History

University of California, Berkeley

About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Department of History offers a program of instruction ranging widely over the historical record of human experience. The chronological, geographical, and topical range affords great flexibility to students working toward degrees in history and to those who wish to give a historical dimension to their studies in other disciplines. History at Berkeley is a highly flexible major that allows students to follow their interests. It is also a major that places strong value on original student research, with all students completing capstone projects on topics they choose in consultation with members of the faculty.

Declaring the Major

Students may declare the major after completing three letter-graded courses in the Department of History with a 2.0 grade-point average (GPA) or better.

Honors Program

To graduate with honors in History, a major must achieve a general GPA of 3.5, a departmental GPA of 3.7, and a minimum grade of "A-" in HISTORY 102 or HISTORY 101A/HISTORY 101B.  All students will be eligible to be nominated for high or highest honors in History regardless of whether they complete the semester-long (HISTORY 102) or yearlong (HISTORY 101A/HISTORY 101B) thesis. The students must receive a nomination for high or highest honors from their thesis instructor. The decision to award high or highest honors rests with the Honors Committee.

Minor Program

The Department of History offers a minor in History.

Students are welcome to meet with the minor advisor to file a "History Minor Application" once they have completed at least one course towards the minor.  Students who have taken their lower division minor course elsewhere should indicate the school on the application so the course can be verified on assist.org and the grade can be verified through CalCentral.

All students must submit a completed “History Minor Application” no later than one semester before a student's Expected Graduation Term (EGT).  If the semester before EGT is fall or spring, the deadline is the last day of RRR week. If the semester before EGT is summer, the deadline is the final Friday of Summer Sessions.  L&S students must additionally submit a signed "Completion of L&S Minor" during their final semester.

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Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the following requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
  2. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Summary of Major Requirements

Lower division Requirements: Four courses
Upper division Requirements: Eight courses
Pre-modern History Requirement: One course, used in fulfillment of either lower or upper division requirements
One section of HISTORY 104
A Proseminar course: At least one section of HISTORY 103
A Thesis Course: One section of HISTORY 102 OR the HISTORY 101A/B series

 Lower Division Requirements

Select 3 different courses from 3 different world regions: 1
Introduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Settlement to Civil War [4]
Introduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Civil War to Present [4]
The Ancient Mediterranean World [4]
Medieval Europe [4]
European Civilization from the Renaissance to the Present [4]
Islamic and Eastern Roman History [4]
History of China: Origins to the Mongol Conquest [4]
Introduction to Chinese History: From the Mongols to Post-Mao China [4]
Latin American History: Becoming Latin America, 1492 to 1824 [4]
Latin American History: Modern Latin America [4]
African History [4]
Introduction to the Civilizations and Cultures of South Asia [4]
The Middle East [4]
Introduction to the History of Japan [4]
Global History [4]
Comparative World History [4]
Introduction to the History of Religion [4]
Science and Society [4]
HISTORY 39 A-Z Freshman Sophomore Seminar
1

 Students may substitute one upper division course for one of these requirements, in consultation with the Undergraduate Adviser. The substitute course will not then fulfill one of the eight upper division requirements.

Upper Division Requirements

Select eight courses, including the following:

