Undergraduate Requirements

Program Requirements

For students declaring the Major May 31, 2003 or after

Note: The Department of History does not accept any Advanced Placement credit in lieu of any major requirements. However, the College of Letters & Science counts these units toward graduation.

The major in History consists of twelve courses, at least eleven of which must be completed within the Department of History. Students may include one course from another department in constructing their “Fields of Concentration.” (See below.)

Individual programs must satisfy both lower- and upper-division requirements. They must also include at least one course devoted entirely to premodern history (to be selected from courses focused on one or more of the following eras: Antiquity, the Classical Period, and the Medieval Period; courses dealing solely with the Early Modern Period do not satisfy this requirement). For courses satisfying the premodern history requirement, please review the current list.

Students may declare the major after completing three courses in the Department of History, including at least two courses in the lower division.

History Major Requirements Checklist

Lower Division Requirements

Four courses, to include:

• one survey course in the history of the United States;
• one survey course in the history of Europe;
• one survey course in the history of another world area;
• one elective (of any additional offering, including History R1 and 39)

Students may substitute one upper-division course for any one of the first three requirements.

Upper Division Requirements

Eight courses, to include:

• one proseminar (History 103)
• one research seminar (History 101)
• At least four of the eight upper-division courses must constitute a Field of Concentration, which shall be defined by one of the following rubrics:
  • a period (such as “The Ancient World,” “The Medieval World,” “The Twentieth Century,” or a similarly broad temporal span)
  • a geographical area (such as “Eastern Europe,” “China,” “The Mediterranean,” or a similarly broad spatial expanse)
  • a thematic approach (such as “Science and Medicine,” “Law,” “Popular Culture,” “Religion,” or a similarly broad subject matter)

The four courses constituting the Field of Concentration must include History 101. The three additional courses in the Field may include History 103. They may also include one appropriate upper-division course (of at least three units) from another department.

Students must submit the online Field of Concentration form two semesters prior to graduation (thus, for example, during the spring of the junior year for majors expecting to graduate the following spring) in order to secure approval for their Field of Concentration from the Committee on the History Undergraduate Major.

While individual majors must define their own particular Fields of Concentration, the Committee on the History Undergraduate Major offers a sample of possible fields to assist students in making their decisions.

To declare a Field of Concentration fill out the Field of Concentration Form online.

For more information

For more information, or if you have questions about undergraduate policies and/or courses, contact:
Leah Flanagan, Undergraduate Advisor
3327 Dwinelle
(510) 642-0356
leahf@berkeley.edu

Drop-in:
1-4 Monday
9-12 & 1-3 Tuesday

1-4 Wednesday
1-4 Thursday
9-12 & 1-4 Friday

Sign-up hours: (see sign-up sheet outside 3327 Dwinelle)

11:15-12:15 Wednesday
11:15-12:15 Thursday

For information on Undergraduate Admissions, please visit the UC Berkeley Admissions page.