History, B.A.

A Bachelor of Arts in History degree emphasizes research. Students get hands-on experience accessing primary sources materials through numerous archives. Supported by award-winning faculty, students learn to read source materials with proper context and contribute original research to a dynamic field. Our graduates find careers in a variety of fields, from history and education to politics, writing, traditional business and public service roles. 

History majors may choose an area of focus, such as a specific region, time-period, theme or public history. Undergraduates benefit from our esteemed graduate program in public history and may take an array of courses in the field, some of which include an internship in a museum, archive or public institution. 

To graduate with Distinction, students must maintain a high grade-point average, complete additional credit hours and undertake supplementary research and writing on a senior project that earns the mark of "distinction." Students preparing to teach secondary social science may complete the B.A. in History and the Master of Teaching (MT) program in just over five years. 

Learning Outcomes

Students will locate and incorporate relevant historical sources in writing an assignment.
Students will analyze the main points of a primary source (whether textual or non-textual), assess its nature or bias(es), and reach sound conclusions.
Students will construct a historical argument with a clear thesis and sustain it over the length of a substantial essay or assignment.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the mechanics of historical writing and analysis, including proper grammar, syntax, sentence structure, and paragraph structure.

Admissions

Entrance Requirements

New freshmen who meet University admissions standards are eligible for admission to degree programs offered by the college. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another college on the Columbia campus must be in good standing and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another USC campus must fulfill one of the following requirements:

Be in good standing, meet the admission requirements for a baccalaureate degree on the Columbia campus, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
Be in good standing and have completed 30 semester hours with a GPA of 2.00 or higher on a USC campus.

Some programs in the College of Arts and Sciences have special admission requirements established by the department or committee that supervises the specific degree program, for example, Cardiovascular Technology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Economics, Environmental Science, the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. These requirements are listed in the sections of this bulletin that describe department and special degree programs.

Degree Requirements (120 hours)

Program of Study

Program Summary
Requirements	Credit Hours
1. Carolina Core	32-44
2. College Requirements	15-18
3. Program Requirements	31-46
4. Major Requirements	27

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

1. Carolina Core Requirements (32-44 hours)

CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)

must be passed with a grade of C or higher

any CC-CMW courses

ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6-8 hours)

any CC-ARP courses

SCI – Scientific Literacy (8 hours)

Two 4-credit hour CC-SCI laboratory science courses

GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language (0-6 hours)

Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in the 122 course is required for all baccalaureate degrees. Students can demonstrate this proficiency by successfully completing Phase II of the Proficiency Test or by successfully completing the 122 course, including the exit exam administered as part of that course.

CC-GFL courses

It is strongly recommended that students continuing the study of a foreign language begin college-level study of that language in their first semester and continue in that language until their particular foreign language requirement is completed.

GHS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours)

any CC-GHS course

GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)

any CC-GSS course

AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)

any CC-AIU course

CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component¹ (0-3 hours)

any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course

INF – Information Literacy¹ (0-3 hours)

any overlay or stand-alone CC-INF course

VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility¹ (0-3 hours)

any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course

¹: Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

2. College Requirements (15-18 hours)

Foreign Language (0-3 hours)

only if needed to meet 122-level proficiency

History (3 hours)

The College of Arts and Sciences requires one additional GHS course beyond the Carolina Core GHS requirement.

If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course.
If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a U.S. history course.

Please select the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement from the approved list of U.S. and non-U.S. history courses.

Social Science and Fine Arts or Humanities (12 hours)

Courses Acceptable for Social Science and Fine Arts or Humanities Credit in Degree Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences

Three hours of Social Science
Nine hours of Fine Arts or Humanities

3. Program Requirements (31-46 hours)

Cognate or Minor (12-18 hours)

Students must complete a cognate (12 hours) or a minor as part of this program. In lieu of a cognate or minor, an additional major may be added to a student’s program of study. Additional majors must include all major courses as well as any prescribed courses noted (*) in the bulletin. Prescribed courses noted in the bulletin may be shared with Carolina Core, College requirements, and Program requirements in the primary program.

