Core Requirements
The University Core requirement is a two-semester sequence in history from late medieval times to the present. Every Boston College undergraduate must take two courses: a first course on the period between ca. 1500–1800, and a second course that covers the period between 1800 and the present.
Procedure For Core Course Substitutions
Fill out the Course Pre-Approval Form for the non-BC or summer Core course and submit it with supporting documentation such as syllabi and reading lists attached. Course substitutions should be requested prior to taking the course.
Deadlines:
- October 1 (for students who studied abroad/took non-BC classes the previous fall/spring semesters, spring semester, or during the summer).
- March 1 (for students who studied abroad/took non-BC classes the previous fall semester).
Core Requirements FAQ
All History Core courses are marked on Agora and listed on the History Core Courses webpage. No other courses can count as a Core course unless students receive written permission from the department’s Director of the Core.
We strongly recommend that you take the courses in order—History Cores build on each other, and you might find the second half more difficult if you haven’t taken the first. However, if you and your advisor feel you have a strong enough historical background, you may take the second half before the first.
Although students are expected to take both halves in the same sequence, switching to a different sequence at midyear is permitted. That is, you may start with Modern History I and then switch to Asia in the World II; just make sure to take one first half and one second half, as taking two courses that cover the same time frame will not complete the Core.
Yes, but study-abroad courses need to be approved by the Director of the Core, and we strongly suggest that you seek approval before going abroad. Fill out the Course Pre-Approval Form for the study-abroad Core course and email the form and supporting documentation such as syllabi and reading lists to the Director of the History Core at historycore@bc.edu before taking the course. In order for a course taken abroad to fulfill the History Core requirement, it must cover the time periods outlined above (ca. 1500-1800 for the Core I, and 1800 to the present for the Core II) and survey historical developments in a global or world-regional framework; in other words, it may not be national history or the history of bi-national relations. For example, "Modern China" will not count, but "East Asia 1800 to the present" will. After completing the course and returning from abroad, students need to fill out the OIP Degree Audit Course Substitution Form For Study Abroad. Email the completed form to the Director of the History Core at historycore@bc.edu attaching the Pre-Approval email you received from the Director of the History Core approving the course before you went abroad.
Yes. Core courses taken through the BC summer program can be used to satisfy both courses of the History Core requirement. Students may take courses at other institutions, but may count only one such course toward their Core requirement. The other course must be taken through MCAS.
If you take a summer course at BC and you want it to count towards your Core, you will need to get department approval before you sign up. You will need to email the Director of the History Core at historycore@bc.edu before registering for the course. In the email please state the course number, title, date of the course, and which requirement you would like to fulfill.
If you take a summer course at another institution, you will need approval from the Director of the Core before taking the course. Fill out the Course Pre-Approval Form for the non-BC or summer Core course and email the form and supporting documentation such as syllabi and reading lists to the Director of the History Core at historycore@bc.edu before taking the course. The Director of the History Core will email you letting you know whether the course is approved for Core course credit. As with study-abroad, the course must cover the time periods outlined above (ca. 1500-1800 for the Core I, and 1800 to the present for the Core II) and survey historical developments in a global or world-regional framework. Remember that transfer credits from another institution, excluding study-abroad programs, will be given for no more than one of the two Core courses.
- A score of 4 or 5 on the AP European or World History examination fulfills the history Core completely.
- A score of 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Exam in history fulfills the history Core completely.
- A score of C or better on the CGE Advanced Level exam in history fulfills the history Core completely.
- A score of C or better on the CGE Advanced Subsidiary Level exam in history fulfills the second half of the history Core. Such students would still need to take the first half of the Core.
The Value of the Core
-
History Core courses examine the complex historical processes that lie behind modern-day transnational relationships, values, and ideas. They introduce students to key historical concepts, methods, and controversies and examine how present concerns shape our understandings of the past. Covering several centuries, Core courses broaden students’ intellectual horizons by exposing them to new places, periods, and perspectives. Through the History Core, students will learn how to (1) use primary sources to interpret the past and (2) explain change over time.