History Major Requirements

Below are the History major requirements, along with the courses that satisfy each requirement and when they are typically offered.  Some courses may also be available during Summer Sessions. To see which courses are being offered in a specific semester, please refer to the Schedule of Classes. 

History majors must complete 12 courses in history (36 credits) with a grade of C or better in each course. A minimum of eight courses for the major must be taken at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. History majors may not count more than two overlapping courses between History and any other majors or minors.  

All history majors must fulfill the following requirements: 

1. Of the twelve courses, at least eight courses must be at the 200 through 400 level 
   
   
2. At least five courses must be at the 300 or 400 level 
   
   
3. All majors must take the History Workshop (01:506:299), ideally by the end of the sophomore year; transfer students must take 01:506:299 in their first semester at Rutgers. This course must be taken before the History Seminar or Public History Internship. Four Workshops on different topics are offered each semester.
   
   
4. All majors must take the History Seminar (either 01:506:401 or 402) or Public History Internship (01:506:451) or History Honors Thesis (01: 506:495 and 496), usually in their junior year or senior year. The History Workshop (01:506:299) is a prerequisite for all of these courses. Four Seminars on different topics are offered each semester. The Public History Internship and the two Honors courses are also offered each semester.
   
   
5. Of the 12 history courses, at least two must be in each of the following three areas: 

Global, African, Asian, Latin American, or Native American history (selected 506 courses and all 508 courses)

European history (510)

United States history (512)

6. At least one course from the following area:

Courses focused on the period before 1500C.E.

Students may use the same course to fulfill both a geographical distribution requirement (5) and the pre-1500 requirement (6).