This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2025-2026 VCU Bulletin. Courses that expose students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning may be added and notification of additional program approvals may be received prior to finalization. General education program content is also subject to change. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
The Bachelor of Arts in History requires a minimum of 120 credits, with at least 36 of those credits in history. Students must complete HIST 300 with a minimum grade of C prior to enrolling in more than six credits of 300- or 400-level history courses. Students in the program can take advantage of a wide range of courses with thematic, topical, national or chronological emphases to fulfill requirements and electives. Students should consult with their advisers each semester to design a program that meets these requirements and suits their interests and career objectives.
The history curriculum exposes students to a multidimensional analysis of the human past. Faculty members seek to impart to students an awareness of the forces of change and continuity; good judgment as to the appropriateness (or inappropriateness) of analogies between one set of historical circumstances and another; an appreciation of the need for skepticism and informed judgment in historical studies; and an understanding of the role of biases and frames of reference in historical research. As such, the study of history not only has the intrinsic appeal of any disciplined intellectual inquiry, but also leads to personal and social awareness within the rich tradition of the liberal arts. The B.A. in History provides students an ideal preparation for a wide range of careers and further professional study, and it constitutes an indispensable basis for active citizenship.
Student learning outcomes
Upon completing this program, students will be able to demonstrate:
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Library and research skills. Students should be able to locate information independently and evaluate its utility for their research purposes.
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Critical reading skills. Students should be able to engage a wide variety of written texts and glean useful information from them.
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Critical thinking about sources of information. Students should be able to evaluate the quality and utility of sources used to understand the past, keeping in mind their context and purpose.
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Critical thinking about logical inferences. Students should be able to make useful connections among sources of information about history and be able to propose causal relationships based on discrete pieces of information.
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Formulation of persuasive analysis. Students should be able to use both historical sources and logical inferences to make convincing arguments about the past.
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Writing skills. Students should be able to write clearly, accurately, persuasively and elegantly about the past and to employ the research apparatus normative to historical writing.
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Other information presentation skills. Students should be able to present information and arguments about the past in other formats, such as oral presentations, museum exhibits, archival guides, web-based presentations, etc.
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Interpersonal and project management skills. Students should be able to carry out the stages of any project or assignment in an organized, proactive manner, showing independence, timeliness, professional ethics, problem-solving skills, teamwork and collaboration, integrative learning and the transfer of skills, self-assessment, and good judgment in seeking support or resources.
Degree requirements for History, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Note: The history major requires students to take one course (three credits) from at least five of the following seven geographic specialties: 1) history of the United States, 2) history of Europe, 3) history of Africa, 4) history of Asia, 5) history of Latin America, 6) history of the Middle East and 7) history of the Caribbean. This geographic distribution requirement may be satisfied by any course taken for HIST credit, at any level.
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General education | ||
| Select 30 credits of general education courses in consultation with an adviser. | 30 | |
| Major requirements | ||
| • Major core requirements | ||
| HIST 300 | Introduction to Historical Study | 3 |
| • Additional major requirements | ||
| Junior seminar (choose from HIST 401 through HIST 422) | 3 | |
| HIST 490 | Senior Seminar in History | 3 |
| or HIST 493 | Internship | |
| • Major electives | ||
| Historical survey courses (100-level HIST) | 12 | |
| Upper-level HIST (301-499, except 490 or 493) | 15 | |
| Ancillary requirements | ||
| HUMS 202 | Choices in a Consumer Society | 1 |
| Experiential fine arts 1 | 1-3 | |
| Foreign language through the 102 level (by course or placement) | 0-6 | |
| Open electives | ||
| Select any course. | 44-52 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Course offered by the School of the Arts
The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.
What follows is a sample plan that meets the prescribed requirements within a four-year course of study at VCU. Please contact your adviser before beginning course work toward a degree.
| Freshman year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall semester | Hours | |
| UNIV 101 | Introduction to the University | 1 |
UNIV 111  Play course video for Introduction to Focused Inquiry: Investigation and Communication | Introduction to Focused Inquiry: Investigation and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| Experiential fine arts | 1-3 | |
| General education courses | 6 | |
| Historical survey (100-level HIST) | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 14-16 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| HUMS 202 | Choices in a Consumer Society | 1 |
| UNIV 112 Play course video for Focused Inquiry II | Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| General education courses | 9 | |
| Historical survey (100-level HIST) | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 16 | |
| Sophomore year | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| UNIV 200 | Advanced Focused Inquiry: Literacies, Research and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| Foreign language 101 | 3 | |
| General education course | 3 | |
| Historical survey (100-level HIST) | 3 | |
| Open elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| HIST 300 | Introduction to Historical Study (must achieve a minimum grade of C) | 3 |
| Foreign language 102 | 3 | |
| General education course | 3 | |
| Historical survey (100-level HIST) | 3 | |
| Open elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Junior year | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| Open electives | 9 | |
| Upper-level HIST (301-499) | 6 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| Junior seminar (select from HIST 401 through HIST 422) | 3 | |
| Open electives | 9 | |
| Upper-level HIST (301-499) | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Term Hours: | 0 | |
| Senior year | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| Open electives | 9 | |
| Upper-level HIST (301-499) | 6 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| HIST 490 or HIST 493 | Senior Seminar in History or Internship | 3-4 |
| Open electives | 12 | |
| Term Hours: | 15-16 | |
| Total Hours: | 120-123 | |
The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.