Cognate (12 hours)

The cognate must consist of twelve (12) hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of but related to the major. The cognate may be taken in one or more departments or programs.

Courses offered by departments and programs that are acceptable for cognate credit are outlined in the section titled Courses Acceptable for Cognate Credit in Degree Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences. Some major programs have specific cognate requirements. It should be emphasized that the cognate is not a second set of elective courses to be chosen at random by the student. Students are urged to consult their major advisors for specific requirements in their major.

For Bachelor of Arts degrees, all cognate courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Minor (18 hours)

In place of the cognate a student in the College of Arts and Sciences may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of prescribed courses.

The minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study. It differs from the cognate inasmuch as the courses must follow a structured sequence.

Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the minor. No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. At least half of the courses in the minor must be completed in residence at the University.

A list of minor programs of study can be found at Programs A-Z.

Electives (13-34 hours)

120 (or 128) degree applicable credits are required to complete any degree at UofSC. After the cognate, minor or second major is complete, any additional credits needed to reach 120 (or 128) total credits can be fulfilled by electives. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the College of Arts and Sciences.

4. Major Requirements (27 hours)

A minimum grade of C is required in all major courses.

Students may take up to 6 hours of History courses at the 200 level to fulfill major requirements; all the rest of their course hours in History must be taken at the 300 level or higher

Major Courses (15 hours)

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
HIST 300	Introduction to the History Major: The Historian’s Craft ¹	3
U.S. History
Select 1 course from U.S. History 300 or above		3
European History
Select 1 course from European History 300 or above		3
World History
Select 1 course from African, Middle Eastern, Asian, or Latin American History 300 or above		3
Chronological Breadth ^2,3
Select 1 course (200-level or above) that substantially covers pre-modern societies
Select 1 course (200-level or above) that substantially covers modern societies
Senior Seminar or Thesis
Select one of the following:		3
HIST 497	Senior Seminar
HIST 498	Senior Seminar
HIST 499	Senior Thesis
SCHC 499	HNRS: Senior Thesis/Project ⁴
Total Credit Hours		15

¹: Students should take HIST 300 as soon as possible after declaring their history major.
²: Overlay: the same courses that fulfill these requirements may also fulfill other major requirements
³: Students may not use the same course to count for both of these chronological categories.
⁴: Honors Thesis may substitute if this thesis is directed by a member of the history faculty.

Major Electives (12 hours)

Select 4 additional history courses, 200-level or above. It is optional for 6 of the 12 credit hours to be at the 200 level; all the rest of their course hours in electives must be taken at the 300 level or higher. The Assistant Chair and Undergraduate Director will determine into which groups specific History courses fall in consultation with the faculty member teaching the class. The Undergraduate Committee of the History Department must approve exceptions to the distribution requirements.

B.A. with Distinction (36 hours)

Students who fulfill the requirements for the general major may earn a B.A. with Distinction upon the completion of the following additional requirements:

Declare their intention to pursue a degree with distinction before the beginning of their senior year, that is, before they have begun the last 30 units of their undergraduate degree.
Have a minimum 3.60 GPA in the major and 3.50 overall GPA at the time of declaration of intent and maintain these GPA requirements.
Complete an additional 9 hours of History courses at the 200-level or higher (only 6 hours of 200-level History courses may count towards the requirements for the major and graduation with distinction).
Notify the professor of their Senior Seminar or Thesis course in writing by the end of the first week of class that they intend to pursue a degree “with distinction” and complete to the professor’s satisfaction the additional research necessary for work “with distinction.”
Public presentation of their research at Discovery Day.

Note: Students who want a degree “with distinction” from the History Department and a degree “with honors from the South Carolina Honors College” must complete two separate research projects.

The Warwick Exchange Program

Selected history majors spend the junior year at the University of Warwick, Coventry, England, and maintain normal progress toward graduation.

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

History, B.A.

2024-2025 Academic Bulletin