BA Specialization

A Specialization in History gives students the opportunity to consolidate more credits in History towards their degree - 60 credits are required for the Specialization, as opposed to 42 credits for the Major.  As with the Major, students gain a broad knowledge of the past and a range of analytical and communication skills. Students take courses that, collectively, span the globe and range through thousands of years.

A new curriculum that comes into effect in the Fall 2022 term will include for all History program students the introductory HIST 200, a First Year Seminar that takes a “deep dive” into a historical subject. These small classes, each taught by one of the department’s professors, both explore the focused topic of the course and introduce students to historical skills: how historians make arguments, how they use historical evidence and other scholars’ writing, and how they communicate their ideas. There are several sections of HIST 200 offered in each of the Fall and Winter term, each with a different topic. The other History Specialization requirements ask students to take courses at introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels and to explore different fields of history through breadth requirements.

See below both for the History Specialization program to be followed by students who entered between Fall 2015 and Winter 2022; and the new History Specialization program coming into effect Fall 2022.

Please consult the Undergraduate Calendar for more information.

If your year of entry is earlier than Fall 2015, please contact the department.