Undergraduate Degree
	BA in History from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minor
	History
Four-year Graduation Plan
	Yes
Teaching Licensure
	Yes
Links
	Web Site Courses General Catalog

Students who study history gain experience in understanding the world in light of its past. You’ll also take a variety of courses in other academic areas that will shed light on the meaning of the material you learn in history courses.

For example, if you’re interested in the history of the ancient Romans, you can fulfill your General Education Program foreign language requirement by studying Latin. If you have an interest in Japanese history during the pre-World War II period, you can study Japanese, then sharpen both your language skills and your historical research by studying in Japan.

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

Why Study History at Iowa?
U.S. News & World Report ranked Iowa’s history PhD program among the top 36 in the nation. This flexible major provides students with a broad liberal arts base on which to build. The 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).

There is an atmosphere of open and easy communication in the history community at Iowa. 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.

Also, first- and second-year students can benefit from a seminar approach to education, taking small, seminar-like courses to develop reading, writing, and research skills crucial for successful history majors. There are approximately 500 students majoring in history at Iowa.

Course Work
Undergraduate courses are divided into four areas: American history, European history, non-Western world history, and courses with no area designation.

You’ll take at least two courses from the American, European, and non-Western lists during your undergraduate studies. In all, 36 semester hours (s.h.) are required for the major. You can review the extensive list of electives in the General Catalog.

The Department of History emphasizes the ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, on historical matters. A colloquium requirement helps you to develop these skills. Every semester, three to six colloquia are offered, and the subjects change from semester to semester. In these courses, you’ll have a chance to visit and archive, conduct primary research, and write your own research paper. These papers become part of a portfolio that you submit to your advisor in the semester before graduation as part of the requirements for your degree.

Minor
You’ll qualify for a history minor with 15 s.h. of credit and a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.00. At least 12 of the 15 s.h. must be completed in upper-level courses.

Honors
In order to graduate with honors in history, you must be a member of the University of Iowa Honors Program.

In addition, students in history must also complete a thesis based on original research under the supervision of a professor.

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

Facilities and Resources
The University of Iowa Libraries are particularly strong in all aspects of U.S. history. The Main Library houses the Henry A. Wallace papers and related collections, the Iowa Women’s Archives, and other collections that will help you with your research. The State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch also are available for research.

The Department of History is located in Schaeffer Hall, one of the five historic buildings on the Pentacrest. First opened in 1902, Schaeffer Hall was renovated in 1997 to preserve its original architectural details while making its space relevant to modern instruction. Several classrooms are equipped with the latest in instructional technology. Smaller seminar rooms, however, still have the original slate blackboards and chalk to use for more spontaneous discussion.

Among the department’s excellent support services is the History Writing Center, where majors can get help strengthening their writing skills.

Through its affiliations with several University programs, the Department of History offers access to materials from a number of different perspectives:

• African American studies
• American Indian and native studies
• American studies
• The Center for Asian and Pacific Studies
• The Center for the Book
• The Center for Recent United States History
• International Programs
• Latin American studies
• Museum studies
• The Obermann Center for Advanced Studies
• The Project on the Rhetoric of Inquiry
• Sexuality studies
• Women’s studies

Careers
Students who graduate from Iowa’s history department regularly meet the admission requirements of the best graduate and professional schools in the country.

History graduates also find careers in the health sciences, journalism, law, ministry, and public service, including politics and philanthropic foundations.

Many graduates become history teachers in elementary and secondary schools. Undergraduate majors can complete the requirements for licensure in the state of Iowa as teachers of history and social studies through the Teacher Education Program.

History graduates are always in demand by commercial, financial, educational, and governmental employers because history students acquire many sought-after skills, such as clear expository writing.

To investigate the kinds of careers awaiting history majors, students may want to consider an internship. The history department and the Pomerantz Career Center offer information on a variety of internship programs at such places 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 can 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.