One section of HISTORY 104
At least one section from the HISTORY 103 series
One section of HISTORY 102 OR the HISTORY 101A/HISTORY 101B series
HISTORY 100ACSpecial Topics in the History of the United States4
HISTORY 100APSpecial Topics in Ancient History (Premodern)4
HISTORY 100BSpecial Topics in European History4
HISTORY 100BPSpecial Topics in Medieval History (Premodern)4
HISTORY 100DSpecial Topics in the History of the United States4
HISTORY 100ESpecial Topics in Latin American History4
HISTORY 100FSpecial Topics in Asian History4
HISTORY 100HSpecial Topics in African History4
HISTORY 100LSpecial Topics in Legal History4
HISTORY 100MSpecial Topics in the History of the Middle East4
HISTORY 100SSpecial Topics in the History of Science4
HISTORY 100STSpecial Topics in the History of Science (CalTeach)4
HISTORY 100USpecial Topics in Comparative History4
HISTORY 100UPSpecial Topics in Comparative History (Premodern)4
HISTORY N100Special Topics in History: Short Course2
HISTORY 101Course Not Available
HISTORY 103AProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Ancient4
HISTORY 103BProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Europe4
HISTORY 103CProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: England4
HISTORY 103DProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: United States4
HISTORY 103EProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Latin America4
HISTORY 103FProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Asia4
HISTORY 103HProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Africa4
HISTORY 103MProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Middle East4
HISTORY 103SProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: History of Science4
HISTORY 103UProseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Comparative History4
HISTORY 104The Craft of History4
HISTORY 105AAncient Greece: Archaic and Classical Greek History4
HISTORY 105BAncient Greece: The Greek World: 403-31 BCE4
HISTORY 106AAncient Rome: The Roman Republic4
HISTORY 106BAncient Rome: The Roman Empire4
HISTORY 108Byzantium4
HISTORY 109AThe Rise of Islamic Civilization, 600-12004
HISTORY 109BThe Middle East, 1000-17504
HISTORY 109CThe Middle East From the 18th Century to the Present4
HISTORY 111ATopics in the History of Southeast Asia: Southeast Asia to the 18th Century4
HISTORY 111BTopics in the History of Southeast Asia: Modern Southeast Asia4
HISTORY 111CTopics in the History of Southeast Asia: Political and Cultural History of Vietnam4
HISTORY 111DVietnam at War4
HISTORY 112APrecolonial Africa4
HISTORY 112BAfrica: Modern South Africa, 1652-Present4
HISTORY 112CColonialism and Nationalism in Africa4
HISTORY 113BModern Korean History4
HISTORY 114APolitics, Culture, and Philosophy in South Asia before Modernity4
HISTORY 114BIndia: Modern South Asia4
HISTORY 116AChina: Early China4
HISTORY 116BChina: Two Golden Ages: China During the Tang and Song Dynasties4
HISTORY 116CChina: Modern China4
HISTORY 116DChina: Twentieth-Century China4
HISTORY 116GImperial China and the World4
HISTORY 117ATopics in Chinese History: Chinese Popular Culture4
HISTORY 117CTopics in Chinese History: Reading the Visual in Chinese History4
HISTORY 117DTopics in Chinese History: The Chinese Body: Gender and Sex, Health, and Medicine4
HISTORY 118AJapan: Japan, Archaeological Period to 18004
HISTORY 118BJapan: Japan 1800-19004
HISTORY 118CThe Twentieth Century in Japan4
HISTORY 119ATopics in Japanese History: Postwar Japan4
HISTORY 120ACAmerican Environmental and Cultural History4
HISTORY 121AThe Atlantic World4
HISTORY 121BThe Colonial Period and American Revolution: The American Revolution4
HISTORY 122ACAntebellum America: The Advent of Mass Society4
HISTORY 123Civil War and Reconstruction4
HISTORY 124AThe Recent United States: The United States from the Late 19th Century to the Eve of World War II4
HISTORY 124BThe Recent United States: The United States from World War II4
HISTORY 125AAfrican American History and Race Relations: 1450-18604
HISTORY 125BAfrican American History and Race Relations: 1860-20164
HISTORY 127ACCalifornia4
HISTORY 128ACCalifornia, the West, and the World4
HISTORY 130American Foreign Policy4
HISTORY 131BSocial History of the United States: Creating Modern American Society: From the End of the Civil War4
HISTORY 131CIn the Shadow of War: A Social History of the U.S. Military4
HISTORY C132BIntellectual History of the United States since 18654
HISTORY 132CAmerican Religious History4
HISTORY 133AThe History of American Capitalism4
HISTORY 133BWall Street / Main Street4
HISTORY 134AThe Age of the City: The Age of the City, 1825-19334
HISTORY 134BThe Age of the City: The 20th Century to the Present4
HISTORY 135BEncounter & Conquest in Indigenous America4
HISTORY 136AThe History of Women in the United States before 19004
HISTORY 136BGender and Sexuality in Twentieth-Century US History4
HISTORY 136CDefiant Women: Gender, Power and Violence in American History4
HISTORY W136CDefiant Women: Gender, Power and Violence in American History4
