History (BA/MA)
The combined BA and MA degree program in History integrates Loyola University Chicago’s (LUC) current History degree programs at the undergraduate and master levels. The program provides the most capable History majors with the opportunity to more efficiently move through two degrees and thereby jump-start their professional development by completing two degrees in five rather than six years. Graduates of this program are well prepared to pursue a PhD in History, to apply to a professional school, or to seek a teaching position at the post-secondary level.
The combined degree is available for only the MA degree in History (not the program for the MA in Public History or the dual degree Public History/MLIS degree with Dominican University).
CURRICULUM
Students in a BA/MA program begin graduate courses during the first semester of their senior year. To complete the program, students will have to earn a total of 30 credit hours during their senior year and graduate career. Twelve of those hours can count towards both the undergraduate major and the graduate degree. No graduate courses will be taken during the freshman, sophomore, or junior years.
Pre-requisites: Students in the combined degree program begin their senior year with 27–30 total credits in their History major, including the successful completion of HIST 299 Historical Methods.
Please note: Only 12 hours at the graduate level can be completed during the senior year. All other graduate courses must be taken during the graduate year.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory (Core) Courses | 6 | |
| Select two courses, one from each of the following categories: | ||
Tier 1 Foundational Historical Knowledge | ||
| Evolution of Western Ideas Institutions to 17th Century | ||
| Evolution Western Ideas Institutions Since 17th Century | ||
| American Pluralism | ||
| Global History Since 1500 | ||
| Western Traditions - Antiquity to the Middle Ages | ||
| Western Traditions-Renaissance to Modernity | ||
Tier 2 Historical Knowledge | ||
| East Asia Since 1500 | ||
| Pre-Modern Chinese History | ||
| Modern Chinese History | ||
| Survey of Islamic History | ||
| Introduction to Latin American History | ||
| United States to 1865 | ||
| United States Since 1865 | ||
| Introduction to African History | ||
| Methods Course | 3 | |
| Historical Methods | ||
| Required Areas | 12 | |
| Select four Upper-Level Courses, one from each of the following: 1 | ||
Upper-Level Pre-Modern History (see descriptions below) | ||
Upper-Level Modern European History (see descriptions below) | ||
Upper-Level World History (see descriptions below) | ||
Upper-Level U.S. History (see descriptions below) | ||
| Undergraduate Elective | 3 | |
| Select any history course at any level: | ||
HIST 101 - HIST 399 1 | ||
| Roman Law | ||
| American Economic & Business History | ||
| Christian Thought: Ancient-Medieval | ||
| Christian Thought: Reformation to Modern | ||
| Required Graduate Courses | 12 | |
| Contemporary Approaches to History | ||
| Nineteenth Century America | ||
| Twentieth Century America | ||
400-Level Elective | ||
| Required Research Courses | 6 | |
500-Level Research Course | ||
500-Level Course or HIST 599 | ||
| Minor Field Courses | 9 | |
400-Level Minor Field Course I | ||
400-Level Minor Field Course II | ||
400-Level Minor Field Course III | ||
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
400-Level Elective | ||
| Total Hours | 54 | |
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See Undergraduate Course Listings for detailed information about courses.
Additional BA Requirements
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
- At least 6 courses for this major must be successfully completed in residence at Loyola University Chicago.
- At least 4 300-level courses for this major must be successfully completed in residence at Loyola University Chicago.
PORTFOLIO
Every history major must build a portfolio over the course of his/her undergraduate studies. The student must upload the two required documents listed below to a History Department website by Friday of the last week of classes prior to graduation. For more information, please contact the History Department Undergraduate Program Director. The required documents are:
- A historiographical essay (typically a paper from HIST 299 Historical Methods). This paper must both summarize and evaluate historians’ principal arguments about a particular topic.
- A 300-level Research Paper with a bibliography. This paper --- a minimum of 12-15 pages, usually from a 300-level course --- makes use of both primary and secondary sources to prove a historical thesis. All good historical writing has a thesis that the author seeks to establish through interpretation of the primary source evidence. In lieu of uploading a 300-level research paper, students have the option of submitting a platform appropriate project such as a public history or digital history project that makes an analytical argument based on both primary and secondary sources to prove a historical thesis.
Students should submit papers that showcase their best work.
Research Tool Requirement
All master's level students must demonstrate competence in a research skill (oral history, public history media, or a reading knowledge of a foreign language, for example) appropriate to their major field. They are expected to master this skill before advancing beyond 18 credit hours. Coursework taken to master a language or for oral history and public history media if used for a research tool does not apply toward graduation.
