Undergraduate Major in History
Many history majors choose to study abroad, and departmental advisers are happy to work with students in incorporating foreign study work into the major.
The history department sponsors many lectures, seminars, symposia and conferences which students are encouraged to attend.
DECLARING A HISTORY MAJOR
There are three preliminary steps:
1. Obtain a "Declaration of Major" form from the College of Arts and Sciences in Garrett Hall and the History Department's form from the department office in Randall Hall.
2. Identify the history department faculty member whom you would like to have as your adviser and either schedule an appointment or note his or her office hours. This will ordinarily be someone with whom you are taking or have taken a course.
3. Familiarize yourself in a general way with the rules and regulations for the history major and the offerings of the department. This information can also be found in the UVa Undergraduate Record.
With these preliminaries accomplished, you should expect to spend a little time with your adviser planning your program of study. You may change your mind about some courses, or you may find that courses you had hoped to take are not offered when you expected them to be. The program has sufficient flexibility to take account of necessary or desirable changes in plan. It is important, however, to face squarely what is involved in majoring in history. The process of declaring a major is meant to be taken seriously.
In order to declare a major you must have completed at least one history course with a grade of C or better. This course will be included among the eleven required for the major. AP credit does not satisfy the requirement to complete a course before declaring a major.
Students who declare history as their first major should do so by their fourth semester at the University.
REQUIREMENTS
The major in history requires eleven courses of three or four credits each. Students are required to take one course on Europe (HIEU) before 1700, one on Europe (HIEU) after 1700, one on US (HIUS) history, and two in African (HIAF), East Asian (HIEA), Latin American (HILA), Middle Eastern (HIME), or South Asian (HISA) history. These two courses can both be taken in one of the above fields, or in two different fields.
Courses with a HIST mnemonic do not fulfill the above requirements, but can be used toward the eleven courses for the major.
Five more courses may be chosen from the total offerings of the department.
Finally, each major must complete a seminar (401) or colloquium (402), for which at least two previous courses usually have prepared the student in a fairly direct way. Students must attain a grade of "C" or better in the History Seminar or Colloquium.
Five courses (including the seminar or colloquium) must be numbered 300 or above.
Not more than six courses may be taken in any one field of history (the mnemonics HIAF, HIEA, HIEU, HILA, HIME, HISA, HIST, HIUS designate fields, although Europe is two fields, pre and post 1700).
The department accepts one Advanced Placement course with a score of 4 or 5 toward the eleven courses required for the major. Up to four courses taken at other institutions can be applied to the major. In every case, the decision of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, not the adviser, is final in matters of transfer credit.
With the permission of the instructor, the adviser, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies, one course taken in another department may be counted as one of the five general courses for the major. Permission to take such courses for major credit must be approved prior to enrollment in these courses.
History courses cross listed with other departments, e.g., ECON 206/HIUS 206, are treated as regular history courses.
The major program is structured flexibly to achieve breadth while permitting students to specialize in an area that is of particular interest. In consultation with an adviser, students should try to plan a program that combines small, highly focused classes with large introductory ones. Students should experiment by attempting courses focusing on times or places with which they are not familiar.
History majors must maintain a GPA of 2.0 in their major.
HISTORY ADVISING
Students seeking information about the Department of History and its programs may consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies or any regular member of the department. Students who wish to declare a major may choose an adviser on their own, or they may seek advice in choosing an adviser. Generally, students should attempt to select advisers with interests similar to or compatible with their own. Most faculty post their office hours on their office doors. Office hours can also be obtained by calling the history office.
Declared majors consult with their advisers at least once per semester, usually during the registration period. Special problems or questions can be addressed at any time. The advising system can be an extremely valuable aid to students as they negotiate their way through the department's program. Students avoid it at their peril. Please note that the department reserves the right to drop from its list of majors any students who fail to see their advisers regularly.
Declared majors will be assigned a temporary advisor if their principle advisor goes on leave. Students will be informed of the change at the beginning of the semester. Unless you are informed otherwise, you will be automatically reassigned to your principle advisor for the following semester.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON HISTORY OFFERINGS
In general, five kinds of courses are available to undergraduate students.
INTRODUCTORY SEMINARS (HIxx 100) are small classes (maximum of 15) aimed at first and second year students. Their purpose is to introduce students to the study of history at the University level. Several of these, on a wide array of topics, are offered every term.
200 LEVEL LECTURE COURSES are introductory courses offered every semester in many areas. These courses often have large lecture sections that meet two or three times per week and then a discussion section that meets once per week. Lectures are always taught by regular departmental faculty, often by some of the finest lecturers in the College. Discussions are led by advanced graduate students.
300 LEVEL LECTURE COURSES are specialized courses that focus either on a particular place and time or on a special topic. Although there are some exceptions, these courses typically have 40 50 students. Two or three dozen of them are offered every term.
400 LEVEL SEMINARS AND COLLOQUIA are required of every major. Students usually take these courses, which are limited to twelve students, in their third or fourth year. They may be taught by regular faculty or by very advanced graduate students who are completing dissertations in the subject area of the seminar. Twelve to fifteen seminars and/or colloquia are offered every semester.
Because all majors are required to take a seminar or colloquium, the history department has long used some special policies for registration in these courses. See the courses page for additional information.
500 LEVEL COURSES are for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students.
The UVa Record contains a list, with brief descriptions, of all departmental courses. This list is current to within about one year of the nominal date of the Record. Not all courses listed in the Record are taught in any given year; some are taught rarely.
For descriptions of current courses, see the Courses Page.
DISTINGUISHED MAJORS PROGRAM
The Distinguished Majors Program offers opportunities for independent study, directed research, and professional training beyond those available in the regular history curriculum. Students of demonstrated ability (an overall GPA of at least 3.4 is required for honors degrees) may apply to the Director of the Distinguished Majors Program for admission. Click here for additional information.
PRIZES AND AWARDS
Each year history majors are eligible for various prizes and awards.
Richard Heath Dabney Prize for the Outstanding DMP thesis in United States History
Richard Heath Dabney Prize for the Outstanding DMP thesis in European History
Bernard Peyton Chamberlain Memorial Prize for the Outstanding DMP thesis in Early American History
Bernard Peyton Chamberlain Memorial Prize for the Outstanding DMP thesis in a field other than United States or European History (To be awarded for first time in 2005.)
Edward A. and Barbara Younger Award for the Outstanding Graduate in History
Tom and Lynda Garnett Prize for best research thesis on the history of the University of Virginia
Margaret Coughlin Award in East Asian History
Jacob Bunn Prize for Outstanding Essay in business or economic history
Hammond Award
Kate Cabell Claiborne Cox Scholarship for outstanding rising fourth year history major
Consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies for a list of current prizes and awards as well as eligibility rules.