HISTORY 137ACImmigrants and Immigration as U.S. History4
HISTORY 138History of Science in the U.S.4
HISTORY 138THistory of Science in the US CalTeach4
HISTORY C139BThe American Immigrant Experience4
HISTORY C139CCivil Rights and Social Movements in U.S. History4
HISTORY C139DFrom Civil Rights Era to the New Gilded Age4
HISTORY 140BMexico: Modern Mexico4
HISTORY 141BSocial History of Latin America: Social History of Modern Latin America4
HISTORY 142Cuba in World History4
HISTORY 143Brazil4
HISTORY 145Latin America in Film4
HISTORY 146Latin American Women4
HISTORY 149BMedieval Italy: Italy in the Age of Dante (1000-1350)4
HISTORY 150BMedieval England: from the Conquest to 14854
HISTORY 151AEarly Modern Britain, 1485-1750: Reformation to Revolution, Island to Empire4
HISTORY 151BBritain 1485-Present: Britain, 1660-18514
HISTORY 151CMaker of the Modern World? Britain since 17504
HISTORY 152ATopics in the History of the British Isles: Ireland Since the Union4
HISTORY 155AMedieval Europe: From the Late Empire to the Investiture Conflict4
HISTORY 155BMedieval Europe: From the Investiture Conflict to the Fifteenth Century4
HISTORY 156CThe Justice of the State in the Middle Ages4
HISTORY C157The Renaissance and the Reformation4
HISTORY 158AModern Europe: Old Regime and Revolutionary Europe, 1715-18154
HISTORY 158BModern Europe: Europe in the 19th Century4
HISTORY 158CModern Europe: Old and New Europe, 1914-Present4
HISTORY 158DHistory of Fascism4
HISTORY 159ACourse Not Available4
HISTORY 159BThe Power of Ideas: The History of Economic and Social Thought4
HISTORY 160The International Economy of the 20th Century4
HISTORY 162AEurope and the World: Wars, Empires, Nations 1648-19144
HISTORY 162BWar and Peace: International Relations since 19144
HISTORY 162CWorld War II4
HISTORY 164AThe Birth of Modern Thought: European Intellectual History, 1500-18004
HISTORY 164BModern European Intellectual History: European Intellectual History from Enlightenment to 18704
HISTORY 164CModern European Intellectual History: European Intellectual History 1870 to the Present4
HISTORY 165ATopics in Modern European History: The Reformations of Christendom4
HISTORY 165BThe Enlightenment: Culture, Society, and Politics in Europe, 1680-18004
HISTORY 165DThe Social and Cultural History of Early Modern Europe4
HISTORY 166BModern France: Renaissance to Revolution4
HISTORY 166CModern France4
HISTORY 167AModern Germany: Early Modern Germany4
HISTORY 167BModern Germany: The Rise and Fall of the Second Reich: Germany 1770-19184
HISTORY 167CModern Germany: Germany 1914 to the Present4
HISTORY 167DBerlin and the Twentieth Century4
HISTORY 168ASpain and Portugal: The Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the Golden Age: 1450-17004
HISTORY 169AModern Italy: Renaissance and Baroque Italy 1350-18004
HISTORY 170The Netherlands4
HISTORY 171ARussia: Russia to 17004
HISTORY 171BAutocracy and Society in Romanov Russia4
HISTORY 171CRussia: History of the Soviet Union4
HISTORY 172Nationalism, Socialism, and Gender in Russia, 1800-19504
HISTORY 173BHistory of Eastern Europe: The Habsburg Empire, 1740-19184
HISTORY 173CHistory of Eastern Europe: History of Eastern Europe: From 1900 to the Present4
HISTORY 174ATopics in the History of Eastern Europe: A History of Poland-Lithuania4
HISTORY 174BTopics in the History of Eastern Europe: Poles and Others: the Making of Modern Poland4
HISTORY 175BJews in the Modern World4
HISTORY 175CJews and Judaism: From Paris to Jerusalem and Beyond4
HISTORY 175DMuslim-Jewish Encounters: From the Beginnings of Islam to Today4
HISTORY 177AArmenia and Armenians from Ancient to Medieval Eras4
HISTORY 177BArmenia: From Pre-modern Empires to the Present4
HISTORY 178History of the Holocaust4
HISTORY 180The Life Sciences since 17504
HISTORY 180THistory of the Life Sciences Since 1750 (Cal Teach)4
HISTORY 181BTopics in the History of the Physical Sciences: Modern Physics: From the Atom to Big Science4
HISTORY 182AScience, Technology, and Society4
HISTORY 182ATScience, Technology, and Society (Cal Teach)4
HISTORY C182CIntroduction to Science, Technology, and Society4
HISTORY 183Topics in the History of Medicine4
HISTORY 183ADisease, Health and Medicine in American History4
HISTORY C184DHuman Contexts and Ethics of Data - DATA/History/STS4
HISTORY 185AChristianity: The Beginnings4
HISTORY 185BHistory of Christianity: History of Christianity from 12504
HISTORY 186International and Global History since 19454
HISTORY C187The History and Practice of Human Rights4
HISTORY C188AArt and Science4
HISTORY C188BArt and Science4
HISTORY C188CMagic, Religion, and Science: The Ancient and Medieval Worlds4
HISTORY 190Soccer: A Global History4
HISTORY C191Death, Dying, and Modern Medicine: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives4
HISTORY C194Dutch Culture and Society: Amsterdam and Berkeley in the Sixties4
HISTORY 199Supervised Independent Study and Research (May count towards the eight upper division requirements if taken for four units, one time only. See advisor.)1-4

