History Requirements

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Students may pursue either a B.A. in History from the School of History and Philosophy or a B.S. in History from the School of Education.  The B.A. in History consists of 36 credit hours of history coursework, and the B.S. in History consists of 33 credit hours of history coursework. Students who plan advanced study in preparation for college teaching, law, or other professional work are advised to take additional work in their proposed specialty. Students must consult with program advisors to choose a course of study that fits their needs, and they should also consult with college and career services advisors for assistance in determining their career goals.

Papers written in HIST 392 meet the College of Liberal Arts Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC) requirement. A number of 400-level courses also meet the WAC requirement. Please consult course descriptions. Students who receive a grade of B or higher in 100-level University Core Curriculum History courses may receive credit toward the major. Consult with an advisor.

All history majors will be assigned a faculty mentor upon the time they declare and must meet with this mentor each semester to discuss progress toward the degree, career and internship possibilities, and other matters. A 2.0 average in the major and a C grade or better in HIST 392 are required for graduation. A 3.0 average in the major and completion of HIST 392 are required before the School will approve student teaching. If the student is taking HIST 392 when applying to student teach, a letter indicating satisfactory performance from the instructor is required.

Transfer students must report to the school prior to their first semester of attendance. The major will accept up to 18 credit hours in history taken at other accredited institutions. All transfer students must take at least 18 credit hours in history at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

 

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History

B.A. History Degree Requirements

Degree RequirementsCredit Hours
University Core Curriculum Requirements 39
College of Liberal Arts Academic Requirements 11
Requirements for Major in History 36
HIST 101A or HIST 101B 3
HIST 207 3
HIST 300 or HIST 301 3
HIST 392 3
Electives 1 24
Electives - These may include courses required for additional majors or minors 34
Total 120

1 Students must complete a minimum of three courses at the 400-level. At least one 300- or 400-level course must be on a topic in the following geographical regions: Africa, Asia, Atlantic World, Latin America, or Middle East. Up to two courses may be counted below the 300-level or from outside of the School of History and Philosophy with permission of the School Director.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in History

(History Designation for the Illinois Social Sciences Teaching License)

In order to teach the social sciences in middle school, junior high, and high school levels, the School of History and Philosophy, in partnership with the School of Education, offers a Bachelor of Science degree in History. Along with this degree exists the possibility of obtaining Illinois licensure in social studies education with a designation in history.

The goal of this program of study is to prepare prospective social science teachers for the role of leadership in guiding middle school, junior, and senior high school students to live as effective citizens in a democratic society.

Content and professional coursework provide the foundation used in the social science methods course, where teaching methods and strategies are explored and experienced. A series of clinical experiences provide teacher candidates an opportunity to use the knowledge and skills acquired in their program. A cooperating teacher and a university supervisor will assist the student to blend knowledge and skills with the adolescent behavior and curriculum needs.

B.S. History Degree Requirements

Degree RequirementsCredit Hours
University Core Curriculum Requirements 39
To include Core Fine Arts (HIST 201 recommended); HIST 101A or HIST 101B, and HIST 207 as Core Humanities; EDUC 211 as Core Multicultural Studies; POLS 114; PSYC 102; GEOG 104 or GEOG 303I as Core Science I substitute.
Requirements for Major in History 1 27
HIST 300 or HIST 301 3
HIST 367 3
HIST 392 3
One additional 300-400 level U.S. history courses 3
Two additional 300-400 level non-US history course 2 6
Three history electives (300-400 level) 9
Additional Requirements for the Social Science Teaching License 3 18
To include ANTH 104; ECON 113; GEOG 103, GEOG 300I; POLS 250 or POLS 270; and SOC 108. Additional social science courses are recommended if a student’s program permits; recommended electives would include ANTH 202; ECON 240, ECON 241; PSYC 303; SOC 302, SOC 303.
Professional Education Requirements - EDUC 214, EDUC 301, EDUC 302, EDUC 303, EDUC 308, EDUC 313, EDUC 319, EDUC 401A 27
Additional Certification Requirements - CI 360, CI 469, CI 470 9
Total 120

1 At least nine hours must be taken at the 400 level.

2 At least one of these must be a 400-level course. At least one 300- or 400- level courses must be on a topic in the following geographical regions: Africa, Asia, Atlantic World, Latin America, or Middle East.

