2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog [In Progress]
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in History
Requirements for a History Major
Students majoring in history are required to complete at least 36 credit hours in history. All students will complete 12 credits in core content history courses, 6 credits of survey content history courses (only three credits at the 100-level), and 18 credits of 300/400-level focused content history elective courses.
The focused content elective history courses focus on particular regions, eras, themes, or application. All majors must include at least one 300-level course in U.S. history, one 300-level course in European history, and one 300-level course in non-Western history. All students must also take nine additional upper-division history credits from among HST 301-399, HSC 399, HST 405, HST 410, HST 415, HST 420, HST 490, and HST 498. Students must complete one experiential learning activity or experiential learning course in consultation with their major advisor. The credits may also count as part of the 18 credits of 300/400-level focused content history elective courses.
Students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 in courses in the department and must receive a grade of C or better in HST 200 and HST 495.
B.A. or B.S. Degree Requirements
Students who choose to earn a B.A. degree must demonstrate third-semester proficiency in a foreign language, either by completing successfully a 201-level language course or by passing a proficiency examination in the language chosen. Students planning to enter a program of graduate study in history should earn a B.A. degree.
Students who choose to earn a B.S. degree must complete the following sequence:
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)
- HST 290 - The Historian's Craft: What Historians Know and How They Know It (3 credits)
- HST 400 - Junior Seminar in History (3 credits)
Core Content History Courses (12 credits)
- HST 200 - Introduction to the Study of History (3 credits)
- HST 290 - The Historian's Craft: What Historians Know and How They Know It (3 credits)
- HST 400 - Junior Seminar in History (3 credits)
- HST 495 - Varieties of History (Capstone) (3 credits)
Survey Content History Courses (6 credits)
The following restriction applies to the history survey content courses requirements: only one may be at the 100-level.
- HST 101 - Introduction to World Civilizations (3 credits)
- HST 102 - Introduction to European Civilizations (3 credits)
- HST 103 - Introduction to American Civilizations (3 credits)
- HST 203 - World History to 1500 A.D. (3 credits)
- HST 204 - World History since 1500 (3 credits)
- HST 205 - American History to 1877 (3 credits)
- HST 206 - American History since 1877 (3 credits)
- HST 207 - European Civilization to the Later Middle Ages (3 credits)
- HST 208 - European Civilization since the Later Middle Ages (3 credits)
- HST 211 - History of Islamic Civilization (3 credits)
- HST 212 - India: History and Civilization (3 credits)
- HST 230 - Latin America in World History (3 credits)
- HST 240 - A History of East Asia to 1800 (3 credits)
- HST 241 - A History of East Asia since 1800 (3 credits)
- HSC 201 - The Scientific Revolution (3 credits)
- HSC 202 - The Technological Revolution (3 credits)
Focused Content History Course Electives (18 credits)
Complete at least one course from each category.
