Undergraduate Programs (as of Fall 2019)

Minor Concentration in History (18 credits)

Students should complete a History Minor Program Advising/Audit form before meeting with a program advisor.

Program Requirements

Complementary Courses: 18 credits

18 credits of HIST or Cognate Courses, of which no more than 6 credits may be at the 100- or 200-level.

Transfer credits: Within the required 18 credits, the program will accept only 6 credits that are non-McGill.

Important Note: Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credits may not be included in the overall credit requirement for the minor program but may be considered as having met prerequisites for upper-level courses - please discuss with the instructor of an upper-level course requiring the prerequisite or your academic program advisor.

Please see here for our Minor Concentration in South Asian Studies (18 credits)

Major Concentration in History (36 credits)

Students should complete a  History Major Program Advising/Audit form before meeting with a program advisor.

Program Requirements

36 credits of HIST or Cognate Courses (see list below) according to the following requirements.

Distribution requirement:

• 3 credits from Group A

• 3 credits from Group B

• 3 credits from Group C

Course Groupings found here: History Groups Course List

Temporal Breadth requirement:

• At least 3 credits focused on the period before 1800 (List of Pre-1800 Courses)
• At least 3 credits focused on the period after 1800

Notes: The same course may be used to satisfy both a Distribution and Temporal Breadth requirement. HIST 299 may not be used to satisfy Temporal Breadth requirements.

Level requirement:

• Maximum 15 credits of complementary courses at the 200-level or lower
• Minimum 6 credits of 400- or 500- level courses. Note: students may use at most 3 credits of HIST 413 or 499 to fulfill this requirement.

Students should see an advisor to plan a program that suits their needs. Please consult Minerva Class Schedule for the most up-to-date list of course offerings for the current academic year.

Transfer credits

Within the required 36 credits, the program will accept only 12 credits that are non-McGill.

Important Note: Advanced Placement (AP or International Baccalaureate (IB) credits may not be included in the overall credit requirement for the major program but may be considered as having met prerequisites for upper-level courses - please discuss with the instructor of an upper-level course requiring the prerequisite or your program advisor.

Honours in History (54 credits)

Students should complete a History Honours Audit Form before meeting with a program advisor.

Program Requirements

Required Course (3 credits)

HIST 399 History and Historiography (3 credits)

Complementary Courses (51 credits)

51 credits of HIST or Cognate Courses (see list below) according to the following requirements.

Distribution requirement:

• 3 credits from Group A
• 3 credits from Group B
• 3 credits from Group C

Course Groupings found here: History Groups Course List

Temporal Breadth requirement:

• At least 3 credits focused on the period before 1800 (List of Pre-1800 Courses)
• At least 3 credits focused on the period after 1800

Notes: The same course may be used to satisfy both a Distribution and Temporal Breadth requirement. HIST 299 and HIST 399 may not be used to satisfy Temporal Breadth requirements.

Level requirement:

• Minimum 6 credits of honours seminars (500-level D1/D2 courses)
• Minimum 6 additional credits of 400-level or higher HIST courses. A second honours seminar may be used to fulfill this requirement.
• Maximum 18 credits complementary courses at 200-level

GPA requirements - 3.30 in program courses, 3.0 (B) or higher in each program course, CGPA 3.0 or higher.

Language training

Students in an Honours program may, under exceptional circumstances and with the written approval of a program advisor, count up to 6 credits of language training toward their Honours program in History if this training is pertinent to the student's academic program and is required to acquire knowledge of a language directly related to the student's area of specialization.

Cognate courses

6 credits of non-HIST courses directly related to the student’s program may be counted as complementary courses for the program with signed program advisor permission.

Notes: 200-level cognate courses count against the 15-credit limit of 200-level courses allowed for the program. Cognate courses may not be used to replace 400-level or 500-level requirements. Courses listed in the complementary course list as HIST equivalent (e.g. CLAS 304) are counted as HIST courses, not as "cognate" courses.

In all cases, students should see an advisor to plan a program that suits their needs. Please consult the Department website for the most up-to-date list of course offerings for the current academic year.

Important Note: Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credits may not be included in the overall credit requirement for the honours program but may be considered as having met prerequisites for an upper-level course - please discuss with the instructor of an upper-level course requiring the prerequisite or your program advisor.

Joint Honours in History (36 credits)

Students should complete a   Joint Honours History Program Advising/Audit form before meeting with a program advisor.

Program Requirements

Required Course (3 credits)

HIST 399 History and Historiography (3 credits)

Complementary Courses (33 credits)

33 credits of HIST or Cognate Courses (see list below) according to the following requirements.

Distribution requirement:

• 3 credits from Group A
• 3 credits from Group B
• 3 credits from Group C

Course Groupings found here: History Groups Course List

Temporal Breadth requirement:

• At least 3 credits focused on the period before 1800 (List of Pre-1800 Courses)
• At least 3 credits focused on the period after 1800

Notes: The same course may be used to satisfy both a Distribution and Temporal Breadth requirement. HIST 299and HIST 399 may not be used to satisfy Temporal Breadth requirements.

Level requirement:

• 6 credits honours seminar (500-level D1/D2)
• Minimum 3 additional credits 400-level or higher HIST courses
• Maximum 12 credits complementary courses at 200-level

GPA requirements - 3.30 in program courses, 3.0 (B) or higher in each program course, cGPA 3.0 or higher.

Language training

Students in a Joint Honours program may, under exceptional circumstances and with the written approval of a program advisor, count up to 3 credits of language training toward their Joint Honours program in History if this training is pertinent to the student's academic program and is required to acquire knowledge of a language directly related to the student's area of specialization.

Cognate courses

Up to 3 non-HIST credits pertinent to historical studies may be counted toward a Joint Honours program in History with the written approval of a program advisor. Faculty regulations stipulate that any such courses must not be double-counted between programs.

In all cases, students should see an advisor to plan a program that suits their needs. Please consult the Department website for the most up-to-date list of course offerings for the current academic year.

Important Note: Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credits may not be included in the overall credit requirement for the joint honours program but may be considered as having met prerequisites for upper-level courses - please discuss with the instructor of an upper-level course requiring the prerequisite or your program advisor.