Program Overview
As a history major, you can develop interpretive and communication skills and a deeper humanistic understanding. History majors at The University of Texas at Dallas gain greater understanding of past civilizations and hone critical skills to better reconstruct and interpret the past. Coursework includes the required Historical Inquiry class and a senior capstone project.
Program Options
BA in History
Students who complete the major in History may design distinctive degree programs by selecting among courses in a range of geographical areas, time periods, approaches to the study of history, and topical subject matters. Students are encouraged to focus their work in History on a particular time or place, significant theme, topic, or problem, and to balance breadth and range of historical study with depth in a particular subject. Students may also be certified to teach history and/or social studies.
Since the following catalog course descriptions are very general, students are urged to consult the detailed course descriptions. At least one-half of the semester credit hours for a major must be taken at UT Dallas.
View Degree Requirements (120 semester credit hours)
History Minor
Choose any 18 semester credit hours from HIST courses. Must meet the University minimum number of upper-division hours.
Teacher Certification
Students interested in teaching in secondary schools can achieve Texas Teacher Certification in English and/or history and/or composite social studies as part of their majors in either Literature or History. Immediately after being admitted to the University, interested students should meet with an advisor in the Teacher Development Center to receive a certification plan and with an Arts, Humanities, and Technology advisor in Literature or History to receive a degree plan. Further details may be found in the Teacher Certification section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
Fast Track
The Fast Track program is designed to permit exceptional undergraduate students in Arts, Humanities, and Technology majors to begin work on the master’s degree before graduation.
Qualified seniors may take up to 12 semester credit hours of approved graduate courses in the Bass School during their senior year and apply these semester credit hours to their undergraduate degree plans as either major and related courses or electives. The Fast Track courses also will be used to satisfy up to 12 graduate semester credit hours towards the master’s degree.
For further information on the Fast Track program, contact an undergraduate academic advisor.
Minors
To minor in the Arts, Humanities, and Technology, students must take a minimum of 18 semester credit hours for the minor, 9 of which must be upper-division semester credit hours. Students who take a minor will be expected to meet the normal prerequisites in courses making up the minor, and should maintain a minimum GPA of 2.000 on a 4.00 scale (C average). Core courses offered by the school may count as lower-division semester credit hours toward the minor. Students may choose to minor in any of the following fields of study:
- African American and African Diaspora Studies
- Art History
- Asian Studies
- Communication Studies
- Creative Writing
- Dance
- Ethnic Studies
- Film Studies
- History
- Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights
- Latin American Studies
- Literature
- Medicine, Arts, Science, and Humanities (MASH)
- Music
- Performing Arts
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Spanish
- Theatre
- Visual Arts
Program Highlights
As a history major, you can focus on a particular time or place, a significant theme, topic or problem or an approach to learning such as literature, the arts, ideas, science and technology or the social sciences. You also can choose from courses designed around historical themes, issues and ideas in American, European, Latin American, African, and Asian studies.
Student Organizations
Get real-world experience and leadership opportunities by joining our History Honor Society (Phi Alpha Theta), musical ensembles and more.
Explore Arts, Humanities, and Technology student organizations →
Courses
Historical Inquiry
Latin American Civilizations
Explore Courses →
Faculty
Dr. Anne Gray Fischer
Assistant professor of history
“I’m very excited about the STEM-forward profile of the students at UT Dallas because one of my favorite things to do is to expose history to students who otherwise might not have encountered a lot of these stories. I hope that students, regardless of their future career paths, will feel the lasting benefit and reward of engaging in historical thinking.”
Dallas Connections
From researching in premier libraries and museums to attending reading with world-class writers, you’ll be studying in the vibrant arts and literature scene of Dallas-Fort Worth. Explore our partnerships.
Alumni Connections
Arts, Humanities, and Technology alumni are active in careers all over the world, from Texas to Hollywood. Meet our alumni.
Professional Paths
Aside from the mainstream career paths of teaching or working in archival and museum settings, a history degree can lead to employment in government, nonprofit or business organizations. Many history majors successfully complete law school, thanks to the solid writing and critical thinking foundation they receive in their undergraduate studies.
Possible Careers
- Archivist
- Business analyst
- Congressional aide
- Historic preservationist
- Lawyer
- Professor
- Research analyst
- Learn more about what you can do with a degree in history (pdf).