Pre-Modern Requirement

At least one course used to fulfill the major requirements must be devoted entirely to pre-modern history, to be selected from courses focused on one or more of the following eras: antiquity, the classical period, and the medieval period. Courses dealing solely with the early modern period do not satisfy this requirement.

HISTORY 2Comparative World History ("Ancient Empires")4
HISTORY 3Islamic and Eastern Roman History4
HISTORY 4AThe Ancient Mediterranean World4
HISTORY 4BMedieval Europe4
HISTORY 6AHistory of China: Origins to the Mongol Conquest4
HISTORY 100APSpecial Topics in Ancient History4
HISTORY 100UPSpecial Topics in Comparative History ("Premodern")4
HISTORY 105AAncient Greece: Archaic and Classical Greek History4
HISTORY 105BAncient Greece: The Greek World: 403-31 BCE4
HISTORY 106AAncient Rome: The Roman Republic4
HISTORY 106BAncient Rome: The Roman Empire4
HISTORY 108Byzantium4
HISTORY 109AThe Rise of Islamic Civilization, 600-12004
HISTORY 109BThe Middle East, 1000-17504
HISTORY 111ATopics in the History of Southeast Asia: Southeast Asia to the 18th Century4
HISTORY 114APolitics, Culture, and Philosophy in South Asia before Modernity4
HISTORY 116AChina: Early China4
HISTORY 116BChina: Two Golden Ages: China During the Tang and Song Dynasties4
HISTORY 117DTopics in Chinese History: The Chinese Body: Gender and Sex, Health, and Medicine4
HISTORY 118AJapan: Japan, Archaeological Period to 18004
HISTORY 149BMedieval Italy: Italy in the Age of Dante (1000-1350)4
HISTORY 150BMedieval England: from the Conquest to 14854
HISTORY 155AMedieval Europe: From the Late Empire to the Investiture Conflict4
HISTORY 155BMedieval Europe: From the Investiture Conflict to the Fifteenth Century4
HISTORY 171ARussia: Russia to 17004
HISTORY 177AArmenia and Armenians from Ancient to Medieval Eras4
HISTORY 185AChristianity: The Beginnings4

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements.

General Guidelines

  1. All minors must be declared before the first day of classes in your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). For summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A. 

  2. All upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade. 

  3. All upper division courses for the history minor are required to be taken at UC Berkeley.  The lower division history requirement may be taken at a community college, as long as it has an equivalent on Assist.org.

  4. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required in the upper-division courses to fulfill the minor requirements.

  5. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.

  6. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.

  7. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If students cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, they should see a College of Letters & Science adviser.

