Majors and Minor
The Department of History offers a major and minor in History; a major in Law, History, and Society; and, in cooperation with the Department of Economics, a joint major in Economics and History.
Declare a Major or Minor
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History Major
All of our undergraduate majors learn to think with rigor, write with clarity, and analyze complex evidence with confidence. Working with award-winning professors in seminars and lecture courses, they acquire skills critical to career success in the 21st-century global economy, while studying a subject in which they excel.
Requirements:
- 30 credit hours in history courses
- 3 credit hours for HIST 3000W: The History Workshop
- 3 credit hours for HIST 4960: The Major’s Seminar
- 15 credit hours must correspond to a program concentration. Concentrations include: Asia, Latin America, Europe, Early American and the United States, Middle East and Africa, Global and Transnational, Science Medicine & Technology, Comparative History/Special Topics
- Electives: Typically, three history courses beyond those used to satisfy other requirements for the major
Learn more about the History major
Law, History, and Society Major
This major approaches law from both a historical and an interdisciplinary perspective. Emphasis is placed on close reading of legal documents, research in legal archives, and analytical writing. Students are encouraged to develop reading programs and research topics that stretch across national and chronological boundaries, and to think comparatively.
Requirements:
- 30 credit hours in history courses
- 3 credit hours for HIST 3000W: The History Workshop
- 3 credit hours for HIST 4960: The Major’s Seminar
- 15 credit hours must correspond to courses designated specifically for LHS credit (up to 6 credit hours allowed from courses outside of the history department)
- Electives: Typically, three history courses beyond those used to satisfy other requirements for the major
Learn more about the Law, History, and Society major
Economics and History Major
The joint major in economics and history makes an important contribution to a foundational education at Vanderbilt by helping students understand the origin of modern society. It also provides a unique preparation for careers in business, the professions, and other fields by combining all the analytical tools of the regular economics major with history’s emphasis on clear and effective writing and on developing skills in gathering, assessing, and synthesizing information.
Requirements:
- 45 credit hours of course work
- 9 credit hours for Economic History courses designated as “core”
- 18 credit hours in Economics courses
- 18 credit hours in History courses – must include HIST 3000W: The History Workshop (3) and HIST 4960: The Major’s Seminar (3)
- Prerequisites: ECON 3012 before ECON 3150 and 3160; one semester of calculus must be taken prior to ECON 1500 and 1510
Learn more about the Economics and History major
History Minor
The minor in history requires a minimum of 18 credit hours in HIST courses, or that are listed as creditable to history concentrations but housed in other departments. No more than two courses may be outside of the Department of History. At least 9 credit hours must be taken at the 2000 level or higher. Students must also complete HIST 3000W.