Programs of Study
Requirements for History Majors
In addition to HIST T122/124, HIST A200/201, and HIST A400, history majors must take at least 3 credit hours in U.S. history, 3 credit hours in European history, and 6 credit hours in non-U.S./European history. The remaining 9 required history credit hours can be in the areas of the student's choice.
The history program also requires 30 hours of general electives, making a double major easy, and the completion of 6 hours of a 100-101 level foreign language.
Requirements for History Minors
To minor in history, students need to complete World Civilizations I & II (Hist T122 & Hist T124) and 5 other history courses.
History Honors
Students wishing to earn an "Honors in History" designation which will appear on their official transcripts should have a 3.3 Loyola GPA and a 3.5 GPA in history in order to qualify.
Course work for "Honors in History" consists of original research leading to the writing of a thesis or the creation of a project, under the supervision of a faculty mentor during the two semesters prior to graduation. See the Timeline for Honors in History.
HIST A498-000 Thesis Orientation (1 credit hour)
The purpose of the Thesis Orientation is to determine the viability of the proposed project and to permit the mentor and the student to determine if they can work together satisfactorily.
The course should be scheduled in the second-to-last semester before graduation (e.g., the fall for semester for a May graduation). The grade will be Pass/Fail. Exceptions to the GPA standard (see above) may be made when, in the judgment of the faculty, they are warranted. The student should also take Historiography (HIST A400) during this semester.
The Thesis Director will meet four or five times during the semester with all the thesis students to advise and guide them in their preparation. Each student will briefly present her or his proposal to the group and to the director in order to receive feedback, suggestions and constructive criticism.
The thesis or project proposal, its outline and a preliminary bibliography, must be submitted and signed by the student, the mentor and the Thesis Director. The mentor and student will agree on a title for the thesis or project and on a faculty referee by the fourth week of the semester. The mentor and student will meet regularly to discuss the student's progress on the topic. By the end of the semester, the student should have completed the research for the thesis or project.
HIST A498-000 Thesis (3 credit hours)
The student's final semester should be devoted primarily to writing and revising the thesis or project. The mentor and Thesis Director will approve the final 25-30 page thesis, or the project (which ordinarily will include a 10-15 page paper). The student will submit a rough draft well before midterm so that the student may receive an initial evaluation of the paper and have the remaining half of the semester to work on revisions. See the Timeline for Honors in History.
The student should submit the final version of the thesis or project no later than 9 weeks into the semester, so that the mentor and referee may read it and award the grade.
At the end of the semester, all the students seeking the "Honors in History" designation will present and defend their theses to the other Honors Students and to all interested faculty and students.
Those seeking more information should contact the History Department Chair by e-mail: dmoore@loyno.edu.
Interdisciplinary Minors
Loyola's College of Humanities and Natural Sciences offers Interdisciplinary minors in several areas. Currently, the History department participates in six of these Interdisciplinary studies:
- Africana Studies
- American Studies
- Catholic Studies
- Latin American Studies
- Women's Studies
- Medieval Studies
To find out more information about interdisciplinary studies see the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences' webpage on Special Programs and Interdisciplinary Minors.