University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
College of Letters and Science
Department of History

ACADEMIC ADVISING IN HISTORY

Beginning on August 19, 2008, the undergraduate advisor in the History department will be Professor
Carlos Galvao-Sobrinho.  Please contact Professor Galvao-Sobrinho (cgalvao@uwm.edu, x-3819)
with all questions regarding the History curriculum, including questions on how to declare a major
or minor, your status with respect to the fulfillment of major or minor requirements, and the adjudication
of transfer credits.

"WHAT CAN I DO WITH A DEGREE IN HISTORY?"
Here is a link to a career guide published by the American Historical Association that provides answers to this
frequently-asked question:  http://www.historians.org/pubs/Free/careers/Index.htm

REQUIREMENTS FOR AN UNDERGRADUATE HISTORY MAJOR
History majors must complete at least 36 credits in History courses, distributed as follows:
1) At least 6 credits in European history
2) At least 6 credits in U.S. history
3) At least 9 credits in Non-western or Global history
4) At least 3 credits in a course dealing preponderantly with the period before 1500.
5) At least 18 credits in courses numbered 300 and above  (15 of which must be taken at UWM)
6) At least one of the following courses: History 288, 291, 293, 294, 594, 595, or 596.
7) History 600  (course prerequisite is one of the following:  History 288, 291, 293, 294, 594, 595, or 596).
Other prerequisites include the declaration of your major in History (or Broad Field Social Studies
Education - History), senior standing (junior standing for Broad Field Social Studies Education - History
majors), and satisfaction of the English and mathematics competency requirements.

Students should pay particular attention to requirements #6 and #7. They will not be permitted to enroll in
History 600 (the senior seminar) until after they have passed one of the courses in historical methods listed
under #6. This sequence may not be reversed, and students may not satisfy both requirements in the same
semester. Prospective majors should fulfill the "methods" requirement at an early stage of their progress in
the curriculum, and no later than the next to last semester before they plan to graduate.
 

REQUIREMENTS FOR AN UNDERGRADUATE HISTORY MINOR
History minors must complete at least 18 credits in History courses, distributed as follows:
1) At least 3 credits in EACH of the following 3 areas:
a) European history
b) U.S. history
c) Non-western or Global history.
2) At least 9 credits in courses numbered 300 or above, taken at UWM.
 

CRITERIA APPLIED JOINTLY TO HISTORY MAJORS AND HISTORY MINORS
Courses may count toward the fulfillment of more than one requirement.  Students must maintain a 2.500 GPA
in all History credits attempted at UWM and a 2.500 GPA in all History credits attempted at all institutions attended,
collectively.  In History courses taken on a credit/no credit basis (whether applied to the requirements of the major or minor
or not, and whether taken before or after the major or minor has been declared), regular letter grades are recorded on
student transcripts and are used in GPA calculations.
 

CATEGORIZATION OF COURSES BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA
Following are the areas towards which courses count in the fulfillment of major and minor requirements:

European History: History 101, 102, 201 through 206, 220, 226 through 228, 235, 236, 238, 239, 241, 242,
248 through 250, 301 through 369, 371, 374, 375.

U.S. History: History 150, 151, 152, 229, 243 through 245, 251, 262 through 272, 403 through 474, 654.

Non-Western or Global History: History 131, 132, 141, 175, 176, 180, 210, 215, 246, 274, 275, 280 through 283,
285 through  287, 290, 295, 372, 376 through 397, 400 through 402, 596.

Geographic Area Determined by Specific Topic: History 190, 192, 193, 199, 200, 296, 297, 299, 370, 373, 398,
399, 497, 499, 594, 599, 600, 681, 682, 699. The geographic area of concentration in sections of History 600, where
the same is not obvious in the title, is by default designated in accordance with the primary teaching interests of the instructor.
In such cases, and with the instructor's approval, History 600 can count toward different areas for different students, as
determined by the predominant focus of their individual work in the course. Note that in such cases History 600 can not
be considered a Non-Western or Global  course unless at least a substantial part of the student’s work includes the
study of either Asian, African, Middle Eastern, or Latin American History.

No Geographic Category: History 288, 289, 291, 293, 294, 489, 595, 651.

