Major & Minor Requirements

(Link for Adolescent Education Requirements)
(Link for Requirements for HIST-designated Honors Work)
(Link for Undergraduate Minor Requirements)
(Link for 4+1 BA-MA Program)

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who pursue our history major will be able:

• to apply historical methods, such as continuity, change over time, context, causation, and corroboration in order to understand features of the human experience in the past
• to distinguish and analyze the culturally and politically constructed nature of individual and group identities in specific historical contexts and as they change over time
• to identify and evaluate both the role that individuals play in shaping history and the roles of broader forces of historical change (such as social, intellectual and ideological movements, cultural developments and economic trends), and to appreciate the relationship between all these factors and political change
• to analyze history across multiple centuries and major geographical regions, and to be able to apply such analysis comparatively when appropriate
• to plan, research and create papers using primary and secondary sources, appropriate citation and language that can withstand critical assessment for thesis, argumentation and content

Undergraduate Major Requirements

The major requirements described below apply to all students who declare a History major on or after July 16, 2024. Students who declared a History major before that date should see the undergraduate advisor if they have any questions.

Fulfill ALL of the following requirements:

A maximum of 9 credits may be taken in 100-level courses.

Earn at least 6 credits from the following:

• History 200-level Courses

Not including HIST 29000

Earn at least 9 credits from the following:

• History 300+ level Courses

Not including HIST 30000 / HIST 40000

History Practicum

Complete the following Course:

• HIST 29000 - History Practicum

A minimum grade of C is required to receive credit for HIST 29000.

Historical Research or Historical Research Honors

Complete one of the following Courses

• HIST 30000 - Historical Research OR HIST 40000 - Historical Research Honors

A minimum grade of C is required to receive credit for HIST 30000 / HIST 40000.

Geographic Distribution

Within the requirements for the major students must complete: 3 credits at the 200-level or above of United States history and 12 credits (four courses) distributed across four of the following six geographic fields:

• Africa
• Asia
• Europe (includes Russia and the USSR)
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• Middle East
• World

Chronological Distribution

Within the requirements for the major (exclusive of HIST 30000) students must also complete a minimum of 3 credits in a course that is largely focused on years prior to 1815:

• If the course is at the 100-level, it must cover material that is entirely pre-1815.
• If the course is at the 200-level or higher, the majority of the material in it must be pre-1815.

Teacher Education Pathway

Students planning to teach this subject in grades 7-12 should look at the School of Education: Program List for information about their programs that lead to the recommendation for New York State Initial Certification required to be a lead teacher in NYS public schools.

PLEASE NOTE:

Some HIST 29000 sections may count toward one or another of these geographic fields. However, you need to check with both the instructor and an adviser in the department to make sure that a particular section will indeed be applicable.

No less than half of the courses taken for the major (15 credits) must be taken at Hunter College. Courses taken for P/NC may not be applied to the major; AP history courses with scores of 4 or 5 and IB history courses with scores over 5 are accepted.

It is strongly recommended that history majors consult with an undergraduate advisor each semester to review their progress toward fulfilling the requirements for the major. History majors who chose to have an allied minor should consult with the advisor of the minor department for requirements.

History Department Criteria and Requirements for HIST-designated Honors Work

• History Department honors courses and honors sections have higher and more rigorous academic standards than comparable non-honors courses of the same level and non-honors sections of the same course.   
• History Department honors courses and sections are generally open only to students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher in History.
• History Department honors courses and sections prioritize and facilitate critical engagement on the part of students.  
• The Honors element of History Department honors courses and sections is reflected in the entire learning experience.
• History Department honors work may be offered at any course level, including the introductory level. At the 100 and 200 levels, honors courses and sections are distinguished by higher expectations of student critical engagement with the material, thoughtful participation in group discussion and work.  In addition to the general attributes mentioned above, honors sections at the 300-level and above expect student engagement with material and submission of work that is closer to that of those engaged in that field of study at a graduate or professional level.   
• While it is not expected that research papers submitted for honors credit meet levels demanded of graduate or professional work in history, it is expected that honors work will be qualitatively nearer to that standard than is expected of non-honors work.

Departmental Honors

Students will be eligible for honors in history upon the completion of all of the requirements for the major (including HIST 30000) with a 3.5 GPA and a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the time of graduation. Students may complete a portion of their major requirements in one of the following ways:

• Completing HIST 40000 with a grade of B or better in lieu of HIST 30000, which is required for the major

or

• Completing 3 credits with a grade of B or better in an honors seminar, problems course, or tutorial (with departmental permission) in lieu of one of their 300- level or higher courses required for the major. Such seminars, honors courses, or tutorial options include:

• o HIST 48300 Problems in US History (Honors)
• o HIST 48400 Problems in European History (Honors)
• o HIST 48500 Problems in Non-Western History (Honors)
• o HIST 49300 Individual Tutorial Research Project

Note: The student must still complete HIST 30000 or HIST 40000.

or:

• Completing a graduate-level course (with special permission from the instructor) with a grade of B or better in lieu of one of their 300-level or higher courses required for the major.

Note: The student must still complete HIST 30000 or HIST 40000.

