History Major

For more information about the department, honors/high honors, transfer credit, etc., visit the history department page.

Major Requirements

The major in history consists of nine courses. Two of the nine courses must be in the global (GL) area. One of the nine courses for the major may be taught by a non-departmental historian. This includes history courses offered in off-campus study groups, at other institutions, and at Colgate; all such courses are subject to approval by the history department.

The requirements for the major are as follows:

All of the Following

HIST 199 - History Workshop (completed by the end of the sophomore year. This course does not count toward the three 100 or 200 level requirement.)
Three courses at the 300 level
One seminar at the 400 level, except HIST 490. All majors must take at least one seminar in the junior or senior year.

100- or 200-level Courses

Three courses at the 100 or 200 level. These courses should be taken before the conclusion of the sophomore year. They must include one in each of the three following areas:

United States (US)
Global (GL) — Africa, Asia, Latin America, Atlantic World, the Middle East, the Caribbean, or Comparative
Europe (EU), including areas of the former Soviet Union

Students who have AP credit in U.S. history should satisfy the requirement for a US course at the 200 level; students who have AP credit in European history should satisfy the requirement for an EU course at the 200 level. No course may count for more than one area (US, GL, or EU).

One Additional History Course

One additional history course at the 200- level or above. For this course, students may substitute an advanced (300-level) foreign language course taught at Colgate or accepted for Colgate credit. Courses taught in translation do not meet this requirement.

GPA Requirement

Students must have achieved a minimum GPA of 2.00 over all courses taken in the department.

Major Declaration

To be admitted to the major, students must have earned a GPA of 2.00 in all history courses taken. Students not meeting this requirement may petition the department for permission to begin the major.