These are the History Major requirements for students who officially declared their major after September 1, 2006.
The first step in declaring a History Major is to meet with Dr. Susan Miller, the Department's Undergraduate Advisor.
Requirements
To graduate with a B.A. in History you must take twelve courses, eight of which must be taken in the Department of History at Penn. You may, of course, elect to take all twelve courses in our department, but students are permitted to count transfer credits from other schools, major-related courses from other Penn departments, and courses from study abroad programs. No AP credits will be counted toward the History Major.
A. Geographic Distribution
Students must take a course in four of the following five geographic areas.
- United States and Canada
- Europe (including Britain and Australia)
- Africa
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East
These courses may be taken in the Penn Department of History or may be a history course taken abroad. No major-related courses from other Penn departments may count toward the Geographic Distribution; however, courses that are cross-listed with History are acceptable.
Note: The content of some history courses—History 354, American Expansion in the Pacific, for example—crosses regional boundaries. This course may be used as either an American or an Asia requirement, but it may not count for both areas. Majors should tell their advisors where they would like to count such courses.
B. Chronological Distribution
All majors must take two pre-1800 courses.
These courses may be taken in the Penn Department of History or may be a history course taken abroad. No major-related courses from other Penn departments may count toward the Geographic Distribution; however, courses that are cross-listed with History are acceptable. All pre-1800 courses are designated (PRE-1800) within the Department of History Course Directories.
Note: Majors may "double-count" pre-1800 courses and geographic distribution courses. For example, it is perfectly acceptable to take HIST 308, Renaissance Europe, and HIST 096, Late Imperial China, in order to fulfill both pre-1800 requirements and two of the four geographic requirements.
C. Upper-level Seminars
All majors must take at least two upper level (200+) History seminars. All seminars are designated (SEM) in the Registrar's time table and on the Department of History web site.
D. Research Requirement
All majors must conduct significant research with primary sources and write a substantial paper that interprets and analyzes the material uncovered through this research. The requirement ensures that all majors have become acquainted with the methodology of research, and that they can evaluate source material, interpret evidence, and construct an historical argument.
Majors will typically fulfill this requirement by completing a 20-25 page final paper in one of their required seminar courses, though specifics will vary from course to course. Majors may also opt to fulfill the requirement in an independent study or through other coursework with the permission of faculty. Majors completing the honors program will have fulfilled the requirement by researching and writing their thesis. Majors are responsible for seeing to it that the research requirement oval on their official Penn InTouch worksheet is filled in during the semester in which they complete the necessary course.
The Undergraduate Course Directory designates—with bold typeface (R)—courses that fulfill the research requirement.
E. Concentration (optional)
Students may choose an area of concentration, though they are not required to do so. Those who choose to pursue the general curriculum with no concentration must take two upper-level (200+ courses) in addition to their two required seminars. Students in the general curriculum should work closely with their faculty advisor to plan a course of study that allows them to take advantage of this flexibility without sacrificing intellectual coherence in their chosen coursework.
Special Notes
No more than four courses from outside the Penn Department of History may count toward the Major requirements. This number includes all courses taken at another university, including study abroad programs (except of course those administered directly by Penn that have regular Penn course numbers). This number also includes major-related courses from other Penn departments.
Hist 009 courses (writing seminars) may be counted as elective credit in the Major but may not be used to fulfill any distributional or concentration requirements.
AP credits may not count toward the major. AP credits that are awarded by the University may be counted toward the total number of credits a student needs for graduation, but may not count for the History Major.
ANCIENT HISTORY: All courses taken in the Ancient History Department (ANCH) at Penn will be considered equivalent to history courses taken "within the Department."
COLLEGE OF GENERAL STUDIES (CGS): All CGS history courses are considered equivalent to College History courses and counted as courses taken "within the Department."