Examinations
Toward the end of their graduate program, students must pass a take-home written examination in the major field. The student will produce two 10–15 page historiographical essays based on a reading list developed in conjunction with a two-member committee of history faculty of their choosing. The committee should be established no later than the beginning of the semester in which the student intends to take the examination. Students will have one week to complete the exam, which will be evaluated by the student’s examination committee. In addition, students satisfy the examination requirements in the minor field through earning nine credit hours with at least a B (3.0) average.
Required Areas: Upper-Level Pre-Modern History Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must take at least one of the courses below as part of the Required Areas | ||
| HIST 253A | Barbarians and the Fall of the Roman Empire | 3 |
| HIST 254A | The Vikings | 3 |
| HIST 257A | Witchcraft and Science in Pre-Modern Europe | 3 |
| HIST 258A | Blood, Heresy, and Treason: The Tudors and Stuarts | 3 |
| HIST 300B | Topics in Premodern History | 3 |
| HIST 301 | Plagues: The Black Death and Other Pandemics | 3 |
| HIST 303 | Pre-Industrial City in Europe | 3 |
| HIST 307 | Greece to Alexander the Great | 3 |
| HIST 308A | History of Rome to Constantine | 3 |
| HIST 308B | Pompeii and Herculaneum | 3 |
| HIST 308C | History of Early Christianity | 3 |
| HIST 308D | Transformations of Rome in Late Antiquity | 3 |
| HIST 309 | Shipwreck Archaeology | 3 |
| HIST 310 | The Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 310A | Medieval World 1100-1500 | 3 |
| HIST 310B | Medieval Culture | 3 |
| HIST 310C | Medieval Women | 3 |
| HIST 310D | Medieval Popular Religion | 3 |
| HIST 310F | Medieval Inquisitions and Heresy | 3 |
| HIST 310G | Supernatural in the Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 310L | Love and Violence in Medieval Culture and Society | 3 |
| HIST 311B | The Crusades: Christianity and Islam | 3 |
| HIST 312 | England to 1485 | 3 |
| HIST 314 | Renaissance | 3 |
| HIST 314A | The Jesuits: Life and History | 3 |
| HIST 315 | The Reformation | 3 |
| HIST 316 | History of Poland | 3 |
| HIST 317 | Age of Absolutism & the Enlightenment | 3 |
| HIST 318A | Early Modern England 1485-1760 | 3 |
| HIST 318B | English Social History 1450-1750 | 3 |
| HIST 318C | London 1550 - 1715 | 3 |
| HIST 342A | African History to 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 345A | Traditional China from Antiquity to 1550 | 3 |
| CLST 362 | Roman Law | 3 |
| THEO 317 | Christian Thought: Ancient-Medieval | 3 |
Required Areas: Upper-Level Modern Europe Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must take at least one of the courses below as part of the Required Areas | ||
| HIST 265A | The First World War | 3 |
| HIST 267A | Modern German Culture and Ideas I | 3 |
| HIST 267B | Modern German Culture and Ideas II | 3 |
| HIST 300C | Topics in European History (Post-1700) | 3 |
| HIST 320 | Era French Revolution & Napoleon | 3 |
| HIST 321 | 19th Century European Culture and Ideas | 3 |
| HIST 322 | Modern France: From Empire to Postcolonial Nation | 3 |
| HIST 324 | Italy 19th & 20th Centuries | 3 |
| HIST 325 | Modern Britain: Empire, Industry, Democracy | 3 |
| HIST 325A | The British Empire: From Barbados to Brexit | 3 |
| HIST 326 | Ireland: Colony to Nation State | 3 |
| HIST 327A | The Balkans: History, Fiction, Film | 3 |
| HIST 328 | Russia Pre-1917: Empire Building | 3 |
| HIST 328A | Russian Empire and Literature | 3 |
| HIST 329 | Women's Sphere in Past Society | 3 |
| HIST 329C | Empire, Sex, Violence: European Colonial History | 3 |
| HIST 329N | Modern European Nationalism: Myth and Reality | 3 |
| HIST 330 | Europe in the Age of Catastrophe, 1900-1945 | 3 |
| HIST 330F | Fascinating Fascism: 1919 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 331A | Food, Hunger and Power in the Modern World | 3 |
| HIST 334A | The Nazi Revolution | 3 |
| HIST 334B | The Holocaust: History and Memory | 3 |
| HIST 335 | The Second World War | 3 |
| HIST 336 | Contemporary Europe 1945 to Present | 3 |
| HIST 337 | Rise & Fall of Soviet Union | 3 |
| HIST 337A | Women in Russia and Eurasia, 1860-Present | 3 |
| HIST 338A | History of European Communism | 3 |
| HIST 338B | Eastern Europe in the 20th Century | 3 |
| HIST 339C | Modern Europe and the Arts | 3 |
| HIST 339F | History of Feminist Thought and Social Action | 3 |
| THEO 318 | Christian Thought: Reformation to Modern | 3 |
Required Areas: Upper-Level World History Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must take at least one of the courses below as part of the Required Areas | ||
| HIST 275A | The Silk Roads: Global Trade, Culture, & Politics | 3 |
| HIST 278A | Violence Drug Trafficking & Crime in Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 279C | History of Computing | 3 |
