Programs Offered By the Department of History
We offer several options for those choosing to study in our undergraduate program:
- Geographic Option
- Thematic Option
- Honors Concentration
- Minor
Planning Forms
Geographic Option and Thematic Option (39 units)
Required Courses (15 units)
- HIST 110 History of Western Civilization I or HIST 114 World History to 1500
- HIST 111 History of Western Civilization II or HIST 115 World History Since 1500
- HIST 120 History of the U.S. through Reconstruction
- HIST 121 History of the U.S. since Reconstruction
- HIST 300 GW Seminar in Historical Analysis - GWAR
- Must pass with a “C” or better, cannot be taken CR/NC
Fields of study (24 units)
Option I
Geographic: Students should complete 12 upper division units in one field of study and 6 upper division units in each of two other fields of study. U.S. History must be one of the three fields.
- U.S. History
- Choose two fields from among the following: Africa, Asia (may include the Middle East), Europe (either Europe before 1500 or Europe since 1500), or Latin America.
Option II
Thematic: Students may complete 6 upper division units in each of three fields of study, distributed geographically as above, and 6 elective upper division units, so long as a minimum of 12 upper division units fall under a theme approved on departmental advisement such as Empire and Imperialism; Gender, Sexuality and the Body; Religion and Society; or the Pre-modern World; (applicable courses are listed in this document).
Note: A minimum of 40 upper division units must be completed for the degree (including upper division units required for the major, general education, electives, etc.). A student can complete this major yet not attain the necessary number of upper division units required for graduation. In this case additional upper division courses will be needed to reach the required total. General Education advising is available through Undergraduate Advising in Administration 211 and, for history majors, through the Academic Resource Center in Humanities 112.
All history majors must include at least one proseminar (HIST 640, 642, or 644; these are variable topic courses that change every semester). Successful completion of History 300 GWAR is required before you can take a proseminar. Preferably, your proseminar will be in the primary field, although it may be in any field of emphasis. Please note, that the proseminar requirement ALSO counts as 3 units of upper division history in the field of emphasis it is taken. For example, History 642, Silicon Valley, not only completes your proseminar requirement, but may also count as three units of U.S., Europe after 1500, or World history. Each semester our majors are sent a list of courses being offered and which fields of emphasis each course fulfills, but we also encourage you to drop by Science 275 and get major advising so we can help you make sure you are on track to graduate.
Twenty seven of the 39 units required for the major must be upper division. History majors cannot choose CR/NC grading in more than two history courses for their major, nor elect CR/NC grading in HIST 300 GW or their proseminar. With the consent of their advisor, students may offer up to six units from other departments to count toward their history major.
B.A. Honors Concentration (45 units)
Prerequisites (12 units)
In order for a student to be eligible for admission to the History Honors Program, the following requirements must be met:
- An overall GPA of 3.25 in courses at the college level and an overall GPA of 3.25 in history courses taken.
- Students must also complete each of the following courses with a grade of B or better (12 units):
- HIST 110 History of Western Civilization I or HIST 114 World History to 1500
- HIST 111 History of Western Civilization II or HIST 115 World History Since 1500
- HIST 120 History of the U.S. through Reconstruction
- HIST 121 History of the U.S. since Reconstruction
The courses listed above are SF State courses and should be taken as soon as possible because they form the basic introduction to the subject matter of history. They may be taken out of sequence. Equivalent courses from other institutions are also acceptable.
Required Courses (9 units)
- HIST 300 GW
- Must pass with a “C” or better, cannot be taken CR/NC
- Proseminar (HIST 640, 642, or 644 variable topic course)
- HIST 697 Honors Thesis
Fields of Study (24 units)
Option I
Geographic: Students should complete 12 upper division units in one field of study and 6 upper division units in each of two other fields of study. U.S. History must be one of the three fields.
- U.S. History
- Choose two fields from among the following: Africa, Asia (may include the Middle East), Europe (either Europe before 1500 or Europe since 1500), or Latin America.
Option II
Thematic: Students may complete 6 upper division units in each of three fields of study, distributed geographically as above, and 6 elective upper division units, so long as a minimum of 12 upper division units fall under a theme approved on departmental advisement such as Empire and Imperialism; Gender, Sexuality and the Body; Religion and Society; or Empire and Imperialism.
Note: A minimum of 40 upper division units must be completed for the degree (including upper division units required for the major, general education, electives, etc.). A student can complete this major yet not attain the necessary number of upper division units required for graduation. In this case additional upper division courses will be needed to reach the required total. General Education advising is available through Undergraduate Advising in Administration 211 and, for history majors, through the Academic Resource Center in Humanities 112.
33 of the 45 units required for the honors concentration must be upper division. History majors cannot choose CR/NC grading in more than two history courses for their major, nor elect CR/NC grading in HIST 300 GW or their proseminar. With the consent of their advisor, students may offer up to six units from other departments to count toward their history major.
Extended Requirements for the Honors Major
Language or Statistics/Data Processing Proficiency
To graduate in the History Honors Program, a student must demonstrate either proficiency in statistics/data processing or proficiency in a foreign language at a level comparable to that of students who have successfully completed one year of college courses. This level of proficiency is to be demonstrated as follows:
- Two semesters of college-level language or statistics/data processing with a grade of B or better or
- Equivalent proficiency in a foreign language based on successful completion of an examination to be administered by the Foreign Languages Department.
Grade Performance Requirement
Students are expected to maintain a minimum grade of B in each course offered to meet the Honors major requirements, and a grade point average of 3.25 in all courses taken to complete the Honors Program. Students failing to maintain the required GPA will be dropped from the program. Additionally, students will be required to have an overall grade point average of 3.25 in all university-level courses taken to fulfill the University requirements for the Honors degree.
Minor (24 units)
The history minor provides an opportunity for students majoring in fields other than history to pursue a structured course of study in history and to have it reflected on their transcript through designation of history as a minor field of study.
Required Courses (15 units)
- HIST 110 History of Western Civilization I or HIST 114 World History to 1500
- HIST 111 History of Western Civilization II or HIST 115 World History Since 1500
- HIST 120 History of the U.S. through Reconstruction
- HIST 121 History of the U.S. since Reconstruction
- HIST 300 GW Seminar in Historical Analysis - GWAR
- Must pass with a “C” or better, cannot be taken CR/NC
Elective Courses (9 units)
- Any 9 upper division History units
Please note, if you are interested in taking a proseminar (Hist 640, 642, or 644 variable topic course) you must successfully complete History 300 GW with a “C” or better. The proseminar requirement ALSO counts as 3 units of upper division history.