Skip to main content

Major

The Major plan provides a flexible curriculum and thorough advanced training in historical methods, research, and writing. Spread over four years, students in a Major plan complete 60.0 units in History courses. Students can major solely in History, or they can combine a Major with a Minor in a different department. Typically, History Majors take 6.0-units in first-year lectures before they apply for plan entry. During the second year, students must complete a second-year core seminar, a course that provides training in historical methods and prepare students for upper-year seminars. Students must earn a minimum grade of C+ in this core seminar to progress in the Major plan. Generally, students also enroll in three or four 200-level lecture courses during their second year. History Majors complete 18.0-units of upper-year seminars along with several lecture courses in their final two years, and during this time many of our students go abroad for a semester in a foreign university and earn credits that count towards their History degree. In the final two years, students can choose from a diverse range of internship opportunities in museums, academic publishing, archives, and other placements. In their final year, students often pursue a research project and write an independent research paper under the supervision of a faculty member. Students who pursue a graduate degree in History profit from undertaking an independent research project in their senior year. The details of the Major plan requirements can be found below.

Note: Please use a laptop or desktop computer to view the Degree Requirements drop down sections. 
 

Major Plan Acceptance Requirements

For more information on the Plan Selection Process, please see the Faculty of Arts and Science website

To be accepted to a History Major degree plan in Spring 2024 you need: 

  1. Cumulative GPA of 2.3 
  2. 3.0 units of 100-level History   
  3. Minimum grade of B- in your 100-level History course (or BADR 100 or BADR 101)
Automatic Acceptance Cumulative GPA Course Minimum Grade
Major 2.3 HIST 1## (or BADR 100 or BADR 101)  B-

 

If you do not meet the above thresholds for a History Major degree plan, you need the following to be placed on the Pending List:  

  1. Cumulative GPA of 2.0  
  2. 3.0 units of 100-level History   
  3. Minimum grade of C in your 100-level History course (or BADR 100 or BADR 101)
Pending List                    Cumulative GPA Course Minimum Grade
Major 2.0 HIST 1## (or BADR 100 or BADR 101)  C

 

Major Degree Requirements

Plan: Consists of 60.0 units as described below. 

Program: The Plan, alone, or in combination with a Minor in another subject, and with sufficient electives to total 120.0 units (114.0 units for students admitted prior to September 2017), will lead to a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree.
 

1. Core 30.0 units    
A. 6.0 units from

HIST at the 100 level; BADR 100/3.0; BADR 101/3.0

B. 6.0 units from HIST 300/6.0-330/6.0
C. 18.0 units from  HIST 333/3.0-499/3.0
2. Option 30.0 units    
A. 15.0 units  from HIST at the 200 level
B. 9.0 units from HIST at the 200 level; HIST at the 500 level
C. 6.0 units from HIST at the 100 or 200 level; HIST 300/6.0-330/6.0; HIST_Subs
3. Additional Requirements  
A. Minimum 6.0 units from HIST_Canadian
4. Notes  
A. It is strongly recommended, but not required, that students take 6.0 units in History from the period before 1800.
B. Students are expected to take courses from HIST 300/6.0-330/6.0 in their second year. 

Pre-2021 Major Degree Requirements

*Note on the revised degree plan: If you declared a History Major prior to April 2021, please contact Alex at hist.undergrad@queensu.ca to discuss your course planning. You need 27.0 total units of HIST 333-499 to graduate. See below for complete details of your degree plan requirements.

Plan: Consists of 60.0 units as described below. 

Program: The Plan, alone, or in combination with a Minor in another subject, and with sufficient electives to total 120.0 units (114.0 units for students admitted prior to September 2017), will lead to a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree.
 

1. Core 39.0 units    
A. 6.0 units from

HIST at the 100 level; BISC 100/3.0; BISC 101/3.0

B. 6.0 units from HIST 300/6.0-330/6.0
C. 27.0 units from  HIST 333/4.5-499/4.5
2. Option 21.0 units    
A. 15.0 units  from HIST at the 200 level; HIST 300/6.0-330/6.0; HIST 332/3.0; HIST at the 500 level
B. 6.0 units from HIST at the 100 or 200 level; HIST_Subs
3. Additional Requirements  
A. Minimum 6.0 units from HIST_Canadian
B. Maximum 6.0 units from HIST_Subs
4. Notes  
A. It is strongly recommended, but not required, that students take 6.0 units in History from the period before 1800.
B. It is recommended that all Option Courses be at the 200 level or above.
C. Students are expected to take courses from HIST 300/6.0-HIST 330/6.0 in their second year. 

Canadian Content Courses

HIST_Canadian
Canadian History

Current Canadian Content Course Offerings  

HIST 104/3.0; HIST 105/3.0; HIST 124/6.0; HIST 208/3.0; HIST 209/3.0; HIST 210/3.0; HIST 217/3.0; HIST 219/3.0; HIST 224/3.0; HIST 242/3.0; HIST 254/3.0; HIST 260/6.0; HIST 269/3.0; HIST 279/3.0; HIST 280/6.0; HIST 282/3.0; HIST 283/3.0; HIST 312/6.0; HIST 313/6.0; HIST 320/6.0; HIST 324/6.0; HIST 340/6.0; HIST 390/4.5 (FW 2016-17); HIST 391/6.0; HIST 393/3.0 (Winter 2011); HIST 401/43.0; HIST 403/3.0; HIST 416/3.0; HIST 425/6.0; HIST 431/3.0; HIST 433/6.0; HIST 436/3.0; HIST 439/3.0; HIST 458/6.0; HIST 467/6.0; HIST 467/3.0; HIST 476/6.0; HIST 481/3.0; HIST 485/3.0; HIST 486/3.0


 

History Substitution Courses

HIST_SUBS
History Substitutions

The following list contains courses offered through other Departments. In accordance with Academic Regulation 2.5 (Access to Classes), students do not have enrolment priority in all of these courses. Access to these courses may only be made available during Open Enrolment period, and then only if space permits. For course descriptions of the substitution below, see the Faculty of Arts & Science Academic Calendar.


BLCK 480/3.0 (Black Atlantic Studies); CLST 102/3.0; CLST 103/3.0; CLST 129/6.0; CLST 130/3.0; CLST 131/3.0; CLST 150/3.0; CLST 200/3.0; CLST 201/3.0; CLST 206/3.0; CLST 207/3.0; CLST 208/3.0; CLST 309/3.0; CLST 321/3.0; CLST 332/3.0; CLST 333/3.0; CLST 334/3.0; CLST 335/3.0; CLST 340/3.0; CLST 341/3.0; CLST 343/3.0; CLST 350/3.0; DEVS 305/6.0; DEVS 306/3.0; IDIS 304/3.0; IDIS 305/3.0; HLTH 239/3.0; LLCU 320/3.0; PHIL 201/3.0

​​​​​​

Department of History, Queen's University

49 Bader Lane, Watson Hall 212
Kingston ON K7L 3N6
Canada

Undergraduate

Phone

Graduate

Queen's University is situated on traditional Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe territory.