About the Program
History Honors was launched 2008 as an opportunity of first-rate History majors to research and write an original piece of historical scholarship, working closely with a faculty member. Its success has made it the flagship of the Liberal Arts Honors Program.
The program is a total of 6 credit hours. In the fall semester, students enroll in HIST 42100 : Honors Historical Research. This course introduces students to the tools of the historian’s craft. They investigate various interpretative approaches to history and discuss the work of several leading historians, examining how they build their arguments, the sources they use, and their contributions to our knowledge of the past. It is also during this semester that students choose their Thesis topic, their faculty mentor and begin their research.
In the spring, students register for HIST 42200 - Honors Thesis In Historical Research which offers them 3 credit hours but is not actually a class. Rather, students work closely with their faculty mentor and write a 45-to-50 page historical essay based on their research. At the end of the spring semester, students provide an oral defense of their thesis and present their work to their families and to the History faculty at the annual History Honors Forum.
The History Honors Program has much to offer aspiring History Majors:
- fellowship with other like-minded students
- the opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty member
- special opportunities to join conferences, seminars, and faculty receptions
- road trips to conduct research at major libraries and archives
- assistance with graduate school applications, statements, and letters
Our Honors students have earned prestigious fellowships and admittance to first-rate graduate programs across the US and abroad, including the doctoral programs in history at The College of William and Mary, University of North Carolina, Emory University, New York University, and The London School of Economics. Many of our Honors alumni have earned degrees in Law, Public History, and Foreign Service.
Visit https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/history/undergraduate/honors/index.html for more information.
Summary of Program Requirements
The Summary of Program Requirements for History Honors is a comprehensive list of those categories which a student must fulfill in order to earn their degree. Unlike the full Detailed Program Requirements listed below, complete lists of selectives for any given category are not shown. These summaries are intended to be printer-friendly and less expansive in detail.
Detailed Program Requirements
Please see below for detailed program requirements and possible selective fulfillments.
HIST-BA
HISH
120 Credits
“C - “or better in all HIST courses
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