Undergraduate Studies

BA Program

The TAMU Department of History provides undergraduates with a baccalaureate program leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. This section is designed to give you detailed information on the undergraduate program requirement, coursework, declaring major & minor, double major & double degree options, and honors program in history. Please use the links below to read more about each of them:

Coursework | Requirements | Declaring Major/Minor | History Honors | Double Major/Degree

Coursework

A student's degree plan, his or her path to graduation, is defined in the university catalog. Each year the university issues a new catalog and requirements sometimes change. Consult your catalog number for specific requirements for both your major and for all core requirements to graduate.

Catalogs are online at http://catalog.tamu.edu/.

As a history major, you are part of the College of Liberal Arts, and that is where you will find the requirements for a major in history. For instance, catalog 132 is for students admitted in 2009-2010, and the requirements for a major in history can be found at http://catalog.tamu.edu/09-10_UG_Catalog/liberal_arts/history.htm.

Beginning with catalog 129, history majors must take at least one 300-400 level course in each of three lists - United States, European, and other - in order to gain breadth in their knowledge of history.

Survey Courses: Twelve of the 33 required hours are in the lower division or survey level of classes. They are comprised of HIST 101 or 103, HIST 102 or 104, HIST 105 and HIST 106. These classes provide a broad overview of a particular time period and serve as a foundation for a more focused study at the upper division level. In the survey courses you will learn to identify and assess causes and effects of historical change, categorize information, summarize the main points of an historical work, identify its thesis and discern whether the author substantiates the thesis. You will become familiar with the manner in which historians use sources as evidence.

Upper Division Courses: These courses focus on a time period, topic or country in greater depth than the survey courses. You have an opportunity to concentrate in an area of your particular interest. Skills introduced to you in the survey classes will be augmented as you think analytically, read critically, and write decisively. Many of these courses encourage spirited classroom discussions with your professors and fellow students.

The Historian's Craft (HIST 280): This course is one of two writing-intensive courses required for undergraduate history majors (the other is HIST 481). Every semester, the department offers multiple sections of the class, each focused on a special topic and limited to 15 history majors.  In the course, students will have the opportunity to participate in small group discussion and to learn and practice critical reading, thinking and writing skills.

Senior Seminar (HIST 481): This writing-intensive, required course is the capstone experience for undergraduate history majors. Students thinking about continuing their education in history graduate school should be able to make an informed decision after this course. The class is limited to 15 students and deals with the literature of an issue, an event, a period or a person in history. In the course students will have the chance to participate in group discussions and to write an article length paper (usually 15-20 pages) based on primary and secondary source material.

Directed Study (HIST 485): A one semester class that can be taken for one to three hours of credit. The professor agrees to lead an individual study program wherein a particular aspect of a period, a person, or a problem is examined.

Special Topics Courses (HIST 489): On occasion, the History Department, frequently in conjunction with other departments, offers special course offerings called "topic courses." These courses are new courses that our faculty members are in the process of designing. If the "special topic" is arranged in conjunction with another department, it is cross-listed with that department and may be credited either as history or as an elective.

Honors Independent Study (HIST 497): Students in the University Fellows Honors Program or the honors curriculum may enroll in this section to fulfill individual requirements. The class consists of individualized instruction or research under the guidance of a faculty member. Undergraduate Fellows register for HIST 497 during each semester of their fellowship.

Program Requirements

Major Subject - HISTORY Total : 33 hours.
You must have - 12 hours at the 100 level : HIST 101 or HIST103; HIST 102 or HIST 104; HIST 105; HIST 106.
You must have - 15 hours at the 300/400 level, including HIST 481.
You must have - 6 additional hours at the 200/300/400 level.
You must take at least one course from each of the three lists of upper level history courses, United States, European and other.
Minor Subject - Number of hours varies with the field chosen - generally either 15 or 18 hours.
Foreign Language - French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Chinese - 14 hours, or four semesters. 101 + 102 (4 hours each) and 201 +202 (3 hours each).
English - 12 hours - 6 hours of Language (ENGL 104 + 203, 210, 235, 236, 241, 301 or SCOM 203 or 243), and 6 hours of Literature (ENGL 203, 212, 221, 222, 227, 228, 231, 232).
Kinesiology (Physical Education) - 2 hours. At least one KINE 199 course must be from the "Health & Fitness" category. Mathematics - 6 hours. At least 3 hours must be in MATH (excluding 102, 103, 104, 130, 150, 165, 365, 366); 3 hours may be selected from PHIL 240, 341 or 342.
Physical Biological Science - 8 hours (from a prescribed University Core Curriculum list).
Social and Behavioral Sciences - 6 hours (from a prescribed University Core Curriculum list).
Political Science - POLS 206 & POLS 207 (6 hours total).
Humanities - 9 hours. See University Core Curriculum list. At least 3 hours must be selected from the "Humanities" category, and at least 3 hours from the "Visual and Performing Arts" category. History courses cannot be used in this category.
Electives - 24 to 32 hours, depending on your catalog. History majors can NOT use History classes towards elective credit.
International & Cultural Diversity Course requirement - 6 hours - chosen from a wide selection. As a history major, history courses cannot apply to any other part of your degree plan except those which qualify for International and Cultural Diversity.

