Student Opportunities and Resources
Academic Advising
If you are a history major, your history faculty advisor can be found by visiting myMiami. Search for "Advising" then click the task called "Find an Advisor or Schedule an Appointment".
This professor can help you choose courses and make general academic and career plans. Email him or her for an appointment, or check with the department secretary for office hours.
To substitute or transfer history credit, or to add a history major or minor, see Lead Departmental Advisor (LDA) Dr. Helen Sheumaker.
For questions about Miami Plan requirements or other requirements not related to history, contact the College of Arts and Science advising office.
Course Registration Tips
- Your capstone cannot be taken outside the history department and must be taken during your senior year.
- History courses can be taken in any order you wish, but we recommend taking HST 206 as soon as possible after declaring your major.
- If history is your “second major,” you will not be able to register early for majors-only courses (HST 206 and history capstones). Contact the instructor as soon as possible to request a force-add.
- Instructors control force-adds for their own classes, and the department will generally not force-add without the instructor's permission. The only exception is that the department manages enrollment for HST 206.
- Second majors and minors satisfy the thematic sequence requirement. If you do not have a second major or minor, you can sign up for a thematic sequence by contacting the department or program where the sequence is housed and asking for the sequence coordinator.
- Some history courses that fulfill the Geographical Diversity and Pre-Modern requirements are not properly coded as such by your DAR. If this happens, see the Lead Departmental Advisor.
History Courses that Fulfill Each Major Requirement
Introductory classes
(only 3 hours count for credit in major):
HST 111, 112, 121,122, 197, 198
Historical Inquiry:
HST 206
200-level, required 9 hours
(Excludes 206)
HST 212, 213, 214, 216, 217, 219,221,222, 224,225, 231, 232, 233, 236, 241, 243, 245, 246, 250,252, 254,257, 259, 260, 270, 271L, 275, 277, 290, 296
300-level, required 15 hours
(Excludes 359)
HST 301, 304, 307, 313, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 324, 325, 328, 330*, 331, 332, 333, 336, 337, 339, 340, 342, 346, 350, 353, 354, 355,356, 357, 360*, 361, 362, 363, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 371, 372, 374,375, 377, 379, 382, 383, 385, 386, 387, 392, 397, 399B, 399D.
400-level, required 3 hours
(Exclude HST 400, HST 477, HST 480, and HST 482)
HST 400 count as the additional 400-level course for students who are taking 480 HST 410, 428, 433, 434, 435, 436, 450, 452, 459, 470
Capstone:
HST 400
Additional Requirements:
Pre-modern and Geographic Diversity
(the same course can count toward fulfilling both requirements at the same time)
Pre-modern Requirement:
Two classes at the 200-level or above, and one must be pre-1500.
Pre-modern classes:
HST 224, 241, 243, 245, 246, 307, 313, 315, 316, 317, 324, 346, 353, 361, 362, 371, 374, 434, 452
Pre-1500 classes:
HST 241, 243, 246, 313, 315, 324, 346, 353, 371, 452
Geographical Diversity Requirement:
4 courses total at the 200-level or above.
- Two must be on the history of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, or Latin America.
- One must be in American History.
- One must be in European history, including Russia.
Africa, Asia, the Middle East, or Latin America:
Two classes from the 200-, 300-, or 400-level
HST 217, 224, 225, 231, 240, 241, 243, 296, 319, 324, 342, 353, 354, 355, 356, 360, 385, 399B, 470
U.S. History: one class from 200-, 300-, or 400-level
HST 212, 216, 221, 222, 259, 260, 290, 304, 350, 357, 361, 362, 363,365, 367, 368, 369, 371, 372, 379,382, 386, 387, 392, 397, 433, 435, 450
European History, including Russia:
One class from 200-, 300-, or 400-level
HST 245, 246,254, 270, 271L, 275,301, 313, 315, 316, 317, 318, 328, 330, 331, 332, 333, 346, 374, 375, 399D, 410, 428, 436, 452
Advising FAQs
Can I take an independent study?
Will my Advanced Placement credit be accepted?
