Claire Schen, Director of Undergraduate Studies
office: 540 Park Hall
phone: (716) 645-8400
email: cschen@buffalo.edu
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
Requirements for Admissions to the Major
Students who have achieved a grade of at least C (2.0) in each of two history courses will be admitted to the Department as majors upon application at the office of the director, Park 540. Applications are normally made in the sophomore year to allow sufficient time for the completion of departmental requirements for graduation by the end of the senior year.
Students may present one semester of the World Civilization sequence (UGC111, UGC112) in fulfillment of the departmental entrance requirements, but need at least one departmental course (HIS) for admission to the department.
Please click on Undergraduate, and then Forms to download an application to become a History Major or Minor.
Requirements for Graduation as a History Major
Total Courses: To graduate with a major in history, thirty-six credit hours (normally twelve, three-credit courses) in history are required. Each course must be completed with a minimum grade of C- (1.67). An overall grade point average of at least 2.15 in all history courses is also required. These courses are to be distributed as follows:
A. Level: To obtain exposure to more extensive reading, discussion, and writing on more specialized topics, majors shall take a minimum of five upper-division (300-400 level) courses. Two of these five courses must be 400-level seminars. A seminar is a course in which the primary mode of instruction is discussion.
B. Breadth (Distribution): To insure broad knowledge of the past, majors shall take at least one course, at any level, in each of the following areas:
1. Early or Early Modern History of any civilization up to 1800
2. Asian, African, or Latin American History of any period
3. Modern European History since 1800
4. United States History of any period
Notes:
World Civilization courses cannot be used to satisfy a breadth requirement.
A course that seems to fall into two areas may be used to satisfy the requirement in only one. For example, History 275: Vietnam and the Vietnam War could be counted under 2 or 4 above but not both.
Advanced Placement credit will not count toward the 36 credit hours required for the major. However, A.P. credit in U.S. or European history (with a score of three or better) can fulfill breadth requirements.
Courses with grades of Satisfactory under the S/U option (elected by the student) or Pass under the P/F option (designated by the instructor) are not acceptable in fulfillment of the course requirements for history majors.
A course used to fulfill a requirement for a double major, joint major, or a minor in another subject may not also fulfill a requirement for the history major.
Special Cases:
Double Majors complete all the requirements for the major. A double major is the awarding of one degree with two majors (e.g., the student completing a double major of history and political science earns one B.A. degree). Following conferral of the degree, the student’s transcript will note one baccalaureate degree and two majors. A Double Degree differs from the double major in that it involves the concurrent awarding of two baccalaureate degrees (e.g., B.A. in history and a B.S. in biology). Students must be accepted into each major and fulfill all requirements of each major in addition to satisfying all university requirements. This can be completed within a 150-credit minimum, or 30 credits beyond the first degree, whichever is larger. The 30 new credits must be completed in a significantly different field of study. Following conferral of the double degrees, the student’s transcript will note each of the two baccalaureate degrees and the two majors.
Students may become Joint Majors in two departments in the College of Arts and Sciences upon the approval of the departments concerned. To fulfill the History side of the Joint Major, students take at least twenty-four credits (eight, three credit courses), including: four courses to meet the breadth requirement (under B. above) and four upper-division courses (including the two seminars). All of these courses must be completed with a grade of at least C-.
Transfer students must meet the same criteria for acceptance into the department as students who started at the university. Students may transfer up to five history courses (15 credit hours), but at least five upper-level history courses, including two 400-level seminars must be taken at UB. Information on transfer courses and their equivalents at UB may be obtained at http://taurus.buffalo.edu
Many of our history majors have benefited from internships at institutions in the Buffalo area and beyond. An internship provides a valuable opportunity to acquire work experience and explore how historical knowledge is produced and communicated outside the classroom. For more information, click here.
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