departments may not be counted toward the major unless cross-listed in the History Department (e.g., ECON 2061/HIUS 2061).  Nor can they  be counted toward the minor if they are intended to count for the major in the other cross-listed department, in this case Economics.
  • Students must complete the eleven courses toward the History major with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.