History majors develop a broad understanding of the world and an appreciation of human diversity. The history major cultivates critical thinking about how political and legal systems emerge and develop, how cultures evolve, how people form communities, and how they affect change. Our major requirements focus on cultivating essential skills such as:
Historical argument: All history majors must learn how to understand historical arguments and assess them critically, including evaluating conflicts of interpretation, examining the use of evidence, and learning how explanations are constructed in historical writing.
Inquiry: All history majors must learn how to read primary sources and analyze them critically; each student will eventually define a historical problem, identify primary sources relevant to that problem, and develop a research strategy to address a historical question.
Writing: All history majors are expected learn how to synthesize information from a variety of sources, construct cogent arguments, and express them in clear, convincing prose.
Minimum Credits
The total requirements of the History major include HIST 290, Historian’s Craft, as of Fall 2021. A new distribution of field requirements for the major is in effect starting in Fall 2023.
For majors declared Fall 2021 or later
- 49 total graded credits in history courses, all for letter grades.
- 33 of these must be in upper-division courses (300- or 400-level).
- 21 of the upper-division credits but must be in 400-level courses, including HIST 407.
- HIST 407 research seminar is a required course.
- No more than 8 credits may be in HIST 405 (Reading and Conference).
- Upper-division credits must follow the applicable field requirements (see below).
- HIST 290 is a required course. This should be taken early in the major but is not intended for first-year students. See below.
Lower-division courses should include HIST 290 (Historian’s Craft) and three 100- or 200-level courses at four credits each. A standard plan of upper-division courses would include three 300-level courses, each worth four credits; a minimum of four 400-level courses, each worth four credits; and one HIST 407 research seminar worth five credits.
For majors declared before Fall 2021
- 45 graded credits in history courses, all for letter grades.
- 33 of these must be in upper-division courses (300- or 400-level).
- 21 of these must be in 400-level courses.
- No more than 8 credits may be in HIST 405 (Reading and Conference).
- Upper-division credits must follow the applicable field requirements (see below).
- Recommended: HIST 290 (Historian’s Craft), which should be taken early in the major but is not intended for first-year students. See below.
A standard plan of three lower-division courses (which could include HIST 290) and two or three 100- or 200-level courses at four credits each. A standard plan of upper-division courses would include three 300-level courses, each worth four credits; a minimum of four 400-level courses, each worth 4 credits; and one 407 research seminar worth 5 credits.
HIST 290, Historian’s Craft
HIST 290 is a required course, intended to introduce majors to the kinds of historical reasoning, research, and writing skills that will help them succeed in advanced history courses. It is intended to be taken fairly early in the major, before students have accumulated a lot of upper-division coursework. However, it is not intended for first-year students. Students will get the most out of HIST 290 if they have already experienced two or three history courses below the 400 level at UO. HIST 290 counts as a lower-division course.
Residency Requirements
The following course requirements must be completed at the University of Oregon:
- 21 credits in upper-division courses, including at least three courses numbered 408–499.
- All courses taken to fulfill the research paper requirement. See below.
Courses in UO-sponsored study abroad programs do count toward residency requirements. Courses in non-UO-sponsored study abroad programs do not count toward residency requirements.
Research Paper Requirement (HIST 407)
All history majors are required to write a research paper in a HIST 407 seminar course.
Instructor approval is required before enrolling in a HIST 407 seminar. Students should email the instructor one term prior to when the course is offered, expressing their interest in the class and describing any previous coursework or background related to the course. Please seek approval for only one seminar, rather than getting added to multiple approval lists.
Students should plan ahead to find a seminar aligned with their interests and to secure a seat in the class. Consulting with department advisors in advance is strongly recommended.
Multiple seminar courses on various topics are offered in fall, winter, and spring terms. Seminars are not offered in summer. See the Courses webpage for a tentative list of forthcoming seminars. Note that, for any given topic, there is no guarantee that the same course will be offered again.
In exceptional circumstances, a term paper written in a HIST 408 colloquium or a 400-level course may be expanded into a research paper. Prior approval is required. Students seeking this alternative option must contact department advisors.
Field Requirements
All History majors must meet certain distribution requirements for breadth and depth in the required 33 credits of upper-division courses. The exact requirement changed in Fall 2023 to be more flexible and responsive to student interests.
For majors declared Fall 2023 or later
Majors must meet the following distributions:
- 8 upper-division credits in pre-1800 history.
- 4 upper-division credits each in four geographical fields selected from the following list:
- Africa and Middle East
- Asia
- Europe
- Latin America
- United States
- World
- HIST 407 may count as pre-1800, but it does not count in any geographical field.
- Other courses taken to fulfill the pre-1800 requirement may also count in geographical fields, but no course may count in more than one geographical field.
- Other requirements are as laid down in Minimum Credits.
For majors declared before Fall 2023
Majors in this category may follow this older distribution requirement:
- 8 upper-division credits in pre-1800 history.
- 8 upper-division credits each in three geographical fields selected from the following list:
- Africa and Middle East
- Asia
- Europe
- Latin America
- United States
- World
- Courses taken to fulfill the pre-1800 requirement, including HIST 407, may also count in geographical fields, but no course may count in more than one geographical field.
- Other requirements are as laid down in Minimum Credits.
Language Requirement
All history majors, regardless of whether they are earning a BA or BS, must fulfill the second-language requirement associated with the university’s Bachelor of Arts general requirements, which can be viewed on the Registrar website.
Students must demonstrate proficiency in a second language either by completing (with a C-/P or better) at least the third term of the second year of another language or by examination, showing competence equivalent to that attained at the end of two years of college study.
Courses to fulfill the language requirement may be taken at the University of Oregon, in an overseas program, or by transfer from another college or university.
Minimum GPA
A grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher is required in history courses taken at the University of Oregon.
A mid-C grade or better is required in courses taken to fulfill the research paper requirement.
A letter grade of C- or better is required in all courses taken to fulfill the upper-division pre-1800 history and field requirements.
Grading Policy
The information below is meant to help students understand the departmental consensus, to the degree that there is one, regarding the grading of individual assignments. Each faculty member in the Department of History, however, will have their own interpretation of this consensus.
It is the student’s responsibility to attend closely to the course syllabus, assignment descriptions, oral indications in class and in conference, and written comments on graded assignments in order to gain a more precise understanding of the interpretation that guides a given course.
A+
Work of unusual distinction. Therefore, in the History Department, this grade is rarely awarded.
A
Work that distinguishes itself by the excellence of its grasp of the material and the precision and insight of its argument, in addition to being well executed and reasonably free of errors.
B
Work that satisfies main criteria of the assignment, and demonstrates command of the material, but does not achieve the level of excellence that characterizes work of A quality.
C
Work that demonstrates a rudimentary grasp of the material and satisfies at least some of the assigned criteria reasonably well.
D
Work that demonstrates a poor grasp of the material and/or is executed with little regard for college standards, but which exhibits some engagement with the material.
F
Work that is weak in every aspect, demonstrating a basic misunderstanding of the material and/or disregard for the assigned question.
Departmental Advising
Prospective majors are encouraged to meet with history department advisors or a university academic advisor from Tykeson Hall. If they have not already done so, newly declared majors should promptly meet with history department advisors to formulate a course plan for completing the major.
Contact history department advisors at HistoryAdvising@uoregon.edu. Include your 95# in your email.
Why study history? What’s required to earn a degree? It's all summarized in our major map.