Category One: U.S. History
- HST 301 - Colonial America (3 credits)
- HST 302 - Revolutionary America (3 credits)
- HST 303 - Era of Sectional Conflict, Civil War, and Reconstruction (3 credits)
- HST 305 - America Confronts Modernity (3 credits)
- HST 306 - The 'American Century': From the Great Depression to Vietnam (3 credits)
- HST 307 - United States since 1970 (3 credits)
- HST 308 - Cultural and Social Topics in U.S. History (3 credits)
- HST 311 - History of Religion in the United States (3 credits)
- HST 312 - History of American Women (3 credits)
- HST 314 - African American History (3 credits)
- HST 315 - Latinos: The Forging of Ethnic Identities (3 credits)
- HST 316 - U.S. Civil Rights Movement History (3 credits)
- HST 317 - History of American Foreign Relations (3 credits)
- HST 318 - History of Democracy in America (3 credits)
- HST 320 - American Indians (3 credits)
- HST 323 - Michigan History (3 credits)
- HST 327 - History of United States Urban Society (3 credits)
- HST 328 - U.S. Constitutional and Legal History (3 credits)
- HST 329 - U.S. Intellectual History (3 credits)
- HST 370 - History of Medicine and Health (3 credits)
- HST 378 - Contesting Human Rights (3 credits)
Category Two: European History
- HST 309 - Cultural and Social Topics in European History (3 credits)
- HST 350 - Ancient Greece (3 credits)
- HST 351 - Ancient Rome (3 credits)
- HST 355 - Medieval Europe (3 credits)
- HST 360 - Tudor and Stuart England (3 credits)
- HST 361 - Modern Britain (3 credits)
- HST 364 - Renaissance and Reformation Europe (3 credits)
- HST 370 - History of Medicine and Health (3 credits)
- HST 377 - History of Warfare (3 credits)
- HST 378 - Contesting Human Rights (3 credits)
- HST 386 - 20th Century Europe (3 credits)
- HST 387 - Modern Germany (3 credits)
- HST 390 - Soviet History (3 credits)
Category Three: Non-Western History
- HST 310 - Cultural and Social Topics in Nonwestern History (3 credits)
- HST 330 - Colonial Latin America (3 credits)
- HST 331 - Modern Latin America (3 credits)
- HST 332 - Emergence of Modern India and South Asia (3 credits)
- HST 333 - Modern China (3 credits)
- HST 334 - The Making of the Caribbean (3 credits)
- HST 335 - Africa Before 1870 (3 credits)
- HST 336 - Africa After 1870 (3 credits)
- HST 337 - The Age of Islamic Empire (3 credits)
- HST 338 - Modern Middle East (3 credits)
- HST 339 - Modern Iran (3 credits)
- HST 342 - History of Buddhism and East Asian Religions (3 credits)
- HST 343 - History of South Africa (3 credits)
- HST 372 - From Slavery to Freedom (3 credits)
- HST 374 - Revolution in the Americas (3 credits)
- HST 375 - History of Mexico (3 credits)
- HST 389 - Russian History (3 credits)
Experiential Learning Activities and Courses
All history majors must complete one experiential learning activity or course. The credits may also count as part of the 18 credits of 300/400-level focused content history elective courses
- HST 399 - Independent Study (1 to 3 credits)
- HST 405 - Local and Community History (3 credits)
- HST 410 - History Journal (3 credits)
- HST 415 - Museum Studies (3 credits)
- HST 420 - Public History (3 credits)
- HST 490 - History Internship (1 to 3 credits)
- HST 498 - Senior Thesis (3 credits)
- Study Abroad Experience
- Independent Research experience (S3, McNair, Honors, or some other research program)
- Any other 300/400-level course/experience that the Unit Head in consultation with the department Curriculum Committee decides to designate as Experiential.
Transfer Students
Transfer students seeking a major in history must complete at least 12 credits in history at Grand Valley, including a minimum of two upper-level courses. Ordinarily, transfer students will complete the Capstone course (HST 495) at Grand Valley.
Suggested Order of Coursework for a History Major
Without Secondary Teaching Certification
Year One
- MTH 110 - Algebra (4 credits)
- WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing (4 credits)
- General education-Foundations (three courses)
- Two foreign language courses (B.A. candidates)
- HST 200 - Introduction to the Study of History (3 credits)
- Any survey content history course
Year Two
- General education-Foundations (four courses)
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits) (B.S. students) or other general education mathematical sciences course (B. A students) [suggested in Fall]
- HST 290 - The Historian's Craft: What Historians Know and How They Know It (3 credits) [suggested in Winter]
- Any survey content history course
- Any focused content history elective course
- One foreign language course (B.A. students)
Year Three
- HST 400 - Junior Seminar in History (3 credits)
- Three focused content history courses
- Four elective courses
- General education-Issues
Year Four
- HST 495 - Varieties of History (Capstone) (3 credits)
- Two focused content history courses
- General education-Issues
- Five elective courses
We strongly encourage students to seriously contemplate taking advantage of the various semester and year-long study abroad opportunities offered by Grand Valley. History courses taken abroad may count toward the major or minor if granted prior permission by the Department of History chair.