  8. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

Lower Division
Select one of the following courses:
Global History [4]
Comparative World History [4]
Islamic and Eastern Roman History [4]
The Ancient Mediterranean World [4]
Medieval Europe [4]
European Civilization from the Renaissance to the Present [4]
History of China: Origins to the Mongol Conquest [4]
Introduction to Chinese History: From the Mongols to Post-Mao China [4]
Introduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Settlement to Civil War [4]
Introduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Civil War to Present [4]
Latin American History: Becoming Latin America, 1492 to 1824 [4]
Latin American History: Modern Latin America [4]
African History [4]
Introduction to the Civilizations and Cultures of South Asia [4]
The Middle East [4]
Introduction to the History of Japan [4]
Introduction to the History of Religion [4]
Science and Society [4]
39 A-Z Freshman Sophomore Seminar
Upper Division
Select five courses from the following:
Africa
Special Topics in African History [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Africa [4]
Precolonial Africa [4]
Africa: Modern South Africa, 1652-Present [4]
Colonialism and Nationalism in Africa [4]
Asia
Special Topics in Asian History [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Asia [4]
Topics in the History of Southeast Asia: Southeast Asia to the 18th Century [4]
Topics in the History of Southeast Asia: Modern Southeast Asia [4]
Topics in the History of Southeast Asia: Political and Cultural History of Vietnam [4]
Vietnam at War [4]
Modern Korean History [4]
Politics, Culture, and Philosophy in South Asia before Modernity [4]
India: Modern South Asia [4]
China: Early China [4]
China: Two Golden Ages: China During the Tang and Song Dynasties [4]
China: Modern China [4]
China: Twentieth-Century China [4]
Imperial China and the World [4]
Topics in Chinese History: Chinese Popular Culture [4]
Topics in Chinese History: Reading the Visual in Chinese History [4]
Topics in Chinese History: The Chinese Body: Gender and Sex, Health, and Medicine [4]
Japan: Japan, Archaeological Period to 1800 [4]
Japan: Japan 1800-1900 [4]
The Twentieth Century in Japan [4]
Topics in Japanese History: Postwar Japan [4]
Europe
Special Topics in Ancient History [4]
Special Topics in Medieval History [4]
Special Topics in European History [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Ancient [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Europe [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: England [4]
Ancient Greece: Archaic and Classical Greek History [4]
Ancient Greece: The Greek World: 403-31 BCE [4]
Ancient Rome: The Roman Republic [4]
Ancient Rome: The Roman Empire [4]
Medieval Italy: Italy in the Age of Dante (1000-1350) [4]
Medieval England: from the Conquest to 1485 [4]
Early Modern Britain, 1485-1750: Reformation to Revolution, Island to Empire [4]
Britain 1485-Present: Britain, 1660-1851 [4]
Maker of the Modern World? Britain since 1750 [4]
Topics in the History of the British Isles: Ireland Since the Union [4]
Medieval Europe: From the Investiture Conflict to the Fifteenth Century [4]
Medieval Europe: From the Late Empire to the Investiture Conflict [4]
The Justice of the State in the Middle Ages [4]
The Renaissance and the Reformation [4]
Modern Europe: Old Regime and Revolutionary Europe, 1715-1815 [4]
Modern Europe: Europe in the 19th Century [4]
Modern Europe: Old and New Europe, 1914-Present [4]
History of Fascism [4]
HISTORY 159A
Course Not Available
The Power of Ideas: The History of Economic and Social Thought [4]
Europe and the World: Wars, Empires, Nations 1648-1914 [4]
World War II [4]
The Birth of Modern Thought: European Intellectual History, 1500-1800 [4]
Modern European Intellectual History: European Intellectual History from Enlightenment to 1870 [4]
Modern European Intellectual History: European Intellectual History 1870 to the Present [4]
Topics in Modern European History: The Reformations of Christendom [4]
The Enlightenment: Culture, Society, and Politics in Europe, 1680-1800 [4]
The Social and Cultural History of Early Modern Europe [4]
Modern France: Renaissance to Revolution [4]
Modern France [4]
Modern Germany: Early Modern Germany [4]
Modern Germany: The Rise and Fall of the Second Reich: Germany 1770-1918 [4]
Modern Germany: Germany 1914 to the Present [4]
Berlin and the Twentieth Century [4]
Spain and Portugal: The Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the Golden Age: 1450-1700 [4]
Modern Italy: Renaissance and Baroque Italy 1350-1800 [4]
The Netherlands [4]
Russia: Russia to 1700 [4]
Autocracy and Society in Romanov Russia [4]
