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Bachelor of Arts in History

Study the Past, Shape the Future

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Academic Plan

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ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of History at the University of Maryland embraces the diversity of the human past with a global vision and wide-ranging methods of inquiry. Accomplished faculty specialize in cultures from all over the world and are subject matter experts in historical eras stretching from antiquity to the modern era. Small class sizes provide ample opportunities for mentorship and hands-on learning. Undergraduates are encouraged to expore academic publishing, engage in independent research, and participate in internships.

COURSEWORK

History coursework is  robust yet flexible and expansive. Majors are encouraged to build a unique academic journey tailored to their research interests and career goals. Students conclude the major with a small-sized capstone seminar focused on historical argument or original research. Majors can benefit from experiential learning and the additional opportunities that come from the University's close collaborations with nearby DC cultural institutions, including museums, libraries, and archival collections. Students can explore course offerings in the digital humanities and participate in oral history projects and relevant study aborad courses that provide an immersive experience.

Transferable skills cultivated in ARHU and sought by employers

Career Readiness

The College of Arts and Humanities (ARHU) offers courses designed to ensure students are ready to enter the workforce, along with integrated and individualized academic and career advising. Alumni continue on to graduate school or forge their careers in a variety of industries and fields. The creative ways to apply your ARHU degree are truly limitless! Here are some placements specific to Historymajors:

Internship Placements

  • Baltimore Museum of Industry
  • Dickinson Archives
  • International Spy Museum
  • White House Historical Association

Graduate School Placements

  • Columbia Law School
  • Emory University
  • Georgetown University
  • Oxford University

Employer Placements

  • Booz Allen Hamilton
  • Library of Congress
  • National Children's Museum
  • National Park Service
  • Pennsylvania State Archives
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The History Major

The History Major encourages students to engage in more diverse and expansive learning while removing the supporting course requirements. The Department of History seeks to broaden the students' cultural background through the study of History and to prepare those interested in publishing, teaching, museum work, law, journalism, civil service, military service, archival and library work, diplomacy, business school, graduate study, and many more career opportunities.
Program learning outcomes include:
•    Students will be able to distinguish among a variety of genres of primary and secondary historical sources (e.g. documents, monographs, letters, novels, film, political cartoons, essays, artifacts) and use them appropriately and effectively in academic work.
•    Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct research using primary and secondary sources including archival, print and non-print, and web-based texts.
•    Students will demonstrate the ability to define and defend a historical thesis.
 

About the History Major

Requirements for the History Major for students admitted to the University of Maryland between Spring Semester 2022 and Fall Semester 2024

  1.  

 Requirements for the History Majors noted above are 39 credit hours of History course work distributed as follows:

  • 12 hours in 100-200 level introductory courses and including HIST 208

  • 15 hours in one major field of specialization (see below)

  • 9 hours of History in at least two major fields other than the field of specialization

  • Capstone Seminar: HIST 408

  • Students must also meet distribution requirements (see below)

  • All courses for the History Major must be completed with a minimum grade of C-

  • 21 credit hours of the 39 total credit hours must be at the 300-400 (junior-senior) level

  • No more than 6 credit hours (2 courses) can be fulfilled by AP or IB credit

History Majors can petition to include up to 2 courses taught outside the Department toward the fulfillment of the major, with the approval of the Undergraduate Committee. Courses taught outside of the History Department may fulfill geographic and/or thematic requirements. They may not be used to fulfill the Departmental capstone seminars.

   2.

Requirements for the History Major for students admitted to the University of Maryland Spring Semester 2025 and following

Introductory Courses

The requirement for Introductory Courses is 12 hours at the 100-200 level.
One of these courses must be History 208.
In considering courses that will fulfill this requirement, students are encouraged to:
•    select at least two courses in a sequence (e.g.HIST 234, HIST 235, HIST 236);
•    select at least one course covering history before 1500 and one course covering history after 1500;
•    sample both regional and topical course offerings.
Students will normally take one or more Introductory Iourses within the major field of specialization.
 

Capstone

The History Major Capstone seminar, HIST 408, will be taken in the junior or senior year and may be inside or outside the field of specialization.

Distribution Requirements

Students must take courses in at least three geographical regions.

At least two courses must be taken in two or more of the following fields:

Students must take at least one course covering history in the pre-1750 period.

Prizes & Awards for History Undergraduate Excellence

  • B. Marie Parinbum Award in the History of Africa, East Asia, Latin America, or the Middle East
  • Hoosier Clio Award for Best History Honors Thesis
  • The Jeannie Rutenberg Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Writing
  • The Shipleys of Maryland Award for Academic Record

History Majors are also encouraged to apply for other college and university awards such as the UMD Libraries Award for Undergraduate Research which a number of History Majors have won. History Majors may also be nominated for other awards in the College of the Arts and Humanities and the University of Maryland.

Fields of Specialization

15 hours in one major field of specialization. Students may choose a field of specialization that is either geographic or thematic. 

Geographic

Thematic

Outside the Field of Specialization

Outside the Field of Specialization

Students are also required to take 9 hours of history in at least two areas outside their field of specialization.

  • Students are encouraged to select mainly upper-level courses.
  • Students are encouraged to consider regional diversity.
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BOLDLY HUMAN, FEARLESSLY CREATIVE

ABOUT THE COLLEGE

When you join the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities (ARHU), you become part of a supportive and inclusive community committed to solving the world’s grand challenges. ARHU is reimagining an education in the arts and humanities by empowering students to make sense of the world using empathy, creativity and intellectual rigor. Our faculty and staff experts are focused on preparing competitive, versatile and visionary leaders equipped to address the complexities of the human experience. Graduates are purposefully prepared for successful careers and fulfilling lives.