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History
Mailing address: Bentley Annex 452

History Major B.A.

  • Opportunities for undergraduate research with renowned faculty
  • Courses in American, European, African, Asian, Latin American, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern history
  • Preparation for graduate school
  • Preparation for careers in business, government service, publishing, teaching, consulting, medicine, law, museums and more

Faculty Contact: Dr. Jaclyn Maxwell

Admissions Information

Degree Requirements

Sample 4-Year Program

Program Overview

History majors at Ohio University have the opportunity to work with full-time faculty who are noted for their exceptional teaching abilities and have reputations as accomplished scholars. Each faculty member seeks to inspire students to explore important and fascinating aspects of the discipline of history.

Courses in American, European, African, Asian, Latin American, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern history are offered, presenting the student with a wealth of possibilities not found in many history departments.

Careers and Graduate School

The study of history at the undergraduate level, if pursued with vigor and dedication, gives students the ability to work successfully in any setting that puts a premium on analysis, strategic thinking, written communication, and information gathering. History majors at Ohio University have gone on to successful careers in business, government service, publishing, teaching, consulting, medicine, law, and museum work. Several recent generous donations given to the department by former students further testify to the fact that pursuing a degree in history at Ohio University can lead to future success.

Browse through dozens of internship opportunities and full-time job postings for Ohio University students and alumni on Handshake, OHIO’s key resource for researching jobs, employers, workshops, and professional development events.

Admissions Information

Freshman/First-Year Admission: No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Change of Program Policy: No selective or limited admission requirements.

External Transfer Admission: No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Degree Requirements

University-wide Graduation Requirements

To complete this program, students must meet all University-wide graduation requirements.

College-Level Requirements for the College of Arts & Sciences

View the College-Level Requirements for the College of Arts & Sciences.

History Hours Requirement

Complete a total of 33 semester credit hours of HIST coursework, including all of the requirements below.

History Major Part 1

Introductory History Courses

Complete ONE course from each of the following three geographical areas:

Component A: World History
  • HIST 1320 - Introduction to World History Before 1750 | Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 1330 - Introduction to World History Since 1750 C| redit Hours: 3
  • HIST 2270 - Middle East and the World | Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 2460 - Rise of Modern Asia | Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 2905 - Technology in World History | Credit Hours: 3
Component B: European History
  • HIST 1210 - Western Civilization: Antiquity to 1500 | Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 1220 - Western Civilization: Modernity from 1500 | Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 2300 - Capitalism and Its Critics | Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 2530 - Life, Love, and Death in the Medieval World | Credit Hours: 3
Component C: North American History
  • HIST 2000 - Survey of United States History, 1600-1877 | Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History, 1865-present | Credit Hours: 3

Historical Research and Writing

Complete the following course at the beginning of the junior year:

  • HIST 3111J - Historical Research and Writing | Credit Hours: 3

History Major Part 1

Section I: Elective Courses

Complete a total of 21 hours of history courses at 3000 and above.

Courses taken at and above 3000 to meet the Chronological and Geographical requirements also will count toward the elective requirement. Some courses may meet both a Chronological and Geographical requirement.

Section 2: Chronological History Course Requirement

Courses taken at or above 3000 to meet the Chronological History Course requirements will also count toward the elective requirement.

Complete one course from each of the three chronological periods listed below.

Component A: Pre-Modern History

Complete one of the following courses in World or European history:

World

  • HIST 3290 - Ancient Near East: Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Levant Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3370 - Middle East History 600 to 1500 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3450 - Southeast Asia to c. 1750: The Creative Synthesis Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3463 - History of China from Antiquity to the Early Modern Era Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3480 - Traditional Japan Credit Hours: 3

Or

Europe

  • HIST 3520 - Roman Law & Society Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3291 - Ancient Greece Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3292 - Ancient Rome Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3293 - World of Late Antiquity: Culture and Society in the Late Roman Empire Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3501 - Nature, Science and Religion to 1800 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3531 - The Barbarian West: Europe 400-1000 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3532 - History of the Crusades Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3533 - Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1350 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3540 - History of Early Christianity Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3541 - Medieval Christianity: Church and Society Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3555 - Women in Medieval Europe Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3560 - The Italian Renaissance Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3562 - Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the History of Medieval Spain Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 4536 - Eternal Rome: Power and Piety Credit Hours: 3
Component B: Early Modern History

Complete one of the following courses in World, European, or North American history:

World

  • HIST 3000 - Atlantic History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3230 - Latin American History: The Colonial Era Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3270 - Slavery in the Americas Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3410 - History of Africa to 1850 Credit Hours: 3