| HIST 279E | Climate and History | 3 |
| HIST 300E | Topics in World History | 3 |
| HIST 340B | Introduction to Islamic History | 3 |
| HIST 341 | Modern Middle East | 3 |
| HIST 341B | Arab-Israeli Conflict | 3 |
| HIST 341C | Tunisia On-Site: Arab Spring, Democratic Change, Islam | 3 |
| HIST 342B | African History Post-1600 | 3 |
| HIST 342C | The History of Islam in Africa | 3 |
| HIST 342D | African Diaspora in the Middle East and South Asia | 3 |
| HIST 342M | African Music's Influence on American Music | 3 |
| HIST 343 | Modern South Asia | 3 |
| HIST 346A | Early Modern China: 1550-1800 | 3 |
| HIST 346B | Reform & Revolution in China, 1800-1949 | 3 |
| HIST 346C | History of Christianity in China | 3 |
| HIST 347A | China Since 1949: The People's Republic | 3 |
| HIST 347C | Cultural Revolution-China | 3 |
| HIST 347D | Modern Chinese History through Film | 3 |
| HIST 349 | Contemporary Global Issues: Historical Perspectives | 3 |
| HIST 349A | Women in East Asia | 3 |
| HIST 350 | Colonial Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 351 | Latin American Independence, 1750-1830 | 3 |
| HIST 352 | Latin America in the 19th Century | 3 |
| HIST 353 | Latin America in Recent Times | 3 |
| HIST 355 | The Caribbean & Central America in Colonial/Modern Times | 3 |
| HIST 356 | Mexican History-Ancient to Modern Times | 3 |
| HIST 357 | The Mexican Revolution in Popular Imagination | 3 |
| HIST 358 | Women in Latin American History | 3 |
| HIST 359 | Teaching World History | 3 |
| HIST 359C | Nationalist Politics: A Global Perspective | 3 |
| HIST 359D | The Ottoman Empire: A Global Perspective | 3 |
| HIST 359E | Concentration Camps: A Global History | 3 |
| HIST 359F | Genocides in the Modern World | 3 |
| HIST 359H | Anti-Colonial Resistance in the Twentieth Century | 3 |
Required Areas: Upper-Level U.S. History Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must take at least one of the courses below as part of the Required Areas | ||
| HIST 280A | Pirates and Sailors in the Revolutionary Atlantic | 3 |
| HIST 290A | History of Sexuality in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 291A | American Icons: Heroes, Images, Ideas | 3 |
| HIST 297E | North American Environmental History | 3 |
| HIST 298A | History and the Public: Intro to Public History | 3 |
| HIST 300D | Topics in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 360 | Community and Culture in Colonial America | 3 |
| HIST 360A | Slavery and Abolition: Then & Now | 3 |
| HIST 361 | The American Revolution, 1763-1815 | 3 |
| HIST 362 | America in the Age of Slavery and Capitalism | 3 |
| HIST 363 | Civil War & Reconstruction 1850-1877 | 3 |
| HIST 366A | World War I and American Culture | 3 |
| HIST 367 | United States from Great Depression to Recession | 3 |
| HIST 369 | 20th Century Popular Culture | 3 |
| HIST 370 | American Business, Wealth, and Inequality | 3 |
| HIST 372 | American Constitutional & Legal History to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 373 | US Law & Public Policy | 3 |
| HIST 373A | Crime and Punishment | 3 |
| HIST 374 | Black Politics | 3 |
| HIST 375 | Digital History | 3 |
| HIST 376 | History of the American Frontier Movement | 3 |
| HIST 376A | History of the American Indian | 3 |
| HIST 377 | African American Women's History | 3 |
| HIST 378 | Latina/o History | 3 |
| HIST 379A | Italian Americans in World War II | 3 |
| HIST 379B | History of Italians in Chicago | 3 |
| HIST 380 | Introduction to African-American History | 3 |
| HIST 380A | Islam in the African-American Experience | 3 |
| HIST 381 | Rebels & Reformers in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 382 | Teaching Race, Class, and Gender | 3 |
| HIST 384 | Irish Diaspora in America | 3 |
| HIST 385 | Chicago in America | 3 |
| HIST 386 | Creation the American Metropolis | 3 |
| HIST 388 | U.S. Wars | 3 |
| HIST 388A | Vietnam War | 3 |
| HIST 389B | Topic: Gender, Race, & Class in US History | 3 |
| HIST 389C | Gender Benders | 3 |
| HIST 389F | The Sixties | 3 |
| HIST 389K | Autobiography and Memoir in Recent US History | 3 |
| HIST 389N | Anti-Immigrant Politics in U.S. History | 3 |
| HIST 389W | Races to the White House: Presidential History | 3 |
| ECON 327 | American Economic & Business History | 3 |
Suggested Sequence of Courses
There is no set sequence of classes. Students are encouraged to take at least two Introductory (Core) Classes before taking upper division classes. BA/MA students must take HIST 299 prior to enrolling in the program; it is strongly suggested that students take HIST 299 at the end of their sophomore or beginning of their junior year. Once students have declared the History Major, they are encouraged to contact their History Advisor or the History Department’s Undergraduate Program Director for further guidance on how best to progress with their studies, including their interest in the BA/MA program in History.
