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Dec 04, 2025
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American University Catalog 2025-2026
History (BA)
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Admission to the Program
Formal admission to the major requires departmental approval. Major Requirements
- 39 credit hours with grades of C or better, including at least 18 credit hours at or above 300-level
- At least 20 of the 39 credit hours for the major must be taken in residence at American University
- The department recommends that before enrolling in a course at or above 300-level, students should complete a suitable introductory course or attain equivalent knowledge
Advanced Placement
Prospective history majors may qualify for a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 advanced placement (AP) credits toward the major for the following exams: American history, European history, and world history, provided the student earns a grade of 4 or 5 on the AP examination. Students cannot receive AP credit towards the major if they also take the comparable survey courses in either American history (HIST-205 and HIST-206 ) or European history (HIST-110 ). A satisfactory International Baccalaureate (IB) examination may count toward fulfilling a specific course requirement for the major. Entering students with academic credit for IB examinations in history courses should consult with the department. A total of 6 AP and IB credits can be counted toward the history major. Required (3 credit hours)
Ancient or Medieval History (3 credit hours)
Complete 3 credit hours in ancient or medieval history (any area of the world, focusing on premodern era) from the following, or other approved courses: Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, or African History (6 credit hours)
Complete 6 credit hours in Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, or African history from the following, or other approved courses: Note: Faculty members frequently offer rotating courses in these areas of the world under HIST-396 Selected Topics: Non-Recurring (1-6) . European History (6 credit hours)
Complete 6 credit hours in European history from the following, or other approved courses: United States History (6 credit hours)
Race/Ethnicity
Complete 3 credit hours focused on race and/or ethnicity from the following, or other approved courses: Additional U.S. History
Complete 3 credit hours in United States History from the following, or other approved courses: Capstone (3-6 credit hours)
Complete one of the following options: Research Seminar (3 credit hours)
History Electives (9-12 credit hours)
Complete 9-12 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Ancient or Medieval History, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, or African History, European History, or United States History: - AFAM-208 African American History: to 1877 (3)
/ HIST-208 African American History: to 1877 (3) - AFAM-209 African American History: 1877 to Present (3)
/ HIST-209 African American History: 1877 to Present (3) - HIST-100 History, Memory, and the Changeable Past (3)
- HIST-110 Renaissance and Revolutions (3)
- HIST-140 Modern European History: 1750 to Present (3)
- HIST-202 The Ancient World: Greece (3)
- HIST-203 The Ancient World: Rome (3)
- HIST-204 Medieval Europe (3)
- HIST-205 American Encounters: 1492-1865 (3)
- HIST-206 U.S. History since 1865 (3)
- HIST-210 Ethnicity in America (3)
- HIST-215 Social Forces that Shaped America (3)
- HIST-219 Women in America to 1850 (3)
- HIST-220 Women in America since 1850 (3)
- HIST-221 History of Britain I (3)
- HIST-222 History of Britain II (3)
- HIST-225 Russia and the Origins of Contemporary Eurasia (3)
- HIST-231 The Russian Empire, 1650-1917 (3)
- HIST-232 The Soviet Union (3)
- HIST-235 The West in Crisis, 1900-1945 (3)
- HIST-239 Topics in European History (3)
- HIST-241 Colonial Latin America (3)
- HIST-242 Latin America since Independence (3)
- HIST-247 Muslim Empires 1300-1920 (3)
- HIST-248 Introduction to Modern Middle East (3)
- HIST-250 History of Chinese Civilization (3)
- HIST-251 History of Modern China (3)
- HIST-264 Precolonial Africa (3)
- HIST-285 Understanding Africa: Conquests, Protests, and Post-Independence Struggles (3)
- HIST-288 Oliver Stone’s America (3)
- HIST-305 Topics in Race and Ethnicity in the United States (3)
- HIST-316 Eastern Europe in the Age of Empire (3)
- HIST-317 Eastern Europe in the Age of Ethnic Cleansing (3)
- HIST-318 Modern Germany: Reichs and Republics (3)
- HIST-327 Europe After Hitler (3)
- HIST-341 Anatomy of the Fantastic (3)
- HIST-349 Modern Iran (3)
- HIST-385 Topics in African History (3)
- HIST-404 Nationalism (3)
- HIST-405 Forced Migration (3)
- HIST-412 Studies in European History (3) (topics)
- HIST-415 The Dead Speak: Cemeteries in History (1)
- HIST-418 Nazi Germany (3)
- HIST-419 Holocaust (3)
- HIST-428 French Revolution and Napoleon (3)
- HIST-437 British Studies (3) (topics)
- HIST-438 French History, 1789-1945 (3)
- HIST-443 History of Israel (3)
/ ISR-443 History of Israel (3) - HIST-445 Russian Studies (3) (topics)
- HIST-447 Asian Studies (3) (topics)
- HIST-448 American Culture in the Nuclear Age: Living with the Bomb (3)
- HIST-449 Topics in U.S. History (3)
- HIST-450 Colonial America: 1492 to 1763 (3)
- HIST-451 Era of the Revolution and Constitution (3)
- HIST-453 Civil War and Reconstruction (3)
- HIST-454 The South since Reconstruction (3)
- HIST-455 Emergence of Modern America, 1877-1920 (3)
- HIST-456 Twentieth-Century America (3)
- HIST-457 America between the Wars, 1919-1941 (3)
- HIST-460 U.S. Foreign Relations, 1774-1918 (3)
- HIST-461 U.S. Foreign Relations since 1918 (3)
- HIST-462 America and the Cold War (3)
- HIST-464 U.S. Presidential Elections (3)
- HIST-469 History of Medicine in the United States: from Smallpox to AIDS (3)
- HIST-471 Ideology, Culture, and American Politics (3)
- HIST-473 American Jewish History (3)
- HIST-476 U.S. Environmental History (3)
- HIST-479 Topics in African American History (3)
- HIST-485 Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Beyond (3)
- JWST-205 Ancient and Medieval Jewish Civilization (3)
Combined History (BA) and History (MA)
American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information. In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for combined bachelor’s/master’s programs: - Students in this program are not required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
- Students will be admitted formally to MA status only if they have completed all requirements for the History (BA) with at least an overall 3.20 grade point average and a 3.50 grade point average in history courses.
- Undergraduate students pursuing the History (MA) (history concentration: 30 credit hours) may apply up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate-level coursework in history to satisfy the requirements of both degrees. Undergraduate students pursuing the History (MA) (public history concentration: 36 credit hours) may apply up to 12 credit hours of approved graduate-level coursework in history to satisfy the requirements of both degrees.
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