2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog Department of History

History.IllinoisState.edu

Admission/Retention Requirements

For information about admission to this program visit the University’s Academics website.

Course Finder

Honors in History

Honors work in the Department of History has been designed to offer to qualified undergraduates the opportunity to develop an independent, individualized program of study while working closely with departmental faculty in the field of their special interest. Students who complete the requirements will graduate with Departmental Honors, which will be noted on their transcript and diploma.

Honors Admissions Requirements

To be admitted to the Honors Program, stu­dents must: (1) be members of the University Honors Program, and (2) have completed 45 hours, at least nine hours in history with a minimum GPA of 3.50 in History. Recom­mendation of at least one member of the departmental faculty is required as is the approval of the Departmental Honors Advi­sor. Students may also be invited to apply by a faculty member. In specific cases these requirements may be waived but only with the express approval of the Departmental Honors Advisor and the History Department Chairperson.

Honors Study Requirements

In order to graduate with distinction as a Departmental Honors Scholar in the Department of History, the student must complete (1) at least 6 hours of Honors work in the major - HON/HIS 299, HIS 301 (which require pre-approval from the Departmental Honors Advisor), (2) all university graduation requirements, (3) all regular requirements for the major, and (4) all University Honors requirements as outlined in the catalog. The Departmental Honors Advisor and the History Department Chairperson will regularly evaluate students in the program. Any student whose work does not meet the minimal standards of the program will not be allowed to continue.

For more information on Honors in History, including admission and retention standards, please visit the Honors website.

History

Degree Offered: B.A., B.S.

Interdisciplinary Minors

The Department of History participates in a number of interdisciplinary minors and one interdisciplinary major at the University. Coursework offered by the Department contributes to the Major in European Studies and the following minors: African-American Studies; African Studies; Classical Studies; European Studies; Latin American and Latino/a Studies; Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies; Native American Studies; Urban Studies; and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. For further information on these minors and their advisors, please consult the Interdisciplinary Studies Program section.

Major in History

Admission to the History major, including the History-Social Sciences Teacher Education Sequence, may be restricted by the lack of available Department resources.

The Department of History encourages stu­dents seeking a bachelor’s degree to develop both global and multidisciplinary approaches to the study of history and to apply these methods to their studies in other disciplines. To develop their skills in historical analysis and to learn to think critically about histori­cal accounts, students complete HIS 100, HIS 200, and HIS 300. To acquire both a well-rounded and a global understanding of historical processes, students are required to take 6 hours each in the 3 fields of European, non-Western, and United States History.

The Department of History recognizes the value of language to the study of history from a global perspective. For this reason, the department recommends that all students majoring in history complete a Bachelor of Arts program. Those students majoring in history but choosing to pursue a Bachelor of Sciences program must complete a minor program.

Students in the History major must complete one of the following sequences.

General History Sequence

B.A. students are encouraged to improve their career opportunities by minoring in another discipline. B.A. students not opting for a minor must choose an area of concentration by taking a minimum of 9 hours in any field other than history or foreign language; at least 3 of these hours must be in 200- or 300-level courses. B.A. students are encouraged to continue their language studies beyond the 12 hours required by the Bachelor of Arts.

B.A. and B.S. students in either the History (non-teaching) or History-Social Sciences Teacher Education Sequence must complete HIS 100 during their freshman year as History majors and should complete HIS 200 before enrolling in any 300-level History course. HIS 100 is limited to First-Semester Freshmen. Transfer students from outside ISU or from a different major at ISU will need to see the advisor. HIS 300 is a capstone course to be taken in the student’s last full semester on campus. For students in the History-Social Sciences Teacher Education Sequence, this would be the semester just prior to student teaching.

  • 6 hours of non-Western History listed in group 3 of “History Courses by Group for the Major.” At least one of the non-Western electives must be at the senior level.
  • HIS 100 is limited to First-Semester Freshmen, Transfer students from outside ISU or from a different major at ISU will need to see the advisor.
  • B.A. students are encouraged to complete a minor; but, if a minor is not selected, they must complete a 9-hour concentration in any field other than history or foreign language, with at least 3 hours at the 200-or 300-level.
  • B.S. students must also complete a minor.

View General History Sequence Course Requirements

General History Accelerated Sequence

High achieving students with a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher and a GPA of 3.5 or higher in the major may apply to the accelerated sequence one year before completion of their undergraduate degree. This sequence allows students to take up to 12 hours of approved graduate courses that will count for both the undergraduate and graduate programs in History. Students can then apply to the History graduate program in the spring of their senior year. Enrollment in the Accelerated Sequence does not guarantee final admission into the History graduate program. For additional information on minimum requirements for admission and the application and selection process, visit IllinoisState.edu/Majors and the History Department advisor.

  • 6 hours of non-Western History listed in group 3 of “History Courses by Group for the Major.” At least one of the non-Western electives must be at the senior level.
  • HIS 100 is limited to First-Semester Freshmen, Transfer students from outside ISU or from a different major at ISU will need to see the advisor.
  • B.A. students are encouraged to complete a minor; but, if a minor is not selected, they must complete a 9-hour concentration in any field other than history or foreign language, with at least 3 hours at the 200-or 300-level.
  • B.S. students must also complete a minor.

View General History Accelerated Sequence Course Requirements

History - Social Sciences Teacher Education Sequence

  • HIS 100 is limited to First-Semester Freshmen. Transfer students from outside ISU or from a different major at ISU will need to see the advisor.
  • The Teacher Education Sequence is part of the entitlement program leading to secondary History-Social Sciences licensure.
  • A minimum 3.00 GPA is required for Admission to Student Teaching. Deadlines for admission to Professional Studies and Student Teaching are available from the Cecelia J. Lauby Center for Teacher Education.
  • Clinical Experiences in Teacher Education
  • University-Wide Teacher Education Requirements

View History-Social Sciences Teacher Education Sequence Course Requirements

History - Social Sciences Teacher Education Accelerated Sequence

High achieving students with a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher and a GPA of 3.5 or higher in the major may apply to the accelerated sequence one year before completion of their undergraduate degree. This sequence allows students to take up to 12 hours of approved graduate courses that will count for both the undergraduate and graduate program in History. Students can then apply to the History graduate program in the spring of their senior year. Enrollment in the Accelerated Sequence does not guarantee final admission into History graduate program. For additional information on minimum requirements for admission and the application and selection process, visit IllinoisState.edu/Majors and the History Department advisor.

  • HIS 100 is limited to First-Semester Freshmen. Transfer students from outside ISU or from a different major at ISU will need to see the advisor.
  • The Teacher Education Sequence is part of the entitlement program leading to secondary History-Social Sciences licensure.
  • A minimum 3.00 GPA is required for Admission to Student Teaching. Deadlines for admission to Professional Studies and Student Teaching are available from the Cecelia J. Lauby Center for Teacher Education.
  • After completing student teaching and undergraduate degree in their eighth semester, students would graduate with a Master's degree with an additional year of enrollment.

Clinical Experiences in Teacher Education

University-Wide Teacher Education Requirements

View History-Social Sciences Teacher Education Accelerated Sequence Course Requirements

History Courses by Group

Group 1:  Methods and Topics

Group 2: United States History

Group 3: Non-Western History

Group 4: European History 

Minor in History

18 total credit hours required

Must include at least 9 senior hours