The minor begins with the two core courses in history and concludes with two upper-division electives. In between, students can choose two other courses freely from among the department's offerings. Because the core courses emphasize Europe, students minoring in history are encouraged to take at least one of our non-Western courses.
To summarize, the minor requirements involve 6 courses, including:
- 2 core-level sequence in Modern History (HS 001-094)
- 2 electives (HS 100-699)
- 2 upper-division courses (HS 200-699)
Notes:
- One or two foreign studies courses can be accepted toward minor requirements (although at least three of the six courses required for the minor must be taken at Boston College during the regular academic year). Normally foreign study courses are accepted for minor elective (not upper-division) credit. If you believe that a course you are taking abroad is as challenging as one of our upper-division electives (i.e., it has substantial reading and writing requirements), you should compile evidence to support this. Save everything, especially the course syllabus and the paper(s) you write! After you return, you can try to persuade the Undergraduate Director to count the course as an upper-division elective. Only one course taken abroad can count toward the minor for upper-division credit; at least one upper-division course must be taken at BC.
- Students who have used advanced placement credit to fulfill the History core requirement can substitute any two history electives in place of the two core courses to complete minor requirements. These students would complete the minor by taking six history courses, including two upper-division electives.
- A maximum of two independent study courses (HS 699 Readings and Research) can count toward minor requirements.