This course distribution reflects a student entering the BA/MA Program on the traditional pathway, i.e., starting in the Fall of the senior year and taking courses in both semesters of the senior year. Students who graduate in the Fall of their senior year or who have a significant amount of transfer credit will have a schedule that reflects their more individualized pathway. They may not, for example, be able to take all 12 of the hours allowed during their senior year and, as a result, their particular degree completion plan may vary from the plan outlined below.
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| Foundational Historical Knowledge Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| Tier 2 Historical Knowledge Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Fall | ||
| Upper Level World History (see course list below) | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| HIST 299 | Historical Methods | 3 |
| Upper-Level Pre-Modern Course (see course list below) | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Junior | ||
| Fall | ||
| Upper-Level Modern Europe Course (see course list below) | 3 | |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| Upper-Level US History Course (see course list below) | 3 | |
| Elective 2 | ||
| Hours | 3 | |
| Senior | ||
| Fall | ||
| HIST 400 | Contemporary Approaches to History | 3 |
| HIST 450 | Nineteenth Century America | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| HIST 461 | Twentieth Century America | 3 |
| 500-Level Research Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Master's | ||
| Fall | ||
| 400-Level Minor Field I | 3 | |
| 400-Level Minor Field II | 3 | |
| 400-Level Required Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| 400-Level Minor Field III | 3 | |
| 400-Level Elective | 3 | |
| 500-Level Research Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 54 | |
Guidelines for Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs
Terms
- Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs: In this type of program, students share limited credits between their undergraduate and graduate degrees to facilitate completion of both degrees.
- Shared credits: Graduate level credit hours taken during the undergraduate program and then applied towards graduate program requirements will be referred to as shared credits.
Admission Requirements
Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to enhance opportunities for advanced training for Loyola’s undergraduates. Admission to these programs must be competitive and will depend upon a positive review of credentials by the program’s admissions committee. Accordingly, the admission requirements for these programs may be higher than those required if the master’s degree were pursued entirely after the receipt of a bachelor’s degree. That is, programs may choose to have more stringent admissions requirements in addition to those minimal requirements below.
Requirements:
- Declared appropriate undergraduate major,
- By the time students begin taking graduate courses as an undergraduate, the student has completed approximately 90 credit hours, or the credit hours required in a program that is accredited by a specialty organization,1
- A minimum cumulative GPA for coursework at Loyola that is at or above the program-specific requirements, a minimum major GPA that is at or above the program-specific requirements, and/or appropriate designated coursework for evaluation of student readiness in their discipline.2
Students not eligible for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program (e.g., students who have not declared the appropriate undergraduate major) may apply to the master’s program through the regular admissions process. Students enrolled in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program who choose not to continue to the master’s degree program upon completion of the bachelor’s degree will face no consequences.3
Ideally, a student will apply for admission (or confirm interest in proceeding towards the graduate degree in opt-out programs) as they approach 90 credit hours. Programs are encouraged to begin advising students early in their major so that they are aware of the program and, if interested, can complete their bachelor’s degree requirements in a way that facilitates completion of the program. Once admitted as an undergraduate, Program Directors should ensure that students are enrolled using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program will ensure that students may be easily identified as they move through the program. Students will not officially matriculate into the master’s degree program and be labeled as a graduate student by the university, with accompanying changes to tuition and Financial Aid (see below), until the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Once admitted to the graduate program, students must meet the academic standing requirements of their graduate program as they complete the program curriculum.