You will be awarded a degree upon successful completion of the above requirements provided you meet university requirements for total semester hours, including 36 residency hours - i.e., hours taken at 300/400 level on campus at Texas A&M University. GPR must remain above 2.0 at all times, and no grade below a "C" is permitted in either MAJOR or MINOR.

Declaring Major and Minor in History

Declaring a Major in History

Incoming freshmen can declare history as a major during their orientation and will be processed accordingly. For currently enrolled students to declare history as a major, you need to consult with one of the history undergraduate advisors. Their offices are in the Melbern G. Glassock (History) Building, Room 105. (If you have over 95 hours, you will have to go to the College of Liberal Arts, Office of Undergraduate Advising, located in 202 Coke.)

Declaring a Minor in History

To qualify for a history minor, a student must take 15 hours of history. You must have 6 hours at the 100/200 level and 9 hours at the 300/400 level. To apply for a history minor, you need to consult with one of the history undergraduate advisors.

History Honors at Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University’s Honors Programs offers the opportunity for successful and highly motivated students to pursue university-wide academic study that challenges their interests and abilities. History Honors allows undergraduates majoring in history to participate in honors study pertinent to their major field. Students pursuing History Honors are encouraged also to pursue honors options at the college and university level as completion of the requirements for History Honors will also satisfy many of the requirements for those programs. Students interested in college-level honors should consult: http://liberalarts.tamu.edu/html/honors.html. Those interested in university-level honor options should consult: http://honors.tamu.edu/Honors/.
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DEPARTMENTAL REQUIREMENTS TO GRADUATE WITH HISTORY HONORS

To achieve History Honors, students must complete the following 21 hours of Honors classes:

[1] Nine (9) hours of Core Curriculum courses, as follows:

Three (3) hours in either humanities, visual/performing arts, or social science. Three (3) hours in either
physical/biological sciences or mathematics/logical reasoning. Three (3) hours from a liberal arts core curriculum area - communication, humanities, visual/performing arts, or social science.

[2] Nine (9) hours in History, including at least six (6) hours at 300/400 level.

Students may use 6 hours of Honors Independent Study (HIST 497) leading to a senior thesis. Students choosing this option are exempt from HIST 481. Note: Students who pursue a senior thesis also fulfill many of the requirements for Inquiry honors at the college-level and the Undergraduate Research Scholars program at the university-level. Please see the above websites for more information.

[3] Three (3) additional hours anywhere in the degree plan.

Note: A maximum of 7 credits from AP/IB examinations or from honors transfer credit may be approved by the University’s Honors Programs office to apply to requirements of various honors plans, including History Honors.

HONORS RECOGNITION & GRADUATION WITH HONORS

All completed honors course work taken at Texas A&M is designated as such on a student’s permanent transcript, showing that the student has taken part in this enhanced curriculum. To graduate with History Honors, a student must graduate with a 3.5 cumulative GPR and a 3.25 GPR in honors courses. After graduation, a student transcript will designate that a student has achieved the distinction of History Honors, as well as any university-wide honors distinctions and/or the College of Liberal Arts honors distinction the student has completed.

ADMISSION TO THE HISTORY HONORS PROGRAM

To be eligible for the History Honors program, incoming students must have an SAT of at least 1250 (verbal + math, with a minimum score of 570 on each) or a 28 on the ACT (minimum score of 27 each on verbal and math) and need to have graduated in the top 10% of their high school class. Current and potential history majors whose overall GPR at TAMU is 3.5 or above are also eligible. Students meeting these criteria are encouraged to consult with the faculty advisor in charge of coordinating History Honors as early as possible in their academic career to plan their course sequence. To graduate with History Honors, a student must graduate with a 3.5 cumulative GPR and a 3.25 GPR in honors courses.


For further information please contact:
Dr. Philip M. Smith, Advisor for the Undergraduate History Major & Coordinator of History Honors
Melbern G. Glasscock Building (105A)
Department of History, MS 4236
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843-4236
Tel: (979) 862-2061
Fax: 979 862 4314 (mark for attention of Dr. Philip Smith)
E-Mail: <pms@tamu.edu

Double Major and Double Degrees

Students sometimes choose to pursue more than one major. Students must declare the double major or double degree no later than the semester in which they will complete 95 credit hours, must have a cumulative GPR of at least 3.0 at the time of declaration, and must have completed 9 hours in the second major with a GPR of 3.0 or above. Transfer students who enter with junior classification must file for the double major or double degree no later than the end of their second semester in attendance.

Once the student has declared a double major or double degree, it is important for the student to regularly confer with advisors in both major departments and the Dean's Office of Undergraduate Advising. Students should also have degree audits run for both majors or degrees, preferably at 90 hours.

Students may pursue a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science simultaneously, but not two bachelor of arts or two bachelor of science degrees. (These students should pursue a double major). Students seeking a second degree from the College of Liberal Arts will have to meet more stringent conditions and seek approval from the Dean. At the minimum, they must demonstrate at least a 2.5 in the proposed major, based on at least 9 hours of course work. Students concurrently enrolled in another college must meet the requirements set by both colleges.

Candidates for a double degree must have been in residence at least two academic years and must complete all essential work of the second curriculum not covered in the first. To qualify for the double degree, the student must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours more than the higher of credit hours required for either degree.

To declare a double major or double degree, a history major should go the College of Liberal Arts, Undergraduate Advising Office, located in 202 Coke Bldg.

The campus Career Center has a wealth of information about careers for history and liberal arts majors.