Russia: History of the Soviet Union [4]
Nationalism, Socialism, and Gender in Russia, 1800-1950 [4]
History of Eastern Europe: The Habsburg Empire, 1740-1918 [4]
History of Eastern Europe: History of Eastern Europe: From 1900 to the Present [4]
Topics in the History of Eastern Europe: A History of Poland-Lithuania [4]
Topics in the History of Eastern Europe: Poles and Others: the Making of Modern Poland [4]
The History of Belonging and Coexistence in Modern Europe [6]
Jews in the Modern World [4]
Jews and Judaism: From Paris to Jerusalem and Beyond [4]
Muslim-Jewish Encounters: From the Beginnings of Islam to Today [4]
History of the Holocaust [4]
Christianity: The Beginnings [4]
History of Christianity: History of Christianity from 1250 [4]
Dutch Culture and Society: Amsterdam and Berkeley in the Sixties [4]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Special Topics in Latin American History [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Latin America [4]
Mexico: Modern Mexico [4]
Social History of Latin America: Social History of Modern Latin America [4]
Cuba in World History [4]
Brazil [4]
Latin America in Film [4]
Latin American Women [4]
Near and Middle East
Special Topics in the History of the Middle East [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Middle East [4]
Byzantium [4]
The Rise of Islamic Civilization, 600-1200 [4]
The Middle East, 1000-1750 [4]
The Middle East From the 18th Century to the Present [4]
Armenia and Armenians from Ancient to Medieval Eras [4]
Armenia: From Pre-modern Empires to the Present [4]
United States
Special Topics in the History of the United States [4]
Special Topics in the History of the United States [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: United States [4]
American Environmental and Cultural History [4]
The Atlantic World [4]
The Colonial Period and American Revolution: The American Revolution [4]
Antebellum America: The Advent of Mass Society [4]
Civil War and Reconstruction [4]
The Recent United States: The United States from the Late 19th Century to the Eve of World War II [4]
The Recent United States: The United States from World War II [4]
African American History and Race Relations: 1450-1860 [4]
African American History and Race Relations: 1860-2016 [4]
California [4]
California, the West, and the World [4]
American Foreign Policy [4]
Social History of the United States: Creating Modern American Society: From the End of the Civil War [4]
In the Shadow of War: A Social History of the U.S. Military [4]
Intellectual History of the United States since 1865 [4]
American Religious History [4]
The History of American Capitalism [4]
Wall Street / Main Street [4]
The Age of the City: The Age of the City, 1825-1933 [4]
The Age of the City: The 20th Century to the Present [4]
Encounter & Conquest in Indigenous America [4]
The History of Women in the United States before 1900 [4]
Gender and Sexuality in Twentieth-Century US History [4]
Defiant Women: Gender, Power and Violence in American History [4]
Immigrants and Immigration as U.S. History [4]
History of Science in the U.S. [4]
History of Science in the US CalTeach [4]
The American Immigrant Experience [4]
Civil Rights and Social Movements in U.S. History [4]
From Civil Rights Era to the New Gilded Age [4]
Comparative
Special Topics in Legal History [4]
Special Topics in the History of Science [4]
Special Topics in the History of Science (CalTeach) [4]
Special Topics in Comparative History [4]
Special Topics in Comparative History [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: History of Science [4]
Proseminar: Problems in Interpretation in the Several Fields of History: Comparative History [4]
The Craft of History [4]
The International Economy of the 20th Century [4]
War and Peace: International Relations since 1914 [4]
Jewish Civilization: Modern Period [4]
The Life Sciences since 1750 [4]
History of the Life Sciences Since 1750 (Cal Teach) [4]
Topics in the History of the Physical Sciences: Modern Physics: From the Atom to Big Science [4]
Science, Technology, and Society [4]
Science, Technology, and Society (Cal Teach) [4]
Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society [4]
Topics in the History of Medicine [4]
Disease, Health and Medicine in American History [4]
Human Contexts and Ethics of Data - DATA/History/STS [4]
International and Global History since 1945 [4]
The History and Practice of Human Rights [4]
Art and Science [4]
Art and Science [4]
Magic, Religion, and Science: The Ancient and Medieval Worlds [4]
Soccer: A Global History [4]
Death, Dying, and Modern Medicine: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives [4]

