Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
The History and Government program has three essential purposes. First, it is designed to provide the student with insights into historical time periods of the nation and the world, with special emphasis upon political, social, economic, and technological changes. Secondly, it provides a strong background for graduate study in history and related fields, careers in government, services, and some areas of business, and positions with historical societies and museums. Thirdly, for students interested in attending law school, the program meets and exceeds the criteria for pre-law curricula established by the American Association of Law Schools.
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 36 | |
| Program Requirements | 15 | |
| History and Government Major Requirements | 69 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, and 6 | 18 | |
| WVUE 191 | First Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 17 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HUMS 480 | Grant Writing and Documentation | 3 |
| SOC 101 | Introduction to Sociology (GEF 4) | 3 |
| MDS 270 | Effective Public Speaking (GEF 8) | 3 |
| Literature or Foreign Language Elective | 3 | |
| PSYC or SOC Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
History and Government Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 106 | East Asia: An Introduction (GEF 7) | 3 |
| HIST 152 | Growth of the American Nation to 1865 (GEF 5) | 3 |
| HIST 153 | Making of Modern America: 1865 to the Present (GEF 8) | 3 |
| HIST 179 | World History to 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 180 | World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 209 | Twentieth Century Europe | 3 |
| HIST 261 | Recent America: The United States since 1918 | 3 |
| HIST 277 | Revolutions in Science and Technology | 3 |
| HIST 484 | Historical Research-Capstone | 3 |
| POLS 102 | Introduction to American Government (GEF 8) | 3 |
| POLS 260 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| Economics Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 3 | |
| English Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 3 | |
| History Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 15 | |
| Political Science Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) * | 6 | |
| Restricted Electives from the College of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences (must be at the 300 or 400 level) ** | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 69 | |
- *
Students pursing a minor in Political Science are not required to fulfill these hours and must only complete 6 or the 9 hours of Restricted Electives.
- **
Students pursing a minor from the College of Business, or in Humanities or Social Sciences are not required to fulfill this requirement. This includes minors in Accounting, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Fraud Examination, Human Resources Administration, Marketing, English, Political Science, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Economics, Forensic Investigation, Health Services Administration, Sociology, and Sport Management.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| History Program Entrance Exam | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | HIST 153 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| HIST 152 (GEF 5) | 3 | POLS 102 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| WVUE 191 | 1 | GEF 2 or General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 1 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| GEF 2 | 4 | ||
| GEF 3 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| HIST 106 (GEF 7) | 3 | HIST 180 | 3 |
| HIST 179 | 3 | HIST 277 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | POLS 260 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | SOC 101 (GEF 4) | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| HIST 209 | 3 | HIST 261 | 3 |
| MDS 270 (GEF 8) | 3 | English Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 3 |
| Literature or Foreign Language Elective | 3 | Political Science Elective (must be 300 or 400 level)* | 3 |
| Political Science Elective (must be 300 or 400 level)* | 3 | PSYC or SOCA Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 3 |
| Minor or Restricted Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 3 | Minor or Restricted Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Economics Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 3 | HIST 484** | 3 |
| History Electives (must be 300 or 400 level) | 6 | HUMS 480 | 3 |
| History Elective (must be 400 level) | 3 | History Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 6 |
| General Elective or Minor | 3 | Minor or Restricted Elective (must be 300 or 400 level) | 3 |
| Assessment Exam*** | |||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
- *
Student's minoring in Political Science are not required to take the Political Science Elective. They will replace this requirement with courses used toward their Political Science Minor.
- **
Courses such as History 484 are offered once every four-semester cycle.
- ***
The Assessment Exam must be taken in the student's last semester prior to graduation.
Major Learning Outcomes
History and Government
Graduates of this program should be able to:
- Demonstrate a general knowledge of the facts, concepts, and approaches of history
- Critically analyze and assess primary sources
- Critically analyze and assess secondary sources
- Conduct original historical research and report results orally and in writing
- Produce historical essays that are coherent, grammatically correct, and use proper historical documentation