The History Department will accept AP scores of 3, 4 or 5 as follows:
- U.S. History - HST 111 and HST 112 (6 credits)
- European History - HST 122 (3 credits)
- World History - HST 197 and HST 198 (6 credits)
Can I double major?
Yes; common double majors are Political Science, Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs, International Studies, and English. Double majoring is easiest when your second major is in one of the social sciences or humanities.
If you choose a second major in the natural sciences, education, or business, you might be required to complete hours beyond the minimum of 128. Completion of majors in History and departments in other divisions of the university would require fulfillment of all the requirements of both degrees.
Questions about the double major should be directed to the Chief Departmental Advisor. Double majors must make certain that the Registrar credits them with both majors at the time of graduation.
Can I take courses for graduate credit?
A senior at Miami University who has completed at least 112 semester credit hours toward his/her baccalaureate degree and has earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 and an average of 3.00 in the field in which he/she wishes to take courses for graduate credit may apply for permission to do so. Approval must be granted by the course instructor, the student's undergraduate adviser, and the Graduate School.
Credit from graduate courses will not count toward the baccalaureate degree. Up to 10 hours of such work, however, may be counted toward a graduate degree. Application forms are available in the Graduate School office.
What if I’m interested in the Master’s degree program?
Qualified undergraduate students may apply to a combined B.A./M.A. program in history. Sophomore history majors who have completed at least 15 hours of history courses (excluding Advanced Placement credits) with a grade point average in those courses of 3.75 or above may file a preliminary indication of interest with the Director of Graduate Studies. The Graduate Record Examination general test should be taken in the fall of the junior year.
Formal application to the program must be made by February 1 of the junior year. Students admitted to the B.A./M.A. program will normally meet the following criteria: grade point average of 3.5 or higher, with a GPA of 3.7 or higher in the History major; completion by the beginning of the fall semester of their senior year of 116 undergraduate credit hours or their equivalent; GRE scores in the verbal section of the test of above 500, and in the analytical writing section of 4.5 or above.
Students in the combined B.A./M.A. program may apply for assistantships for their fifth year of study, that is, after they have completed the B.A.
Department of History Internships
The HST 340 Internship is reserved for majors in the History Department who have attained at least junior standing. From 1 to 12 semester hours may be granted for HST 340 in any one semester. The History Department discourages applying more than three semester hours of internship credit to the requirements of the History major, but up to 16 hours may be applied toward the baccalaureate degree.
Internships must be approved prior to registration by the supervising faculty member and the Department Chair.
Internship credit may not be obtained for university service or activities.
As a general guide, 40-50 hours of work on site would constitute about one hour of academic credit (1 credit hour = 16 hours of class time plus 32 hours of non-class time).
Application Requirements
An “Internship Agreement” form must be submitted to the Department Chair. Forms are available in the History Department office, Room 256 Upham.
Also, the student must deliver a letter in which the host entity supervisor agrees to manage the internship, explains the intern’s responsibilities, and agrees to submit a letter of evaluation of the internship to the faculty sponsor at the completion of the experience.
Students must be enrolled in the internship course at the same time as they are completing the internship (for example, one may not sign up for internship credit in the Fall term for an internship completed over the summer). Please remember that the university will bill you for any credit hours for which you enroll, including internship hours in the summer, at the prevailing rate.
Earning Credit
By the completion of the internship activity, the student must have presented to the supervising faculty member an essay (or its agreed-upon equivalent) of a length and sophistication commensurate with the work done during the internship and the number of HST 340 hours taken (normally a “term paper” of about 20 pages is considered suitable for 3 credit hours). This document should analyze and reflect upon the lessons learned during and from the experience, and be of appropriate academic rigor.
Also, the student must submit a statement from the supervising entity describing the intern’s performance. Both documents must be acceptable to the supervising faculty member before credit is granted.
To assist students contemplating an internship, the director of Undergraduate Studies will maintain an open file of proposals and written work produced during completed internships.
Contact Us
Any student interested in taking HST 340 Internship should contact the History Lead Departmental Advisor, Helen Sheumaker for more information.
Department of History