Or

Europe

  • HIST 3542 - The European Reformation Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3580 - Power and Revolution in Early Modern Europe, 1450-1650 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3581 - Politics, Power and People in Europe, 1650-1775 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3600 - Women in Early Modern European History, 1400-1800 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3710 - Magic, Heresy and Witchcraft in Europe Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3715 - Sex, Crime and Deviance in Europe, 1200-1800 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3820 - History of Russia Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3860 - Shakespeare’s England, 1450-1603 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3861 - Revolutionary Britain, 1603-1702 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3862 - English History to 1688 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3864 - Making Modern Britain, 1702-1815 Credit Hours: 3

OR

North American:

  • HIST 3002 - Colonial British North America Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3004 - Revolutionary Era Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3008 - Early U.S. Republic Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3018 - History of the American South to 1900 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3020 - Survey of American Indian History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3200 - Women in American History Before 1877 Credit Hours: 3
Component C: Modern History

Complete one of the following courses in World, European, or North American history:

World

  • HIST 3231 - Latin American History: From Independence to the Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3233 - The History of Modern Mexico Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3250 - History of U.S.- Latin American Relations Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3301 - African History Through Film Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3330 - Oil, the Persian Gulf, and World Power Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3360 - History of North Africa Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3371 - Middle East History 1500 to the present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3390 - Women in African History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3411 - History of Africa Since 1850 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3420 - History of South Africa Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3451 - Southeast Asia, c. 1750 to 1945: Change and Conflict Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3452 - Southeast Asia, 1945 to the Present: The Search for Stability Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3464 - History of China from the Early Modern Era to the Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3481 - Modern Japan Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3500 - Science and Society in the Modern World Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3742 - The Cold War, 1941-1989 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3790 - History of Sea Power Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3866 - Afghan Wars Credit Hours: 3

OR

Europe

  • HIST 3213 - War, Violence, Modernity Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3281 - Jewish History Since 1492 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3641 - Contemporary Europe Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3680 - Germany in the 19th- Century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3681 - Germany in the 20th Century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3682 - Nazi Germany Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3731 - Balkan dreams and nightmares: Southeastern Europe from 1908 to the Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3741 - Origins of World War II, 1914-1941 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3750 - World War I Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3640 - Europe Between World Wars, 1919-1939 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3683 - Germany between East and West since 1945 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3770 - The Holocaust Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3821 - Russia: Road to Revolution 1825-1917 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3822 - Soviet Union Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3823 - The USSR in World War II Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3831 - Modern Poland: War, Revolution and Peace from 1905 to the Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3840 - Ethnic Cleansing in Modern European History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3865 - Churchill’s Britain Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3867 - British Empire in the 19th Century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3868 - British Empire in the 20th Century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 4770 - Perspectives on the Holocaust: Sources and Interpretation Credit Hours: 3

OR

North American

  • HIST 3030 - United States in World War II Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3050 - The United States and the Vietnam War Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3060 - American Environmental History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3070 - Famous Trials in American History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3081 - The Civil War and its Aftermath Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3090 - American Constitutional History, Part 1: Origins to Reconstruction Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3095 - American Constitutional History, 1880s-Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3100 - Emergence of the Modern United States: Progressive Era and Roaring Twenties Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3104 - United States, 1945-Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3106 - History of American Conservatism Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3110 - History of Public Health Disasters Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3140 - Pop/High Culture in 20th Century America Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3144 - US Social History in the 20th century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3146 - American Ideas, 20th- Century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3148 - Cultural Rebels in the Modern U.S. Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3150 - Survey of African American History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3162 - History of U.S. Involvement in World Affairs, 1898-1945 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3164 - History of U.S. Involvement in World Affairs, 1945-Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3170 - Survey of Ohio History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3201 - Women in American History Since 1877 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3202 - Women’s Health and Medicine in U.S. History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3211 - American Military History, 1600-Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3220 - 1960s in U.S.: Decade of Controversy Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3224 - The 1980s in the U.S.: The Age of Reagan and Madonna Credit Hours: 3

Section 3: Geographical History Course Requirement

Courses taken at or above 3000 to meet the Geographical History Course requirements will also count toward the elective requirement. Complete one course from each of the three components.

Component A: World History

Complete one of the following courses in Pre-Modern, Early Modern, or Modern history:

Pre-Modern

  • HIST 3290 - Ancient Near East: Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Levant Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3370 - Middle East History 600 to 1500 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3450 - Southeast Asia to c. 1750: The Creative Synthesis Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3463 - History of China from Antiquity to the Early Modern Era Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3480 - Traditional Japan Credit Hours: 3

Or

Early Modern

  • HIST 3000 - Atlantic History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3230 - Latin American History: The Colonial Era Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3270 - Slavery in the Americas Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3410 - History of Africa to 1850 Credit Hours: 3

OR

Modern

  • HIST 3231 - Latin American History: From Independence to the Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3233 - The History of Modern Mexico Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3250 - History of U.S.- Latin American Relations Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3301 - African History Through Film Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3330 - Oil, the Persian Gulf, and World Power Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3360 - History of North Africa Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3371 - Middle East History 1500 to the present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3390 - Women in African History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3411 - History of Africa Since 1850 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3420 - History of South Africa Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3451 - Southeast Asia, c. 1750 to 1945: Change and Conflict Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3452 - Southeast Asia, 1945 to the Present: The Search for Stability Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3464 - History of China from the Early Modern Era to the Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3481 - Modern Japan Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3500 - Science and Society in the Modern World Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3742 - The Cold War, 1941-1989 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3790 - History of Sea Power Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3866 - Afghan Wars Credit Hours: 3