College Requirements

Undergraduate students must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For a detailed lists of L&S requirements, please see Overview tab to the right in this guide or visit the L&S Degree Requirements webpage. For College advising appointments, please visit the L&S Advising Pages. 

University of California Requirements

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley and must be taken for a letter grade. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and American Institutions requirements are based on the principle that all U.S. residents who have graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

Berkeley Campus Requirement

American Cultures

All undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass this campus requirement course in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses are plentiful and offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

College of Letters & Science Essential Skills Requirements

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer/data science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course taken for a letter grade.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work taken for a letter grade.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College of Letters and Science requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete parts A & B reading and composition courses in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester for a letter grade.

College of Letters & Science 7 Course Breadth Requirements

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

  • 120 total units

  • Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

  • Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department
Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes at Cal for four years, or two years for transfer students. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you graduate early, go abroad for a semester or year, or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an L&S College adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding UCEAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Plan of Study

Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the History major requirements before making a program plan. For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), see the College Requirements and Major Requirements tabs.

Freshman
FallUnitsSpringUnits
Lower Division US History (Historical Studies Breadth)4Lower Division European History (Social and Behavioral Sciences) Breadth)4
Reading and Composition A4Reading and Composition B4
American Cultures Requirement4L&S Breadth4
L&S Breadth3Lower Division Elective3
 15 15
Sophomore
FallUnitsSpringUnits
Lower Division Other World Area History4Lower Division History Elective4
L&S Breadth4American Cultures Requirement4
Lower Division Elective4L&S Breadth3
Lower Division Elective3L&S Breadth4
 15 15
Junior
FallUnitsSpringUnits
Upper Division History (1 of 6)4Upper Division History (3 of 6)4
Upper Division History (2 of 6)4Upper Division History (4 of 6)4
Lower or Upper Division Elective4Lower or Upper Division Elective4
Lower or Upper Division Elective3Upper Division L&S Non-Major Department Elective3
 15 15
Senior
FallUnitsSpringUnits
Upper Division History (5 of 6)4Upper Division History (6 of 6)4
One of the following proseminars:4HISTORY 101 
 Lower or Upper Division Elective3
 Lower or Upper Division Elective3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Upper Division L&S Non-Major Department Elective4 
Lower or Upper Division Elective3 
 15 10
Total Units: 115
1

 This is a sample program plan. This plan assumes that the student has completed the Entry Level Writing, American History and Institutions, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language requirements prior to admission.

2

 Students are strongly advised to work with an academic adviser to determine a personal program plan. Your program plan will differ depending on previous credit received, your course schedule, and available offerings.

3

 At least one of the 12 courses required for the major must be devoted entirely to premodern history.

4

 Field of Concentration requirement: HISTORY 101 plus at least 3 other upper division History courses. Students must submit the Field of Concentration form (online) two semesters prior to graduation. For a 4-year plan, submit form the spring term of the third year.

Accelerated Program Plans

For students considering graduating in less than four years, it's important to acknowledge the reasons to undertake such a plan of study. While there are advantages to pursuing a three-year degree plan such as reducing financial burdens, they are not for everyone and do involve sacrifices; especially with respect to participating in co-curricular activities, depth of study,  and summer internships, which typically lead to jobs upon graduation. All things considered, please see the tables for three and three and a half year degree options.

3.5 and 3 Year Plans

Student Learning Goals

Mission

The History major helps students learn to think critically and deeply about the historical processes that have shaped the world we live in. History majors are exposed to a temporally and geographically broad range of historical experience, but they are also required to concentrate on a world region or theme or a period in history, both in order to develop depth of understanding and in order to prepare for the capstone of the History major: an article-length, primary-source based, original research project. The major is designed to develop critical reading, thinking, and writing skills that will be needed to succeed in this capstone course.

Learning Goals for the Major

  1. Distinguish and characterize significant periods of historical experience in multiple societies from different parts of the globe.
  2. Describe events and developments in the history of multiple societies in terms of continuity, change, and causation.
  3. Understand interpretive debates about the past.
  4. Appreciate the complexities involved in interpreting societies and social change: for example, the local and the global, particular and general, contingent and structural.
  5. Identify different kinds of historical evidence and understand their role in the production of historical knowledge.

Skills

  1. Recall factual claims about the past and synthesize them into coherent interpretive arguments.
  2. Read documents closely and critically.
  3. Formulate a well-organized, well-supported argument.
  4. Demonstrate clear writing in the form of essays of varying lengths.
  5. Make cogent oral arguments about reading assignments in the context of a seminar discussion.
  6. Conduct original research with primary sources.
  7. Locate good, relevant secondary scholarship, and distinguish good from poor scholarship.
  8. Observe ethical practices of citation and intellectual self-presentation.

