Undergraduate
Program

History Major
History Minor
Honors Program

Honors Program

The director of undergraduate studies administers the honors program offered by the Department of History. Candidates for honors must consult with the director and complete the appropriate form.

Requirements listed below are for students who matriculated after Fall 1999. All other students should see the director regarding their requirements.

To be eligible to earn honors, a history major must:

• have a GPA of 3.60 in history, not counting courses taken Pass/Fail;
• have taken at least one Senior Seminar in which the student earned a grade of A or A-.

Both of these conditions must be satisfied by the end of the student's penultimate semester.

In addition, the student must either write an honors thesis or take a written comprehensive examination. Whichever of these options is chosen, the work must be judged worthy (of honors, high honors or highest honors) by the faculty supervisor and one other member of the department (or a faculty member outside the department approved by the undergraduate director). In case of disagreement between the two readers, a third is designated by the undergraduate director. This work may be completed during the student's last semester.

Thesis Option

The student must arrange with a faculty member in the History Department to supervise the research and writing of a thesis, and with a second member of the department to read the thesis. Students writing an honors thesis may (but are not required to) register for HIST 498 and 499. These courses may not be used to satisfy the history major requirement. For more information, the student should refer to the "Rules Governing the Preparation of Undergraduate Honors Theses," available from the undergraduate director.

Examination Option

Students interested in this option choose a mentor from the faculty of the department and take courses on the advice of the mentor. Normally, students are expected to take at least four history courses in the area to be examined (e.g. ancient history, modern U.S. history or East Asian history). The area is defined jointly by the mentor and the student. The mentor prepares and grades the examination, as does one other member of the department.