Eligible students should apply for honors at the time they file for graduation. Applications are available from the department.

Undergraduate Minor in History

• A history minor consists of 12 credits (or 4 classes) taken for letter grades (C or better).
• Courses must be distributed in at least 2 geographic fields (currently defined as U.S., Europe, and World/Non-Western/Latin America).
• A minimum of 6 credits (or 2 classes) must be in courses at the 300-level or higher.
• At least 6 credits must be taken in the History Department at Hunter College.
• Internships (HIST 49800) do not count toward completion of the minor, although students completing the minor may elect to include an internship as an additional course. HIST 30000 and Tutorials (HIST 49300) are available only to History Majors and, thus, do not count toward the minor.
• Courses taken in other disciplines will not count toward the minor unless cross-listed and taken under the appropriate HIST course prefix. Transfer courses must be approved by the History Undergraduate Advisor. Courses taken for P/NC may not be applied to the minor; AP history courses with scores of 4 or 5 and IB history courses with scores over 5 are accepted.

Adolescent Education (Social Studies) Requirements

Courses Required for the Major:

Introductory Courses to the Major (3 classes, or 9 credits):

• HIST 15100 (U.S. from the Colonial Era to the Civil War)
• HIST 15200 (U.S. from the Civil War to the Present)
• GEOG 10100 (People and their Environment) or GEOG 15000 (World Regional Geography)

Political Science and Economics (2 classes, or 6 credits):

• ECON 10000 (Introduction to Economics)
• POLSC 11000 (American Government: A Historical Introduction) or POLSC 11100 (Introduction to American Government and Politics)

Geography (2 classes, or 6 credits):

• GEOG 22100 (Economic Geography and Globalization)
• GEOG 24100 (Population Geography)
• GEOG 24300 (Urban Geography)
• GEOG 24400 (Political Geography)
• GEOG 24700 (Cultural Geography)
• GEOG 305xx (Special Topics in Urban and Regional Dynamics)
• GEOG 306xx (Special Topics in Contemporary Regional Geographies)
• GEOG 32800 (Urban Environmental Problems: Evaluations and Solutions)

History (7 classes, or 21 credits):

A maximum of 2 classes (6 credits) in history can be taken at the 100-level, and a minimum of 3 classes (9 credits) in history must be at the 300-level or above. Courses taken to satisfy the prerequisite requirement do not count.

• WORLD/NON-U.S. HISTORY - 4 courses (12 credits) including at least 1 class (3 credits) in each of the following categories (courses may be used to count toward only one category; described category must comprise 50% or more of course content for course to qualify): 1) Pre-1800 2) non-Europe 3) Europe 4) One additional World/Non-US History
• U.S. HISTORY - 2 courses (6 credits), all above the 100-level
• KEYSTONE COURSE IN HISTORY - 1 class (3 credits). This course is typically HIST 290, the History Practicum. However, the requirement can be fulfilled by any dedicated seminar, honors course (at the 400-level), or graduate history course (at the 700-level) that is approved by the Undergraduate Advisor and/or the Department Chair.

Admissions Process 

Students interested in applying to Adolescent Education should plan to apply during the first weeks of the semester prior to the semester in which they plan to enroll.

Students must participate in a group interview with several other students and School of Education faculty members.
Students must complete an on-site writing sample that the School of Education faculty will use to assess written English skills.

Program Requirements

Information regarding specific requirements for the program in adolescent education - progress standards, education course sequence, admission to methods course, fieldwork and student teaching - may be obtained from the Office of Educational Services, Room 1000 Hunter West

Transfer Students

Transfer students with 60 or more credits who have a GPA of at least 3.3 will be conditionally admitted to the program without requiring that they complete 12 credits at Hunter College. However, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 at Hunter College must be established to continue in the program after the first semester.

Any transfer student who has a GPA of 2.8-3.29 must complete 12 credits at Hunter college with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 before applying to the program in adolescence education.

4+1 BA-MA Program

The History Department's 4+1 BA-MA Program allows a select group of juniors and seniors to earn both a BA and an MA in History in five years. This program is intended to offer students a more in-depth opportunity for advanced training and research and thus be more competitive for further graduate education or in the employment market. Students in the program will meet course requirements for both the undergraduate major and for the master's degree, which includes a semester research seminar and a final semester of thesis writing. Undergraduate students enroll in up to four graduate courses that will be double-counted towards both undergraduate and master's requirements. The final year is devoted to course work, research and thesis writing.

Students interested in this program should first contact the Director of the Graduate Program who will review the student's academic record and facilitate the application process. Accepted students should schedule an appointment with the Director to create a study plan.

Requirements & Applications

The program is open to history majors and double majors who have completed between 60 and 75 credits and whose academic record shows a strong capacity for success in the Master's program. Applicants should have an overall GPA of at least 3.6 and have successfully completed Hist 290 and at least two upper-level (300- or 400-level) history courses with at least a grade of 'B' or better.

Applications include a statement of purpose, a writing sample, two letters of recommendation, and a transcript, and should be sent to the Graduate Director. Deadlines are October 15 and March 15.

Before applying, or for further information, please contact the Graduate Director, Prof. Karen Kern, at kkern@hunter.cuny.edu.