Courses | Faculty
Contact: Anne F. Broadbridge
Office: 611 Herter
Phone: (413) 545-6757
Email: advising@history.umass.edu
Website: www.umass.edu/history

History is the study of the past based on finding, evaluating, and interpreting recorded evidence. It is a discipline that seeks both to understand the past in its own terms and to explain the present in light of the past. Historical fields are usually defined by period, place, and theme—for example, modern American cultural history. The history curriculum is intended to encourage the exploration of the past in a variety of fields and to foster the skills necessary to discover and express effectively an understanding of the past. Generally, courses of greater breadth are offered at the 100 level and courses of greater depth are offered at the upper levels. Often but not always, the higher the level the smaller the class. The department offers honors courses at all levels and encourages qualified majors to enroll in Commonwealth College. History honors courses are generally taught as seminars.

The department offers a variety of prizes, internships, scholarships, and extracurricular activities to reward academic achievement in history and to enrich classroom learning. A history club, organized and run by students, is open to both majors and non-majors. Club activities include trips to historic sites, lectures, and social events. The national history honor society, Phi Alpha Theta, has a chapter at the university. Any undergraduate or graduate student with a GPA in history of 3.100 or above, with at least 12 completed history credits and a general GPA of at least 3.000, may apply. The department also encourages majors to take part in study abroad programs.

The Major
History majors must complete 12 courses totaling at least 36 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.000, distributed as follows:

Restrictions
1. No upper-level history course may be taken elsewhere without prior approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Majors, including transfer students, must take a minimum of four upper-level courses in the department.
2. History courses taken Pass/Fail will not be counted toward requirements for a major.
3. No history course in which a grade of D+ or lower has been earned will satisfy requirements for the major.
4. If appropriate in subject matter, the pro-seminar (591-595) may be used to satisfy requirements D and E above.
5. Majors may count no more than 20 history courses toward the B.A. degree (a total of no more than 60 credits, in lower- and upper-level work).

Career Opportunities
The study of history provides majors with the research, analytical, and communication skills necessary to every type of career. These skills include the ability to read quickly and pick out important points, to assimilate and synthesize information from a variety of sources, to present information effectively in oral and written form, and to make an informed judgment and to argue its merits. Students of history learn how to ask pertinent questions and to find answers through research and logical thought. In short, history is a particularly appropriate preparation for careers in law, journalism, government service, diplomacy, business, resource management, and teaching.

Universities and Colleges offering History