The History Major at Ohio State

Two-thirds of companies, gov agencies and organizations recruiting at Ohio State each spring recruit history majors.

Since 2001 21% of Ohio State history majors have earned graduate or professional degrees

94% of graduates rate their educational experience as an Ohio State history major good or excellent.

History is the only major that appears in the Top 4 for both LSAT preparation and law school admissions.

Below is the outline of the history major. For additional details, please see the Undergraduate Handbook and contact Dr. Raymond Irwin (Irwin.8@osu.edu).

Skills Acquisition

History 2800: Introduction to the Discipline of History (3 credit hours)
Two 4000-level Seminars (6 credit hours)

Breadth

Students are required to develop a program that includes chronological and geographic breadth. This includes:

2 courses (6 credit hours) focusing chronologically on the period before 1750
2 courses (6 credit hours) focusing chronologically on the period after 1750
2 courses (6 credit hours) focusing primarily on East Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia
2 courses (6 credit hours) focusing primarily on North America and/or Europe
1 course (3 credit hours) focusing on comparative, transnational, transregional, or global history

"After taking courses in the department, and learning about potential career opportunities, I decided that it would become my major," - Angela Volcensek, History Major

Concentration

Students must take 12 credit hours in either a Geographical or a Thematic concentration.

Possible Geographical Concentrations:

North America
Latin America
Europe (including Russia)
Near East, Middle East, Central Asia, and/or South Asia
East Asia
Africa

Possible Thematic Concentrations:

History of environment, science and technology
History of race, ethnicity, and nation
Religious history
History of colonialism and comparative empires
Military history and/or diplomatic history
History of the state (power, culture, society)
Global, early modern
Women's, gender, and sexuality studies

Upper-Division Requirement

Of the 33 credit hours required for the Major, at least 21 credit hours must be at the 3000-level or above. This includes:
The two required 4000-level seminars (6 cr. hrs.) plus at least 15 credit hours at the 3000-level and above.

"I feel that my history courses are the only classes I have taken at OSU that really gave me the context necessary to understand why and how contemporary crises or conflicts have developed," - Emily Needham, B.A. in History, 2022