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As the American Historical Association has noted, “We all interpret and narrate the past, which is to say that we all participate in making history. It is among our most fundamental tools for understanding ourselves and the world around us.” The History Department at DePaul University embraces this idea, and is committed to engaging with students, the university, and the wider community in an ongoing effort to understand the past and its varied meanings, the critical and scholarly debates through which we gain such understanding, and the relationship of the past to the problems of the present.

The history program at DePaul combines a breadth of chronological and geographical coverage with the opportunity to develop a concentration in a student’s fields of interest. Instruction emphasizes the humanistic as well as the social scientific dimension of the field. One-hundred and two-hundred-level courses (lower division) provide surveys of Asian, African, European, Latin American, North American and World and Comparative History. A main focus of these lower division courses is teaching students how to evaluate primary sources. Three-hundred-level courses (upper division) concentrate on historical debates within specific fields. All courses stress development of research, writing and oral communications skills.

The history major gives students a broad base of knowledge and skills applicable to a variety of careers. Many of our graduates go on to work in the fields of education and law. Others pursue jobs in government and politics; museums, historical societies, and libraries; and business and commercial ventures. A wide range of employers find that history majors have honed critical analytical and communications skills, making them ideal candidates for positions of requiring responsibility and independent work habits.​​

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
Liberal Studies Requirements 84
Major Requirements (Core + Concentration) 56
Open Electives 52
Total hours required 192

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Describe and discuss historical facts, themes, and ideas.
  • Identify, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize primary and secondary source evidence.
  • Analyze an event, source, idea or person within its historical context.
  • Critically evaluate change over time.
  • Identify different perspectives on the past, whether those be historical, interpretive, or methodological in nature.
  • Conduct research independently using primary and secondary source evidence.
  • Express knowledge and reason effectively in writing.

College Core Requirements

Study in the Major Field

The student’s course of study in the College consists of three parts: Liberal Studies, the major field, and electives. Together these three parts contribute to the liberal education of the student which is the common purpose of all study in the College. By “liberal education” the College understands not only a deep and thorough knowledge of a particular area of study but a knowledge of the diverse areas of study represented by criticism, history, the arts, the behavioral  and social sciences, philosophy, religious studies, the natural science, and mathematics. 

The major field program generally is built upon a set of core courses and a specialized “concentration.” The number of courses required for a major varies by department. Most students go beyond the minimum requirements, electing additional courses which both broaden and deepen their understanding of their chosen discipline. 

Because no academic major program is built in isolation, students are required to pursue a number of electives of the student’s choice. The inherent flexibility of this curriculum demands that the student consult an academic advisor at each stage in the total program and at least once prior to each registration.

Students will be prompted to visit the College Office for their official graduation check early in their senior year.

Declaration of Major, Minor and Concentration

All students in the College are required to declare a major field prior to beginning their junior year. The student will then be assigned a faculty advisor in the major field department or program and should make an appointment to see that advisor at his or her earliest convenience. 

Students must declare or change majors, minors, and concentrations, via Campus Connection. However, for the purpose of exploring the possibility of changing a major field, the student should consult an academic advisor in the Office for Academic Advising Support.

The Modern Language Requirement (MLR)  

All students will be required to demonstrate competence in a modern language (i.e., a language other than English) equivalent to the proficiency attained from one year of college-level language study. This Modern Language Requirement (MLR) may be demonstrated by:

  • placing into 104 or above on the DePaul language placement exam
  • completing the last course or earning AP/IB credit for the last course in the first-year college sequence of any language (e.g. 103 for DePaul language classes)
  • completing a college course or earning AP/IB credit for a college course beyond the first-year level in any language (e.g. 104 or above for DePaul language classes)
  • completing the final course of a four-year sequence of the same modern language in high school*
  • completing a proctored exam by BYU and passing the exam (see the Department of Modern Languages website for registration details)
  • completing a proctored Written Proficiency Test (WPT) by Language Testing International (LTI) and achieving a score of Beginner High or above (see the Department of Modern Languages website for registration details)

*Students are strongly encouraged to take the DePaul language placement exam even if they have met the MLR via study of a language in high school. This will ensure continuation of language study at the proper level.

Please note: Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Requirement.

