Major
	History (BA) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minor
	History
Four-year Graduation Plan
	Yes
Honors
	Yes
Teacher Licensure
	Yes
Links
	Web Site Courses General Catalog

The study of history teaches students how to understand the world in light of its past. It includes study in other academic disciplines that broaden our historical insights.

For example, students interested in the history of the ancient Romans might fulfill the General Education Program foreign language requirement by studying Latin. Those interested in Japanese history before World War II could study Japanese, then sharpen their language skills and enhance their research by studying abroad in Japan.

• Why Study History at Iowa?
• Faculty
• Course Work
• Facilities and Resources
• Careers
• Scholarships

Why Study History at Iowa?
Iowa’s undergraduate history program features an outstanding, wide-ranging curriculum, with history courses focused on the United States, Africa, Latin America, East Asia, the Ancient Near East, and Europe—including medieval, early modern, and modern histories. The program is flexible, and it gives students a broad liberal arts base.

The department’s atmosphere is one of open and easy communication. A high level of mutual respect and understanding persists through the most heated intellectual debates and sustains critical thinking, both in and out of the classroom.

Approximately 500 undergraduates major in history at Iowa. First- and second-year students benefit from a seminar approach to education, taking small courses in which they develop reading, writing, and research skills crucial for successful history students.

Faculty
History faculty win numerous prestigious fellowships and honors each year, such as recent grants and fellowships from the Fulbright Program and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Faculty members have been elected to the United Kingdom’s Royal Historical Society and recognized for lifetime achievement by the Western History Association, among other honors. Several hold University of Iowa Faculty Scholar, Global Scholar, and Dean’s Scholar awards.

Course Work
Students majoring in history earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The BA requires a minimum of 120 semester hours (s.h.), including 36 s.h. for the major, which covers several world areas. You'll take:

• Two courses in American history
• Two courses in European history
• Two courses in non-Western world history
• One pre-1700 history course
• At least five elective courses
• One colloquium (American, European, or world history)

The Department of History emphasizes the ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, on historical matters. The required colloquium helps you to develop these skills. You’ll have a chance to visit an archive, conduct primary research, and write your own research paper. The paper will become part of your portfolio, which you'll submit to your advisor the semester before you graduate.

See History in the UI General Catalog to learn more about the major and for information about graduating with honors or earning a minor in history.

Facilities and Resources
The Department of History is located in Schaeffer Hall, one of the five historic buildings on the University's Pentacrest, and is just two blocks from the Main Library. The library houses the Henry A. Wallace papers and related items, the Iowa Women’s Archives, and other collections that will help you with your research. It is part of the University of Iowa Libraries, which has strong holdings in all aspects of U.S. history.

The State Historical Society of Iowa, in Iowa City, and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, in West Branch, Iowa, also are available for research.

Through its affiliations with several University programs, the Department of History offers access to materials from a variety of disciplines and resources:

• African American studies
• American Indian and native studies
• American studies
• Center for Asian and Pacific Studies
• Center for Recent United States History
• Center for the Book
• Gender, women’s, and sexuality studies
• International Programs
• Latin American studies
• Museum studies
• Obermann Center for Advanced Studies
• Project on Rhetorics of Inquiry

It also has excellent support services, such as the History Writing Center, where majors can get help strengthening their writing skills.

Careers
Iowa’s history graduates regularly meet the admission requirements of the best graduate and professional schools in the country. They also find careers in the health sciences, journalism, law, ministry, and in public service, including politics and philanthropic foundations.

Many become history teachers in elementary and secondary schools. Undergraduate majors may fulfill State of Iowa requirements for licensure as teachers of history and social studies by completing the College of Education’s Teacher Education Program.

History graduates always are in demand for commercial, financial, educational, and governmental employment because they possess many sought-after skills, such as clear expository writing.

Internships help students learn firsthand about careers available to history graduates. The history department and the Pomerantz Career Center offer information on a variety of internship programs at places such as the University of Iowa Women’s Archives, the State Historical Society of Iowa, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, the African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa, the Washington Center in Washington, D.C., and The Cloisters in New York City. Students also may combine internships with study abroad.

Scholarships
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and departmental web sites.