Major Map

Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.

Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:

View the History Major Map PDF.

Career & Internship Information

Career Services Overview

Our Vision

Cultivate a university-wide culture of career readiness, where every student engages in meaningful experiences, has a supportive professional community, and is empowered to achieve lifelong career success.

Our Mission

We are dedicated to advancing equity and access to career resources for every student and recent alumni of UC Berkeley.

We engage with students on their journey to reflect, discover, and design a personally meaningful career (Career Clarity).

We connect students with alumni, employers, and their larger professional community to forge meaningful relationships that will guide them into their early career (Career Connections).        

We empower students to develop the professional confidence and experience necessary to secure the career opportunities they seek (Career Competitiveness).

Berkeley Career Engagement utilizes Handshake, a powerful recruiting platform that uses cutting-edge technology to help students more easily connect with employers, jobs, internships, events, and resources, as well as access to career coaching appointments.

Career and Internship Resources

Berkeley Career Engagement offers a wide variety of programs and resources to support students of all majors and class levels.

  • Job & Internship Search Tools: Resume and cover letter writing, job search strategies, networking tools, interviewing skills, and more, can be found in their Career Readiness Workbook.

  • 24/7 Online Resources: Their Resources on Demand are here to help you engage and grow in your career development.

  • Career Coaching: They offer a wide variety of scheduled and drop-in appointment options based on major and topic.

  • Internships: Internship listings, search strategies, FAQs, and more.

  • Career Exploration: Discover their resources to help you explore career options, identify career goals, and develop effective career plans.

  • Events and Workshops: They deliver over 100 events each semester including workshops, alumni networking events, career panels, conferences, and Alumni Career Chats.

  • Career Fairs and Employer Information Sessions: They offer a variety of career fairs each year across different career fields and partner with numerous employers for on-campus information sessions.

Common Career Paths for History Majors

Career Destinations Survey

Every year the Career Center surveys graduating seniors about their post-graduation plans to better understand the career outcomes of our alumni including: career fields, job titles, specific employers, entry-level salaries, and graduate/professional school destinations. The data profiles by major provide an impressive overview of the diverse interests and achievements of recent graduates from UC Berkeley, including specific data for the History Department. Each survey year includes the August, December, and May graduating cohorts for that survey year. This data is designed to provide students, alumni, and employers with critical information about where Cal students go after graduation. As expected, college major does not restrict the employment or graduate school options that Cal students pursue. With careful planning, you can develop career-related skills and experiences that can prepare you for almost any job or graduate school field.

Sample Career Pathways

History majors go on to pursue a wide variety of career options including, but not limited to:

  • Local, state and federal government: Public policy, city and regional planning, judicial services, program administration, social services, intelligence, law enforcement, foreign service, research.
  • Politics: Elected or appointed leadership, campaign management, staff administration, special interest advocacy, lobbying.
  • Law: Prosecution, defense, corporate, public interest, mediation.
  • Nonprofit: Administration, management, public relations, fundraising/development, program coordination, grant writing, volunteer management.
  • Museums, curatorial and archival management: Acquisition, preservation, exhibition, research.
  • Education:
    • Primary and post-secondary: teaching, administration, library services.
    • Higher education: teaching, research, administration, student affairs, admissions, advising, community relations.
  • Business:  Sales, management, office administration, human resources, training, public relations, writing/editing.
  • Media: Editing, publishing, writing, sales, digital media, public relations, broadcasting.

Visit our Connecting Majors to Careers resource to explore additional career paths most commonly associated with over 80 majors, including History.

Courses

Contact Information

Department of History

3229 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-1971

Fax: 510-643-5323

history@berkeley.edu

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Cathryn Carson

3303 Dwinelle Hall

clcarson@berkeley.edu

Director of Student Services

Ricky Vides

3313 Dwinelle Hall

history-ssc@berkeley.edu

Curriculum Coordinator

David Harris

3305 Dwinelle Hall

history-scheduling@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Major/Minor Advisor

Cassandra Castillo

3226 Dwinelle Hall

history-undergradadvisor@berkeley.edu

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