History Major (BA)

History Department | College of Liberal Arts

Program Declaration

At time of admission to the University or by completion of an Undergraduate Program Add/Change form .

Degree Requirements

If this is the student’s only or primary major, the degree requirements below must be completed for graduation. See graduation requirements for more information.

University Requirements

College of Liberal Arts Requirements for Bachelor of Arts

Major Requirements

Complete at least 30 credits from 10 courses including HIST 101 Introduction to Historical Thinking and Analysis, three 300-level courses, HIST 481 Research & Methods: Senior Research Methods in History, one additional 400-level course, four electives, up to two of which can come from the list of affiliated courses, and at least two History courses within one or more of the geographic breadth areas.

Pass/fail: One of the ten courses may be taken pass/fail, except HIST 101 and HIST 481.

Residency: At least five courses for the major must be taken at UMass Boston. HIST 101 must be taken at UMass Boston and no equivalent can be transferred from another institution.

Course Requirements

HIST 101: Introduction to Historical Thinking and Analysis (3 Credits)

Must be taken at UMass Boston and requires a minimum grade of C.

HIST 101 - Introduction to Historical Thinking and Analysis 3 Credit(s)

Three 300 level History courses (9 Credits)

Take three courses from the list below.

HIST 301L - Ancient Greek History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 302L - Roman History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 303L - The Archaeology of Ancient Greece 3 Credit(s)
HIST 304 - Early Middle Ages: Europe 300-1000 3 Credit(s)
HIST 305 - Later Middle Ages: Europe 1000-1450 3 Credit(s)
HIST 306L - The Archaeology of Ancient Rome 3 Credit(s)
HIST 307 - Renaissance and Reformation 3 Credit(s)
HIST 308 - The History of Common Law 3 Credit(s)
HIST 311L - The Fall of Rome 3 Credit(s)
HIST 312 - Cities in Early Modern Europe 3 Credit(s)
HIST 313 - Nineteenth Century Europe 3 Credit(s)
HIST 314 - Health and Healing in Early Modern Europe 3 Credit(s)
HIST 315 - Europe 1900-1945 3 Credit(s)
HIST 316 - Europe since 1945 3 Credit(s)
HIST 317L - Women in Medieval and Early Modern Europe 3 Credit(s)
HIST 318 - Advanced Topics in History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 322 - Shakespeare’s London 3 Credit(s)
HIST 324 - Russia and the Soviet Union: From the 1917 Revolution to Putin 3 Credit(s)
HIST 326 - Hitler, A Man and His Times 3 Credit(s)
HIST 330 - The French Revolution 3 Credit(s)
HIST 337 - Making a “Second Sex”: Women and Gender in Modern European History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 339 - “Naturally Chic”: Fashion, Gender, and Nationalism in French History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 342 - Cinema in Hitler’s Germany: Movies, Propaganda, Politics in Weimar and Nazi Germany 1919-1945 3 Credit(s)
HIST 343 - World War II: The Global War 3 Credit(s)
HIST 346 - Women & Gender in African History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 347 - Feast to Famine: Food in African History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 349L - The Cold War: Rise and Fall 3 Credit(s)
HIST 350 - Mexico since 1850 3 Credit(s)
HIST 351 - Histories of Brazil 3 Credit(s)
HIST 352 - Topics in African History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 357 - The Vietnam War 3 Credit(s)
HIST 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 360L - Traditional China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 361L - The History of Modern China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 363L - Modern Japan 3 Credit(s)
HIST 364L - India since 1857 3 Credit(s)
HIST 365L - Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in Modern History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 368 - Antebellum African American History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 371 - The American Revolution, 1763-1789 3 Credit(s)
HIST 372 - The Early Republic 3 Credit(s)
HIST 375 - The US Civil War and Reconstruction 3 Credit(s)
HIST 377 - The American Progressive Era, 1890-1920 3 Credit(s)
HIST 380 - The United States Since 1945 3 Credit(s)
HIST 387 - US Foreign Policy since 1898 3 Credit(s)
HIST 388 - American Soldiers in American Wars: History and Memory 3 Credit(s)
HIST 390L - Working-Class Boston 3 Credit(s)
HIST 392 - American Women in Biography 3 Credit(s)
HIST 395 - The History of Boston 3 Credit(s)

One additional 400 level History course (3 credits)

Take one course from the list below.

