General Catalog 2022-23

While students are completing the lower-division preparation for the major courses, they may be classified as History pre-majors.

After completing the six courses with a minimum grade-point average of 2.0, students should petition to enter the major in one of the undergraduate counseling offices, 6284 or 6290 Bunche Hall.

Transfer applicants to the History major with 90 or more units must complete the following introductory courses prior to admission to UCLA: one semester or two quarters of history of Western civilization or world history, one historical practice course, and three additional lower-division history courses.

Transfer credit for the pre-major courses is subject to department approval. Transfer students should consult with the undergraduate counselors before enrolling in any courses for the major.

Refer to the UCLA transfer admission guide for up-to-date information regarding transfer selection for admission.

Each course must be taken for a letter grade. 

Each course must be taken for a letter grade. 

There is no language requirement for the major; however, students wishing to enter the honors program or planning to do graduate work in history are urged to pursue language study early in their undergraduate careers. 

The honors program is designed for History majors who are interested in completing a year-long research project that culminates in an honors thesis. A 3.5 departmental grade-point average is required for admission. To graduate with departmental honors, students must have a cumulative or overall GPA of at least 3.0 in all University-level coursework and at least a 3.5 GPA in all coursework required for the major. 

The honors thesis must be completed in three terms, on the basis of work carried out in History 198A, 198B, and 198C. Students must register their intention to undertake an honors thesis with the undergraduate affairs vice chair no later than spring quarter of their junior year. 

When students register for honors, they must provide the undergraduate affairs vice chair with a two-paragraph description of their thesis project, which must be approved in writing by the faculty member who agrees to act as their adviser. The undergraduate affairs vice chair must also approve the proposed project in writing. 

The faculty adviser is primarily responsible for guiding the thesis work to its completion and assigns grades for the honors courses after the thesis is complete. The honors thesis should be 40 to 60 pages in length and be based on primary source material. Determination of the level of honors awarded (no honors, honors, or highest honors) is made by the undergraduate affairs vice chair, acting in conjunction with the honors committee, at the end of the term in which the thesis is completed.