OR

General

  • HIST 3232 - History of Brazil Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3320 - Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Middle East History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3440 - History of Vietnam Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 4902 - Colloquium in Latin American History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 4904 - Colloquium in the History of Southeast Asia Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 4905 - Colloquium in Middle Eastern History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 4906 - Colloquium in African History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 4907 - Colloquium in East Asian History Credit Hours: 3

Component B: European History

Complete one of the following courses in Pre-Modern, Early Modern, or Modern history:

Pre-Modern

  • HIST 2530 - Life, Love, and Death in the Medieval World Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3291 - Ancient Greece Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3292 - Ancient Rome Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3501 - Nature, Science and Religion to 1800 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3520 - Roman Law & Society Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3531 - The Barbarian West: Europe 400-1000 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3532 - History of the Crusades Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3533 - Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1350 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3540 - History of Early Christianity Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3541 - Medieval Christianity: Church and Society Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3555 - Women in Medieval Europe Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3560 - The Italian Renaissance Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3562 - Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the History of Medieval Spain Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 4536 - Eternal Rome: Power and Piety Credit Hours: 3

OR

Early Modern

  • HIST 3542 - The European Reformation Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3580 - Power and Revolution in Early Modern Europe, 1450-1650 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3581 - Politics, Power and People in Europe, 1650-1775 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3600 - Women in Early Modern European History, 1400-1800 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3710 - Magic, Heresy and Witchcraft in Europe Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3715 - Sex, Crime and Deviance in Europe, 1200-1800 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3820 - History of Russia Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3860 - Shakespeare’s England, 1450-1603 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3861 - Revolutionary Britain, 1603-1702 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3862 - English History to 1688 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3864 - Making Modern Britain, 1702-1815 Credit Hours: 3

Or

Modern

  • HIST 3213 - War, Violence, Modernity Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3281 - Jewish History Since 1492 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3640 - Europe Between World Wars, 1919-1939 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3641 - Contemporary Europe Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3680 - Germany in the 19th- Century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3681 - Germany in the 20th Century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3682 - Nazi Germany Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3731 - Balkan dreams and nightmares: Southeastern Europe from 1908 to the Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3741 - Origins of World War II, 1914-1941 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3750 - World War I Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3770 - The Holocaust Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3821 - Russia: Road to Revolution 1825-1917 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3822 - Soviet Union Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3823 - The USSR in World War II Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3831 - Modern Poland: War, Revolution and Peace from 1905 to the Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3840 - Ethnic Cleansing in Modern European History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3865 - Churchill’s Britain Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3867 - British Empire in the 19th Century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3868 - British Empire in the 20th Century Credit Hours: 3

Or

General

  • HIST 4903 - Colloquium in European History Credit Hours: 3

Component C: North American History

Complete one of the following courses in Early Modern or Modern history:

Early Modern

  • HIST 3002 - Colonial British North America Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3004 - Revolutionary Era Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3008 - Early U.S. Republic Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3018 - History of the American South to 1900 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3020 - Survey of American Indian History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3200 - Women in American History Before 1877 Credit Hours: 3

OR

Modern

  • HIST 3030 - United States in World War II Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3050 - The United States and the Vietnam War Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3060 - American Environmental History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3070 - Famous Trials in American History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3081 - The Civil War and its Aftermath Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3090 - American Constitutional History, Part 1: Origins to Reconstruction Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3095 - American Constitutional History, 1880s-Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3100 - Emergence of the Modern United States: Progressive Era and Roaring Twenties Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3104 - United States, 1945-Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3106 - History of American Conservatism Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3110 - History of Public Health Disasters Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3140 - Pop/High Culture in 20th Century America Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3144 - US Social History in the 20th century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3146 - American Ideas, 20th- Century Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3148 - Cultural Rebels in the Modern U.S. Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3150 - Survey of African American History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3162 - History of U.S. Involvement in World Affairs, 1898-1945 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3164 - History of U.S. Involvement in World Affairs, 1945-Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3170 - Survey of Ohio History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3201 - Women in American History Since 1877 Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3202 - Women’s Health and Medicine in U.S. History Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3211 - American Military History, 1600-Present Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3220 - 1960s in U.S.: Decade of Controversy Credit Hours: 3
  • HIST 3224 - The 1980s in the U.S.: The Age of Reagan and Madonna Credit Hours: 3

OR

General

  • HIST 4901 - Colloquium in United States History Credit Hours: 3

History Electives

Complete a total of 21 hours of history courses at or above 3000. Courses taken at or above 3000 to meet the Chronological and Geographical requirements will also count toward the elective requirement. Some courses may meet both a Chronological and Geographical requirement.