HIST 402L - History of US Visual Media 3 Credit(s)
HIST 411L - Post 9/11 Culture: Rumors, Stories and Songs 3 Credit(s)
HIST 413 - Saints, Witches and Heretics 3 Credit(s)
HIST 416L - Thucydides: War & Human Nature 3 Credit(s)
HIST 433 - Mussolini 3 Credit(s)
HIST 440L - United States in a Global Context 3 Credit(s)
HIST 456 - Faith and Politics in Islam 3 Credit(s)
HIST 462 - A Nation in Turmoil: The United States, 1815-1850 3 Credit(s)
HIST 468 - Age of FDR: America in Depression and War 3 Credit(s)
HIST 478 - Special Topics Seminar in History 3 Credit(s)

HIST 481: Research & Methods: Senior Research Methods in History (3 credits)

Requires a minimum grade of C.

HIST 481 - Research & Methods: Senior Research Methods in History 3 Credit(s)

Geographic Breadth Requirement

Students must take two History courses within one or more of these areas: Asia (Japan, China, India, Vietnam, or the Middle East); Latin America; and Africa.

African History
HIST 252 - African History to 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 253 - African History since 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 346 - Women & Gender in African History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 347 - Feast to Famine: Food in African History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 352 - Topics in African History 3 Credit(s)
Asian History
HIST 115L - Survey of South Asia 3 Credit(s)
HIST 160L - East Asian Civilizations to 1850 3 Credit(s)
HIST 161L - East Asian Civilizations since 1850 3 Credit(s)
HIST 251L - South Asia and the Indian Ocean World 3 Credit(s)
HIST 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 360L - Traditional China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 361L - The History of Modern China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 363L - Modern Japan 3 Credit(s)
HIST 364L - India since 1857 3 Credit(s)
HIST 365L - Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in Modern History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 456 - Faith and Politics in Islam 3 Credit(s)
Latin American History
HIST 255L - Gods and Slaves: Latin America before 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 256L - Skyscrapers and Shantytowns: Latin America since 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 350 - Mexico since 1850 3 Credit(s)
HIST 351 - Histories of Brazil 3 Credit(s)

Electives (12 credits)

Take four courses from the list below. Two can come from the list of affiliated courses.

