Counting coursework toward the History Major

The department accepts up to three credits toward the History major for one course or six credits for two courses taken in one semester of study abroad. A maximum of three history credits may be applied to the minor, and a maximum of six history credits earned may be applied to the major in history. Any exceptions to this rule will have to be approved by the Study Abroad Advisor.

In selecting study abroad programs and in choosing courses, students are strongly encouraged to think about how history courses taken during a semester or year abro ad can be meaningfully integrated into coursework for the History major at Washington University. The History Department especially encourages students planning to write a senior honors thesis to use a semester or year abroad to prepare for writing the thesis.

Students may wish to take courses that will provide an understanding of the historical context of the thesis topic, or provide exposure to historical scholarship on the topic. A semester or year abroad may also provide an excellent opportunity for collecting primary sources for a senior thesis. Integrating study abroad with a senior thesis will require thoughtful planning in consultation with the History faculty members likely to serve as readers of the thesis.
 

Pre-Approval Required

The only way that students are guaranteed credit toward the major or minor is to secure written pre-approval by the Department for the specific course(s) they intend to take. Prior to submitting their applications, students should secure written approval of their study plan from the Study Abroad Advisor. Course offerings frequently change at the last minute, long after having received pre-approval and arriving at the study abroad host institution. In such cases, students should select courses that are based in the host institution's History Department.

Courses not pre-approved, and not home-based in a host institution's History Department, are not guaranteed of receiving credit toward a History major or minor at Washington University. Such courses might have to be evaluated for content along with the student's written assignments only after the student's return, and credit may or may not be awarded.

Please note that it is not necessary to submit syllabi and written materials from study abroad coursework to the History Department unless you are contacted and requested to do so by the Department's Study Abroad Advisor.

Program Requiring Faculty Member's Nomination

Together with the Department of English, the History Department annually nominates one or two of its very best sophomores to the prestigious year-long program at Keble College, University of Oxford. An informational meeting is usually held in November.