Note:  If taken prior to the Spring, 2006 semester, History 246 counts as a European History course.
 

ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL HISTORY (Pre-1500) REQUIREMENT
The following courses satisfy the pre-1500 requirement of the History major: History 101, 131, 175, 201 through 204, 235,
274, 280, 301, 303, 304, 307, 308, 318 through 320, 325, 376, 383, 384.

The following variable-topics courses satisfy the pre-1500 requirement of the History major if the specific topic deals
preponderantly with the era prior to 1500:  History 192, 193, 199, 200, 250, 270, 290, 296, 297, 299, 370 through 373,
398 through 402, 497, 499, 594, 599, 600, 681, 682, 699.  As individual student topics may vary in History 600, that
course can, with the instructor’s approval, count toward the pre-1500 requirement for certain students, as determined by
the predominant focus of their individual work in the course.

Note: If taken prior to the Spring, 2007 semester, History 385 also counts as a pre-1500 course.
 

VARIABLE-TOPICS COURSES TAKEN AS REPEATS
Unless indicated otherwise in the schedule of classes, enrollment in a variable-topics course is considered a "repeat" of an
earlier enrollment in that course ONLY if the specific topic is exactly the same in each semester.
 

CROSS-LISTED AND JOINTLY-OFFERED COURSES
Portuguese 360, with the sub-title or topic "History of Brazil", may be used to fulfill the requirements of the
undergraduate major or minor in history. It counts as a non-western/global history course.   Following are courses
offered by other departments with identical course numbers in History, and they may be taken to fulfill the
requirements of the undergraduate major or minor in History:  Health Care Administration 228; Hebrew Studies 274;
Hebrew Studies 275; Jewish Studies 358; Jewish Studies 379; Philosophy 275.
 

HONORS IN HISTORY
History majors who maintain a 3.0 GPA in all credits attempted at UWM, a 3.5 GPA in all History credits attempted
at UWM, and a 3.5 GPA in all History advanced credits (courses numbered 300 or higher) attempted at UWM
graduate with "honors" in the History major.
 

SENIOR THESIS OPTION
Students choosing this two-semester sequence (History 681-682) write a substantial research paper on a topic of
their choice in consultation with a faculty thesis advisor. The prerequisites for History 681 are the same as for
History 600. Students must also receive approval from the faculty thesis advisor and department chair prior to
enrolling. History majors with a GPA of 3.333 or higher in all history credits attempted may, with the consent of
the faculty thesis advisor and the department chair, take the sequence in lieu of History 600 to satisfy (in part) major
requirements and the L&S research course requirement. To access and print out the senior thesis proposal form,
point to: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/History/pdf/senior_thesis.doc
 

INDEPENDENT STUDY
Students enrolling in independent study (History 199 for freshmen and sophomores; History 699 for juniors and
seniors) must have a minimum GPA of 2.500 in all credits attempted at UWM. It is recommended that students
work only with faculty from whom they have previously taken classes and they may not enroll in independent study
for work already completed. When enrolling, students shall select the section number of the instructor with whom
they will be working. Students must, after consulting with said instructor, complete in typewritten form and print
out the following:  http://www.uwm.edu/letsci/forms/independentstudy.doc. This form contains the details of the
independent study proposal; it should be completed during the first two weeks of the semester. The supervising
faculty member, the department chair, and the dean must approve the proposal. A student should not take more
than three credits of independent study in one semester from the same faculty member. Students may apply no
more than six credits in independent study courses toward the requirements of the History major, and no more
than three credits in independent study courses toward the requirements of the History minor.
 

INTERNSHIPS
Students wishing to do an internship for credit (History 289 for freshmen and sophomores; History 489 for juniors
and seniors) should consult with one of the coordinators of public history -- either Professor Michael Gordon
(Holton 346, x-4314, mgordon@uwm.edu) or Professor Jasmine Alinder (Holton 385, x-3675, jalinder@uwm.edu.
Students must, prior to enrolling in either History 289 or History 489, print out and complete a Student Internship
Application (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/History/pdf/internship_app.doc) and a Faculty and Student Internship
Contract (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/History/pdf/internship_contract.doc).