3 The Social Science teaching license allows a teacher to teach courses on the secondary level.

History Minor

A minor consists of 18 credit hours. The student is advised to balance courses between at least two of the three fields of American, European, or Third World history. Transfer students, in order to have a minor in history, must have taken at least nine credit hours in history at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. University Core Curriculum history courses count toward the minor.

History Honors Program

Outstanding students enrolled in the University Honors Program may pursue an Honors Major in History. Course credit requirements are identical to those for a regular Bachelor of Arts degree (including 36 credit hours in History), except that at least eight classes must be honors classes. Usually, these are four UHON classes in the student’s first two years of study and four History Honors classes as a junior and senior.

Honors courses in History include the following: HIST 330H (Modern Britain), 406BH (Gender, Family and Sexuality in Modern Europe), HIST 418H (The Renaissance), HIST 426H (Cities and Cultures in Europe, 1870-1914), HIST 427H (World War I), HIST 447H (Culture and the British Empire), and HIST 455H (The Conservative View in American History). All of these courses are cross-listed with the University Honors Program. In addition, students may receive Honors credit for other History courses through an Honors contract with the course instructor.

Students are also required to write an Honors thesis. Honors students can do this in one of three ways: by signing up for UHON 499 under the guidance of a program faculty member in their senior year, enrolling in HIST 499, or by taking a 500-level graduate colloquium/seminar series (pending instructor approval). This thesis can be part of a History Honors Major, but students who are not enrolled in University Honors may also write one. 

Accelerated M.A. Program in History

Students already on track to earn a bachelor’s degree in History at SIU will be eligible to start the preliminary phase of the accelerated MA curriculum if they have earned a cumulative 3.20 GPA by the end of the Spring semester of their junior year and received school approval to take HIST 500 and HIST 501 during their senior year. Qualified students can initiate the approval process by submitting a written statement to the Director of the School of History and Philosophy and the Director of Graduate Studies in History expressing their interest in the accelerated MA program and requesting permission to begin the curriculum. Approval to begin the accelerated MA curriculum does not guarantee admission to the graduate program, though it is required as a preliminary step toward completing the accelerated MA program. Students approved to begin the accelerated MA curriculum during their senior year must also apply to the two-year MA program and satisfy the usual deadlines and requirements for admission to the two-year MA program for the following academic year in order to be formally admitted into the accelerated MA program as a graduate student eligible to earn a Master's degree. Additionally, all requirements for completing the accelerated MA program are the same as for completing the two-year MA program. Students who begin the accelerated MA curriculum while finishing the undergraduate curriculum must complete the undergraduate curriculum and graduate from SIU before entering the graduate program as graduate students.

Approval to begin the accelerated MA curriculum includes the completion of a memorandum of interest (MOI) that indicates the agreement of the student to complete HIST 500 (The Historian’s Craft - 3 hours), HIST 501 (Modern Historiography - 4 hours), and HIST 490 (Special Readings in History - 2 hours with the anticipated graduate faculty advisor of the student to begin research for the thesis) during the senior year. Enrollment in HIST 500 and HIST 501 requires approval from the school and the Graduate School following the procedure indicated in the “Request for 500-Level Course by an Undergraduate” form. The 9 credit hours earned for these courses count toward the bachelor’s degree when completed. The same 9 credit hours from HIST 500, HIST 501, and HIST 490 will count toward the MA degree once the student has been formally admitted to the graduate program following the completion of the BA/BS in History. The MOI with the signatures of the student, the Director of the School of History and Philosophy, and the Director of Graduate Studies in History will be sent to the Graduate School for approval.

Once admitted to the graduate program, students in the accelerated MA program complete the established requirements for either the thesis-track MA or non-thesis MA, depending on which track the student pursues. Students following the thesis track are encouraged, but not required, to complete one colloquium and research seminar combination as part of their coursework. Students following the non-thesis-track must complete two colloquium and research seminar combinations to produce the two required research papers. In addition to transferring 9 hours in HIST 500, HIST 501, and HIST 490 from their undergraduate studies, accelerated MA students must complete 24 graduate-level credit hours in two semesters to finish the degree in one additional year.