- 1
Programs that have specialized accreditation will adhere to the admissions criteria provided by, or approved by, their specialized accreditors.
- 2
The program will identify appropriate indicators of student readiness for graduate coursework (e.g., high-level performance in 300 level courses). Recognizing differences between how majors are designed, we do not specify a blanket requirement.
- 3
If students choose not to enroll in the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, they still must complete all of the standard requirements associated with the undergraduate degree (e.g., a capstone).
For more information on Admissions requirements, visit here.
Curriculum
Level and progression of courses. The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to be competitive and attractive to our most capable students. Students admitted to Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs should be capable of meeting graduate level learning outcomes. Following guidance from the Higher Learning Commission, only courses taken at the 400 level or higher (including 300/400 level courses taken at the 400 level) will count toward the graduate program.1,2 Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may come from 300/400 level courses where the student is enrolled in the 400 level of the course. Further, at least 50% of the credit hours for the graduate program must come from courses that are designed for and restricted to graduate students who have been admitted to a graduate program at Loyola (e.g., enrolled in plan code that indicates the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, typically ending with the letter “D”).3
In general, graduate level coursework should not be taken prior to admission into the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Exceptions may be granted for professional programs where curriculum for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program is designed to begin earlier. On the recommendation of the program’s Graduate Director, students may take one of their graduate level courses before they are admitted to the Accelerated Bachelors/Master’s program if they have advanced abilities in their discipline and course offerings warrant such an exception.4 Undergraduate degree requirements outside of the major are in no way impacted by admission to an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program.5
Shared credits. Undergraduate courses (i.e., courses offered at the 300 level or below) cannot be counted as shared credits nor count towards the master’s degree. Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may be counted in meeting both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Of those shared credits, students in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program should begin their graduate program with the standard introductory course(s) for the program whenever possible. So that students may progress through the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program in a timely manner, undergraduate programs are encouraged to design their curriculum such that a student can complete some required graduate credit hours while completing the undergraduate degree. For instance, some of the graduate curriculum should also satisfy electives for the undergraduate major.
The program’s Graduate Director will designate credit hours to be shared through the advising form and master’s degree conferral review process. Shared credit hours will not be marked on the undergraduate record as having a special status in the undergraduate program. They will be included in the student’s undergraduate earned hours and GPA. Graduate credit hours taken during the undergraduate program will not be included in the graduate GPA calculation.
- 1
If students wish to transfer credits from another university to Loyola University Chicago, the program’s Graduate director will review the relevant syllabus(es) to determine whether it meets the criteria for a 400 level course or higher.
- 2
Programs with specialized accreditation requirements that allow programs to offer graduate curriculum to undergraduate students will conform to those specialized accreditation requirements.
- 3
In rare cases, the Graduate Director may authorize enrollment in a 400-level course for a highly qualified and highly motivated undergraduate, ensuring that the undergraduate's exceptional participation in the graduate class will not diminish in any way the experience of the graduate students regularly enrolled.
- 4
For example, if a particular course is only offered once every 2-3 years, and a student has demonstrated the necessary ability to be successful, the Graduate Director may allow a student to take a graduate level course to be shared prior to the student being formally admitted to the graduate program. See, also, footnote 3.
- 5
Students should not, for example, attempt to negotiate themselves out of a writing intensive requirement on the basis of admission to a graduate program.
Graduation
Degrees are awarded sequentially. All details of undergraduate commencement are handled in the ordinary way as for all students in the School/College/Institute. Once in the graduate program, students abide by the graduation deadlines set forth by the graduate program. Students in these programs must be continuously enrolled from undergraduate to graduate degree program unless given explicit permission by their program for a gap year or approved leave of absence. In offering the option of an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, the university is making possible the acceleration of a student’s graduate degree completion. It should be understood that students may not request deferral of their matriculation into the Master’s degree program. If students would like to delay their graduate studies after earning the undergraduate degree, they may apply for admission to the traditional master’s degree program. Any application of graduate credit earned while in the undergraduate program is subject to the policies of the graduate degree granting school.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Apply the necessary skills to produce original scholarship on a chosen historical topic using primary sources while evaluating the validity of context and biases of primary and secondary sources.
- Identify and criticize interpretive paradigms and methodologies relevant to historical scholarship and the historical profession.