HIST 115L - Survey of South Asia 3 Credit(s)
HIST 125L - Jerusalem: Sacred Space, Contested Space 3 Credit(s)
HIST 150 - Food and Empire 3 Credit(s)
HIST 152 - Crime, Corruption, and Scandal in Historical Perspective 3 Credit(s)
HIST 160L - East Asian Civilizations to 1850 3 Credit(s)
HIST 161L - East Asian Civilizations since 1850 3 Credit(s)
HIST 171 - Leeches to Lasers: Medicine and Health in the United States 3 Credit(s)
HIST 173 - Baseball and American History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 175 - Comic Books in America: The History of Comic Books and American Society since 1938 3 Credit(s)
HIST 185 - Mascots, Monuments, Massacres: Native American History in the Public Sphere 3 Credit(s)
HIST 210L - Labor and Working Class History in the United States 3 Credit(s)
HIST 211 - Europe to 1600 3 Credit(s)
HIST 212 - Modern Europe 3 Credit(s)
HIST 213 - World History to 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 214 - Modern World History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 219 - History of the Mediterranean 3 Credit(s)
HIST 220 - History of European Empires 3 Credit(s)
HIST 230L - Ancient Egypt 3 Credit(s)
HIST 233L - The Homeric Warrior 3 Credit(s)
HIST 251L - South Asia and the Indian Ocean World 3 Credit(s)
HIST 252 - African History to 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 253 - African History since 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 255L - Gods and Slaves: Latin America before 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 256L - Skyscrapers and Shantytowns: Latin America since 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 262L - American Indian History to 1783 3 Credit(s)
HIST 263L - Modern American Indian Social and Political History: From the American Revolution to Standing Rock 3 Credit(s)
HIST 265 - American History before 1877 3 Credit(s)
HIST 266 - American History since 1877 3 Credit(s)
HIST 275L - Learning to Labor: Work and Education in US History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 276 - This Land is Your Land: A Survey of American Environmental History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 285L - Food in American Culture 3 Credit(s)
HIST 301L - Ancient Greek History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 302L - Roman History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 303L - The Archaeology of Ancient Greece 3 Credit(s)
HIST 304 - Early Middle Ages: Europe 300-1000 3 Credit(s)
HIST 305 - Later Middle Ages: Europe 1000-1450 3 Credit(s)
HIST 306L - The Archaeology of Ancient Rome 3 Credit(s)
HIST 307 - Renaissance and Reformation 3 Credit(s)
HIST 308 - The History of Common Law 3 Credit(s)
HIST 312 - Cities in Early Modern Europe 3 Credit(s)
HIST 313 - Nineteenth Century Europe 3 Credit(s)
HIST 314 - Health and Healing in Early Modern Europe 3 Credit(s)
HIST 315 - Europe 1900-1945 3 Credit(s)
HIST 316 - Europe since 1945 3 Credit(s)
HIST 317L - Women in Medieval and Early Modern Europe 3 Credit(s)
HIST 322 - Shakespeare’s London 3 Credit(s)
HIST 324 - Russia and the Soviet Union: From the 1917 Revolution to Putin 3 Credit(s)
HIST 326 - Hitler, A Man and His Times 3 Credit(s)
HIST 330 - The French Revolution 3 Credit(s)
HIST 342 - Cinema in Hitler’s Germany: Movies, Propaganda, Politics in Weimar and Nazi Germany 1919-1945 3 Credit(s)
HIST 343 - World War II: The Global War 3 Credit(s)
HIST 346 - Women & Gender in African History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 347 - Feast to Famine: Food in African History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 349L - The Cold War: Rise and Fall 3 Credit(s)
HIST 350 - Mexico since 1850 3 Credit(s)
HIST 351 - Histories of Brazil 3 Credit(s)
HIST 352 - Topics in African History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 357 - The Vietnam War 3 Credit(s)
HIST 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 360L - Traditional China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 361L - The History of Modern China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 363L - Modern Japan 3 Credit(s)
HIST 364L - India since 1857 3 Credit(s)
HIST 365L - Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in Modern History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 371 - The American Revolution, 1763-1789 3 Credit(s)
HIST 372 - The Early Republic 3 Credit(s)
HIST 375 - The US Civil War and Reconstruction 3 Credit(s)
HIST 377 - The American Progressive Era, 1890-1920 3 Credit(s)
HIST 380 - The United States Since 1945 3 Credit(s)
HIST 387 - US Foreign Policy since 1898 3 Credit(s)
HIST 388 - American Soldiers in American Wars: History and Memory 3 Credit(s)
HIST 392 - American Women in Biography 3 Credit(s)
HIST 395 - The History of Boston 3 Credit(s)
HIST 413 - Saints, Witches and Heretics 3 Credit(s)
HIST 416L - Thucydides: War & Human Nature 3 Credit(s)