Students who complete an Inter-College Transfer (ICT) to the College will abide by the MLR in place on the effective date of the ICT, regardless of when they first matriculated at DePaul.

Students who have met the MLR and wish to pursue further work in the language may elect the “Modern Language Option” (see below).

The Modern Language Option (MLO)

The Modern Language Option is available to all BA students who wish to study a modern language beyond the level required by their College, and to all other undergraduate students without a modern language requirement who wish to study a language at any level. 

Students selecting the MLO may substitute a sequence of three courses in the same language for three domain courses. 

The three MLO substitutions must be made in three different domains, and any substitutions must be consistent with the principle that students complete at least one course in each learning domain.

MLO substitutions may not be used to replace requirements in the Math & Computing, and Scientific Inquiry, domains. ​

Students majoring in one modern language may use the Modern Language Option for study of a second language at the Intermediate level or above.

Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Option.

NOTE: Please contact your college/school regarding additional information and restrictions about the Modern Language Option.

External Credit and Residency

A student who has been admitted to the College begins residency within the college as of the first day of classes of the term in which the student is registered. Students in residence, whether attending on a full-time or part-time basis, may not take courses away from DePaul University without the written permission of the college. Permission must be obtained in advance of registration to avoid loss of credit or residency in the college; see the LAS website for more information. 

Liberal Studies Requirements

Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year ProgramHours
Chicago Quarter
LSP 110
DISCOVER CHICAGO
or EXPLORE CHICAGO
4
Focal Point
LSP 112 FOCAL POINT SEMINAR 4
Writing
WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 4
WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 4
Quantitative Reasoning
MAT 120 QUANTITATIVE REASONING 2 4
Sophomore Year
Race, Power, and Resistance
LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE 4
Junior Year
Experiential Learning
Required 4
Senior Year
Capstone
HST 390 CAPSTONE IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND WRITING 1,3 4
1

Students must earn a C- or better in this course.

2

Readiness for MAT 120 is determined by the math placement test taken online after admission. Students may need to take developmental coursework prior to MAT 120. The MAT 120 requirement may be waived by passing a dedicated proficiency exam, or by credit earned for advanced math coursework at DePaul (MAT 135MAT 136MAT 147MAT 148MAT 149MAT 150MAT 151MAT 152MAT 155MAT 156MAT 160MAT 161MAT 162MAT 170MAT 171MAT 172, or equivalent) or any transfer, CLEP, IB, or AP Calculus credit. Calculus course(s) may be used to fulfil any of the three QR/MCD requirements.

3

A student majoring in History (HST) is required to complete the Capstone offered by the History Department. This is the case even if a student is double majoring (or pursuing a dual degree) and the secondary major (or degree) requires its own Capstone. An HST major in the University Honors Program shall take the University Honors Capstone and the HST Capstone.​

Learning Domains

Arts and Literature (AL)

  • 3 Courses Required

Historical Inquiry (HI)

  • Not Required

Math and Computing (MC)

  • 2 Courses Required
    [1 CR Course and 1 SR Course]

Philosophical Inquiry (PI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Religious Dimensions (RD)

  • 2 Courses Required

Scientific Inquiry (SI)

  • 2 Courses Required
    [1 Lab Course and 1 SWK Course]

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)

  • 3 Courses Required

Notes

A student majoring in History (HST) is required to complete the Capstone offered by the History Department.  This is the case even if a student is double majoring (or pursuing a dual degree) and the secondary major (or degree) requires its own Capstone.  An HST major in the University Honors Program shall take the University Honors Capstone and the HST Capstone.​
Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.

In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

Core

Course Title Quarter Hours
HST 298INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL SOURCES AND METHODS 14
HST 299CRAFT OF HISTORY4
HST 390CAPSTONE IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND WRITING4
1

Important note: Students must complete WRD 103 and WRD 104 or HON 101 prior to enrolling in HST 298. For all concentrations, HON 102 may be counted toward lower division requirements.

Concentration Requirements

Students must also complete the requirements from one of the following concentrations: standard, pre-law, public history, or secondary-education. 

​Concentration Requirements

Concentrations, tracks and specializations provide focus to the major. In addition to any college core requirements, liberal studies requirements and major requirements, students are required to choose one of the following: