California State University, Fresno

History - Degrees

You are in the official 2003-2004 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.

Department of History

Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
History Major

Major requirements (42 units)
Lower-division requirements (select four):
HIST 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 (12 units)

Upper-division requirements
HIST 100 and 27 additional history upper-division units (30 units)

General Education requirements (51 units)

Electives and remaining degree requirements* (27 units)
(see Degree Requirements); may be used toward a dual major or minor

Total (120 units)

Advising Notes

No General Education Integration or Multicultural/International course offered by the Department of History may be used to satisfy the General Education requirements for history majors.
History majors are not permitted to take history courses by CR/NC grading.
General Education and elective units may be used toward a dual major or minor (see Dual Major or departmental minor). Consult the appropriate department chair, program coordinator, or faculty adviser for further information.
Students who are planning to do graduate work in history are advised to take a foreign language as an undergraduate in consultation with the History Department.
The 27 units of upper-division history electives must be selected from the three fields listed below. At least one course must be selected in each field, but no more than 18 units in one field. At least one course must deal primarily with history prior to 1700.

Fields

Western Hemisphere: HIST 101, 102T, 137, 153, 160, 162, 165, 166, 169T, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 177, 178, 179T, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 188, 189, 190, 198.

European: HIST 103, 111, 112, 116, 119T, 120, 121, 122, 124T, 125, 126, 129T, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 138, 140, 141, 142, 143, 145, 147, 149T, 150, 151, 152, 190, 198.

Asian, African, and Middle Eastern: HIST 107, 108A, 108B, 109T, 110, 114, 115, 157, 190, 191, 192, 198, 199T.

History Minor

The History Minor consists of 18 units of upper-division history courses, which should be chosen in conjunction with an adviser in the History Department. History minors are not permitted to take history courses by CR/NC grading.

Note: The History Minor also requires a 2.0 GPA and 6 upper-division units in residence.

Credential Program

See the Social Sciences credential adviser, Social Science Building, Room 118, for advising, and refer to Secondary Teaching Credential under Social Science Programs.

American History Requirement

The American history requirement for graduation may be fulfilled by passing (a) the Advanced Placement Examination (see Advanced Placement) or (b) HIST 11 or 12.

Graduate Program

The Master of Arts degree program in History is designed to extend the competence of persons engaged in a wide variety of fields requiring a broad grasp of historical knowledge, techniques, and interpretation, for those in public service, for teachers at various levels, and for those anticipating advanced graduate study in history.

Prerequisites. Admission to the Master of Arts degree program in History assumes undergraduate preparation equivalent to this university's major in history. Majors from other disciplines may qualify for admission depending on grade point average and other factors deemed pertinent for success in historical studies. The department determines in each case whether the applicant needs additional preparation before receiving classified standing.

Master of Arts Degree Requirements

(See Division of Graduate Studies.)

The History Department offers a 30-unit Master of Arts program. The basic requirements are as follows:

A. Core (15 units)
HIST 200 (3)
HIST 210 or 220 (3)
HIST 230, 235, 242, or 245 (3)
HIST 250, 260, or 270 (3)
HIST 280T (3)

B. Electives
Six units may be chosen from among HIST 210, 220, 230, 235, 242, 245, 250, 260, and 270. With the approval of the departmental graduate advisor, the student may substitute up to 6 units of related courses in other departments or 6 units of 100 level history courses (except HIST 100, 190, 198) that appear especially appropriate to the student's area of research. Selected topics, courses, and Senior Seminars may also be used upon consultation with and the approval of, the graduate adviser.

C. Independent Research
Three units from among HIST 290 and 292

D. Culminating Experience

I. Thesis option: 6 units of HIST 299A-B.

II. Examination option: Six additional units from categories B and C, plus a written comprehensive examination in three fields chosen from among the following. No more than two fields may be taken from any group. See program adviser for additional guidelines.

Group I: Ancient History; Medieval History; Early Modern Europe to 1815; Modern Europe since 1815
Group II: The United States to 1865; the United States since 1865
Group III: Latin America; Asia; Africa

Comprehensive examinations are given during the first week in November and the first week in April of each year. If students fail an exam they will be allowed to retake it once. For specifics, consult the department graduate adviser; for general requirements see the Division of Graduate Studies and Research.

Not all fields will be offered at all times.

Foreign Language Requirement. All graduate students of the Department of History (on both tracks) must pass a reading competency examination in at least one foreign language approved by the graduate adviser before being advanced to candidacy. With the prior approval of the graduate adviser, a foreign language readings course may be substituted for the exam.

Graduate Writing Requirement. The graduate writing requirement may be met by passing the writing component of HIST 280T (see graduate program coordinator for more information).