Degree Requirements

All Northeastern students must complete the University graduation requirements and General Education requirements for the bachelor’s degree. History majors must complete 39 credit hours of history courses (listed below). At least five of the courses for the major must be taken at Northeastern.

Required Courses

A. Six hours in European History:

  • HIST 111A: World History: West to 1500 A.D.
  • HIST 111B: World History: West, 1500-present

B. Six hours in United States History:

  • HIST 214: United States History: 1607-1877
  • HIST 215: United States History: 1877-present

C. Writing Intensive Course in History:

  • HIST 300W: WIP - The Historian's Craft

D. Six hours in Non-European and Non-United States History. One course must be 300-level.

These electives may be chosen from such areas as Latin America, Asia, and Africa, themes related to Western expansion, or interaction with other cultures.

E. 15 hours of 300-level electives in History

In addition to the History major, students may consult the Department of Secondary Education for information about the Secondary Education Teaching major in History.

For History/Secondary Education students: at least one of the 300-level courses must be in American History.

F. Capstone Course

History majors are required to complete either HIST 393: Capstone Seminar in History or HIST 396: Internship I. You must consult your History Department advisor or the Department Chair before registering for HIST 396.

G. Assessment Portfolio

History majors who do not complete HIST 393 need to submit an Assessment Portfolio. The sole purpose of this portfolio is to assess the effectiveness of the History curriculum in meeting the goals of the major. The portfolio will consist of either one research paper of at least 10 pages in length, or three theme papers of three to five pages in length (book reviews are not acceptable). The paper(s) must have been written for course work in History at Northeastern. Although this portfolio will be assessed only for statistical purposes, students are nonetheless encouraged to submit their best work for evaluation. Students are therefore advised to keep copies of all appropriate History papers (or they may deposit copies of their papers with the department at the time such papers are handed back by their instructors).