Minor & Requirements

Why Minor in History?

Personal Importance of a College Minor
  • Having a minor may be personally important to you if you minor in a subject that you are passionate about. You may also be personally interested in gaining skills and training in a certain field but not interested in pursuing the topic to the extent that a major would require.
Professional Importance of a College Minor
  • Professionally speaking, minors can be a great help. You may need additional training for a career path that a minor can provide. You may also want to improve your resume by taking courses and receiving training in a field you know employers are always interested in. You may want to complement one part of your academic training with another that will be provide both practical and theoretical knowledge. (For example, you may be majoring in business management but minoring in women's studies if you want to work in a non-profit that focuses on women's issues.) Additionally, you may be interested in teaching, in which case a minor can come in handy for expanding what subject areas you're allowed to teach.
Academic Importance of a College Minor
  • Your minor may also be important when it comes to applying to graduate school or other academic endeavors. Your minor can show that you have additional skills and interests while also showing a bit about who you are as a person. While your minor probably won't make or break your application, it can serve as an additional piece of information to make you stand out a bit from the rest of the academic crowd.

Requirements: 5 History Courses

To earn a minor, you must take a minimum of five history courses, at least three of which must be at the 200-level or above. One cross-listed course is acceptable regardless of the department through which the student enrolls.

Additional Information

  • Advanced Placement credits do not count toward the minor.
  • One transfer course may count toward the requirements for the minor.
  • The regulation about cross-listing does not mean that a course may not have any cross-lists: it means that the course should originate in History, and not be, for instance, a Classics course with a History crosslist. For a list of classes that meet this criterion, see the “Core Courses” section of our website.
  • The regulation about cross-listing and core courses only applies to students who matriculated in or after Fall 2022.