Accelerated B.A. and M.A.
The accelerated B.A. and M.A. program allows qualified students to earn both the B.A. and M.A. in History in a minimum of five years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. The B.A. in History requires completion of a minimum of 120 credits and the satisfactory completion of all undergraduate degree requirements as stated in the Undergraduate Bulletin. The M.A. in History requires completion of 30 credits in approved history course work. The accelerated program allows a student to complete 12 graduate credits prior to the completion of the baccalaureate degree. These 12 credits are shared credits with the graduate program, meaning they will be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Thus, a student can complete both degree programs with a minimum of 138 credits.
Entrance to the accelerated program
Interested undergraduate students should consult their adviser as early as possible to receive specific information about the accelerated program, determine academic eligibility and submit (no later than two semesters prior to graduating with a baccalaureate degree, that is, before the end of the spring semester of the junior year) an Accelerated Program Declaration Form to be approved by the associate department chair and director of graduate studies. Space may be limited and academically qualified students may not receive approval if capacity has been reached.
Minimum qualifications for entrance to the accelerated program include completion of 60 undergraduate credit hours, completion of HIST 300 and an overall GPA of 3.5. Students are also required to obtain two letters of recommendation from VCU history faculty.
Once enrolled, students must meet the standards of performance applicable to graduate students as described in the “Satisfactory academic progress” section of Bulletin, including maintaining a 3.0 GPA. Guidance to students in the accelerated program is provided jointly by the Department of History’s undergraduate adviser, associate chair and director of graduate studies.
Admission to the graduate program
Entrance to the accelerated program enables students to take the approved shared courses that will apply to the undergraduate and graduate degrees. However, entry via an approved Accelerated Program Declaration Form does not constitute application or admission into the graduate program. Admission to the graduate program requires a separate step that occurs through a formal application. In order to continue pursuing the master’s degree after the baccalaureate degree is conferred, accelerated students must follow the admission to graduate study requirements outlined in the VCU Bulletin.
Degree Requirements
The Bachelor of Arts in History will be awarded upon completion of a minimum of 120 credits and the satisfactory completion of all undergraduate degree requirements as stated in the Undergraduate Bulletin. However, students who wish to continue in the accelerated program must also complete both undergraduate capstone options (that is, internship and research), rather than just one of them.
A maximum of 12 graduate credits may be taken prior to completion of the baccalaureate degree. Of these 12 graduate credits, nine credits will substitute for required undergraduate major electives and three credits will serve as a substitute for the capstone course for the undergraduate degree (HIST 630 will serve as a substitute for HIST 490 or HIST 693 will serve as the substitute for the internship capstone, HIST 493). The courses will be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.
The five required graduate courses (15 credit hours) listed below are the core required courses for the M.A. in History. Students will be required to complete four of the core required graduate courses (12 credit hours) during their senior year, and the 12 credit hours will count toward the B.A. in History. Following completion of the undergraduate degree, students will be required to complete the one remaining course from the core required courses and five courses from the electives list for a total of 18 additional credits.
Required courses:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 601 | Historiography and Methodology | 3 |
| HIST 610 | Readings in History | 3 |
| HIST 630 | Historical Research and Writing | 3 |
| HIST 651 | Public History: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| HIST 693 | Internship in History | 3 |
Electives:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 611 | Readings in American History | 3 |
| HIST 615 | Readings in European History | 3 |
| HIST 618 | Readings in Transatlantic History | 3 |
| HIST 619 | Readings in Ethnic and Social History | 3 |
| HIST 623 | Readings in Virginia and Southern History | 3 |
| HIST 627 | Readings in African-American History | 3 |
| HIST 652 | Documentary Editing and Scholarly Publishing | 3 |
| HIST 653 | American Material Culture | 3 |
| HIST 654 | Oral History: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| HIST 655 | Digital History | 3 |
| HIST 656 | Museums, Cultures and Communities: Historical Perspectives | 3 |
| HIST 657 | Controversy in Public History | 3 |
Recommended course sequence/plan of study
What follows is the recommended plan of study for students beginning in the fall of the junior year prior to admission to accelerated opportunity in the senior year.
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Junior year | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| Open elective | 9 | |
| Upper-level HIST courses (301-499)) | 6 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| Open electives | 9 | |
| Upper-level HIST courses (301-499) | 6 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Senior year | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| HIST 601 | Historiography and Methodology | 3 |
| HIST 693 | Internship in History | 2-4 |
| Open electives | 9 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| HIST 610 | Readings in History | 3 |
| HIST 630 | Historical Research and Writing | 3 |
| Open electives | 9 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Fifth year | ||
| Course selection will vary depending on student interest. | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| HIST 611 | Readings in American History | 3 |
| HIST 623 | Readings in Virginia and Southern History | 3 |
| HIST 651 | Public History: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| Term Hours: | 9 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| HIST 618 | Readings in Transatlantic History | 3 |
| HIST 627 | Readings in African-American History | 3 |
| HIST 655 | Digital History | 3 |
| Oral examination (graded as pass/faill) | ||
| Term Hours: | 9 | |