HIST 433 - Mussolini 3 Credit(s)
HIST 440L - United States in a Global Context 3 Credit(s)
HIST 456 - Faith and Politics in Islam 3 Credit(s)
HIST 402L - History of US Visual Media 3 Credit(s)
HIST 489 - Independent Reading 1-3 Credit(s)
HIST 180 - Family Secrets, or How to Become an Online History Detective 3 Credit(s)
HIST 182 - Touring the City: An Introduction to Public History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 186 - Road to Black Lives Matter: History of Violence Towards African Americans 3 Credit(s)
HIST 190G - Witchcraft in European History 4 Credit(s)
HIST 224G - Revolutionaries 3 Credit(s)
HIST 225L - Berlin: Crossroads of History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 257L - Queer Literature and History in the 20th Century US 3 Credit(s)
HIST 271 - Survey of Afro-American History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 278L - Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies 3 Credit(s)
HIST 280 - Special Topics 1-3 Credit(s)
HIST 290G - Globalization in Historical Perspective 3 Credit(s)
HIST 311L - The Fall of Rome 3 Credit(s)
HIST 318 - Advanced Topics in History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 337 - Making a “Second Sex”: Women and Gender in Modern European History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 339 - “Naturally Chic”: Fashion, Gender, and Nationalism in French History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 368 - Antebellum African American History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 390L - Working-Class Boston 3 Credit(s)
HIST 411L - Post 9/11 Culture: Rumors, Stories and Songs 3 Credit(s)
HIST 462 - A Nation in Turmoil: The United States, 1815-1850 3 Credit(s)
HIST 468 - Age of FDR: America in Depression and War 3 Credit(s)
HIST 478 - Special Topics Seminar in History 3 Credit(s)
HIST 487 - Cooperative Education/Internship, History 3-6 Credit(s)
HIST 488 - Independent Reading 1-3 Credit(s)
HIST 490 - Honors Thesis 3 Credit(s)
Affiliated Courses
Up to two courses from the list of affiliated courses can count as electives toward the major.
AFRSTY 113 - Islam and the African World 3 Credit(s)
AFRSTY 343L - African Diaspora Archaeology: Uncovering Roots, Routes, and Resistance 3 Credit(s)
AFRSTY 440 - Post-Colonial Literature: Africa and the Caribbean 3 Credit(s)
AFRSTY 352L - Harlem Renaissance 3 Credit(s)
AMST 206 - The Sixties 3 Credit(s)
AMST 352L - Harlem Renaissance 3 Credit(s)
AMST 394L - Radical Voices of Resistance: Gender, Race and US Social Movements 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 224G - The Rise and Fall of the Maya 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 238 - Empire and Imperialism: From Rome to the War in Iraq 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 247 - Ancient Cities & States 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 274 - Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 275L - Peoples and Cultures of China 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 340 - Historical Archaeology 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 343L - African Diaspora Archaeology: Uncovering Roots, Routes, and Resistance 3 Credit(s)
ART 235 - History of Global Design 3 Credit(s)
ART 305 - Early Medieval Art 3 Credit(s)
ART 306 - Romanesque and Gothic Art 3 Credit(s)
ASAMST 265L - World War II Internment of Japanese Americans (A) 3 Credit(s)
ASIAN 367L - Food and Culture in Japan: National Identity and Diversity, Past and Present 3 Credit(s)
CINE 201 - History of International Cinema: Origins to 1945 3 Credit(s)
CINE 202 - History of International Cinema: 1945-the present 3 Credit(s)
CLSICS 281 - Greek Civilization: Multi-Cultural Perspectives 3 Credit(s)
CLSICS 282 - Roman Civilization 3 Credit(s)
ECON 308 - History of Economic Thought 3 Credit(s)
EDC U 466 - Teaching and Learning in the Discipline History and Social Studies 3 Credit(s)
ENGL 352L - Harlem Renaissance 3 Credit(s)
ENGL 406 - The Victorian Age 3 Credit(s)
ENVSCI 270 - Cities and the Environment 3 Credit(s)
JAPAN 367L - Food and Culture in Japan: National Identity and Diversity, Past and Present 3 Credit(s)
LATAM 210G - Food, Culture, and Society in Latin America 3 Credit(s)
LATAM 305 - The Caribbean: Culture and Society 3 Credit(s)
LATAM 375L - Afro-Luso-Brazilian Cultures 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 265L - World War II Internment of Japanese Americans (A) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 369 - Politics of the Middle East (C) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 404 - The Politics of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 3 Credit(s)
PORT 375L - Afro-Luso-Brazilian Cultures 3 Credit(s)
WGS 270 - Native American Women in North America 3 Credit(s)
WGS 394L - Radical Voices of Resistance: Gender, Race and US Social Movements 3 Credit(s)