The history departmental honors major offers an opportunity for motivated and capable students to engage in more extensive interaction with faculty and to complete challenging individual research projects that will further their personal and professional goals.
Application to the major: To be accepted to the program, students must have a cumulative and major/program grade point average of 3.50 and must have completed HIST 120 , either HIST 121 or HIST 231 , HIST 201 , HIST 202 , and 10 elective credits in history. (As an alternative to HIST 120 and HIST 121 or HIST 231 , students may complete the University Honors Program history sequence: HONR 121 , HONR 122 , HONR 123 , HONR 221 , and HONR 222 ). Interested students should apply to the department chairperson in spring quarter for the following year’s department honors courses. Upon acceptance, a Change of Major, Degree, or Specialization form is submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
Completion of the major: During senior year, departmental honors students will take the departmental honors sequence (HIST 377 in fall quarter, a 400-level history research seminar in winter quarter, and HIST 479 in spring quarter). Students in the departmental honors program complete 5 credits of course work above the norm for history majors (for a total of 65 credits in history) and write a substantial thesis under the direction of a faculty member. The thesis will be graded by departmental faculty and presented in an oral defense. In order to complete the requirements for departmental honors and receive a notation to that effect on their transcripts, students must also maintain a cumulative and major/program grade point average of 3.50. In addition, the grade received for HIST 479 Departmental Honors Thesis Supervision, must be an A or A-. In addition to the bachelor of arts major in history requirements, the honors major also includes: