History
The Department of History offers the undergraduate student a variety of courses in American, European, African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern history. Studying history equips students with the tools to understand the complexities of our modern, globalized world. As a history major or minor, students encounter unfamiliar, past worlds and develop the analytical tools to understand them, especially, critical thinking and the ability to craft compelling arguments based on empirical evidence. They also acquire cultural fluency across a diverse array of societies. As such, a degree in history prepares students for any number of occupations, including, but not limited to, law, business, finance, government, journalism, and teaching.
Class of 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028
- One US History elective (2000- or 4000-level)
- The Study and Writing of History (3000-level classes for history majors only)
- Two free electives (2000- or 4000-level)
- Two LAMA (Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Africa) electives (2000- or 4000-level)*
- Three+ upper-division electives (4000-level)
- Senior Honors Thesis or Senior Colloquium or Making History Public (5000-level classes for history majors only)
*LAMAs taken at the 4000-level can co-count for the upper-division requirements, as long as the student has a total of ten history (non-Core) history courses.
Of the 30 required credits for the major, students may take a maximum of 12 credits abroad, no more than 6 of which may be upper-division credits. Likewise, students may earn a maximum of 6 credits for the major through summer school. However, at least 18 credits, including The Study and Writing of History and 6 of the upper-division credits, must be taken at Boston College during the regular academic year.
Beginning with the Class of 2029 and after
History Major Requirements (11 courses, 33 credits)
- 1 History I or II Core class, (or a 4/5 on the Euro or World AP exam)
- 1 US History elective (2000- or 4000-level)
- 1 Study and Writing of History (3000-level classes for history majors only)
- 2 free electives (2000- or 4000-level)
- 2 LAMA (Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Africa) electives (2000- or 4000-level)
- 3 upper-division electives (4000-level)
- 1 Senior Honors Thesis Seminar or Senior Colloquium or Making History Public course (5000-level classes for history majors only)
Minor Requirements
History Minor Requirements (6 courses, 18 credits)聽聽
Please note: each requirement is separate. Except for the Core class, which counts toward the Core and the Minor, there is no co-counting within the Minor.
- 1 History I or II Core class, (or a 4/5 on the Euro or World AP exam)
- 1 LAMA (Latin American, Asian, Middle Eastern, or African) elective
- 2 electives (2000- or 4000-level)
- 2 upper-division courses (4000-level)
Study Abroad for Major and Minor Credit
History majors may take as many as four courses (12 credits) abroad for major credit (including a maximum of two courses鈥�6 credits鈥攆or upper-division credit). Six history courses (18 credits) beyond the Core, including The Study and Writing of History, must be taken at Boston College during the regular academic year. Students should complete the Study and Writing of History requirement before studying abroad.
History minors may take up to two courses (6 credits) abroad for minor credit, including one upper-division course worth 3 credits.
Students seeking major or minor elective credit need only show that they passed a course offered in a history department. Typically, the department does not give upper-division credit for history courses taken abroad. Students seeking upper-division credit should present the course syllabus and the paper(s) written for the course to the Director of Undergraduate Studies after they have completed the course.
Students who are contemplating a senior Honors thesis and who will be abroad during the normal application process in the spring of their junior year are strongly urged to plan ahead. They should try to establish a thesis topic and identify a faculty member willing to supervise their work before departing. They should be aware that the deadline for submission of applications is in late March or early April of their junior year. For additional information, they should consult with the Director of the History Honors Program early in the semester prior to their departure for study abroad.
For additional information on foreign study for history majors, please visit the聽Foreign Study听辫补驳别.
For more information on the application of these guidelines to the history minor, please visit聽Minor in History听辫补驳别.
If you have further questions about study abroad, please contact Professor Owen Stanwood. For questions about the History Honors Program, contact Professor Mike Glass. For questions about History Core courses, contact Professor Nicole Eaton. For questions about the History major, minor, or general questions about the undergraduate program, please contact Professor Penelope Ismay.
Information about the History Core
History Core courses introduce students to the importance of historical context and the process of historical change by examining which aspects of human life have changed and which have endured over time and across different regions of the world. Students learn how to interpret the past using primary sources, and they acquire breadth of knowledge, a critical framework, and analytical skills.
By studying past events, students develop an understanding of the historical roots of contemporary societies and come to view the present with a sharper eye, appreciating that it, too, is contingent and will one day be re-examined and reconstructed. Through this process, students become better-informed and more open-minded whole persons, prepared to engage and make change in the world.
- Through the History Core, students will learn how to:聽
- (1) use primary sources to interpret the past, and聽
- (2) explain change over time using those sources
Taught by historians who specialize in distinct areas, eras, and approaches, History Core courses vary in their emphases on different parts of the world. The History Core currently includes courses focused on Asian, Atlantic, European, Latin American, African, and global experiences. Students are not restricted to taking a History I and a History II course in the same subject. For example, if a student takes History I in 鈥淎sia and the World,鈥� the student can follow that with 鈥淢odernization II鈥� for their History II requirement. The key is to take one course marked History I and one marked History II.
Advanced Placement and Study Abroad for the Core
Students who scored a 4 or 5 on the European History or World History Advanced Placement exams fulfill the History Core. A 4 or 5 on the AP exam also fulfills one course of the 11 course History Major or one course in the 6-course History Minor. Whether such students major or minor in history, because of their AP score, we invite them to take any elective in the history department.
Students who would like to apply foreign study courses for Core credit must get permission from the Director of the Core, and they are strongly urged to do so before going abroad. In order for a course taken abroad to fulfill the History Core requirement, it must cover the time periods outlined above (c. 1500鈥�1800 for History Core I, and 1800 to the present for History Core II) and examine more than one country, surveying historical developments in a global or world-regional framework. Similar guidelines apply to summer classes and courses transferred from a previous institution. At least one of the Core courses must be taken at Boston College.
For further information about the History Core, please visit聽Core Requirements听辫补驳别.