Bachelor of Arts in History

A list of faculty advisors is available at the department office, Science Building, Room 276.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will be able to express knowledge about a geographic and chronological diversity of human experiences, identities, and relationships, both between people and between humans and the natural world, to understand the world beyond themselves. (Knowing)
  2. Students will be able to approach complex issues in the past from multiple perspectives, understanding causal relationships in a way that allows them to recognize alternate and resonant ways of being in the world across time and space. (Understanding)
  3. Students will be able to critically assess how power has operated in the past, developing a keen sense of empathy and appreciation for the humanity of others afforded by a perspective informed by social justice and attention to diversity and inclusivity. (Ethics)
  4. Students will be able to conduct their own research using primary sources to make compelling arguments about the past, situating their conclusions within the debates among historians. (Research Skills)
  5. Students will be able to organize evidence, communicate complex information, tell engaging stories, and persuade their audience using both written and oral forms of communication. (Communication Skills)

History (B.A.) — 39 units

History majors cannot choose CR/NC grading in more than two history courses for their major, nor elect CR/NC grading in HIST 300GW or HIST 696.

Lower-Division Requirements (12 units)

Select three:

HIST 114World History to 15003
HIST 115World History Since 15003
HIST 120History of the U.S. through Reconstruction3
HIST 121History of the U.S. since Reconstruction3

Select one course not already taken to satisfy the requirement above:

HIST 101Critical Thinking in History3
HIST 102Introduction to Oral History3
HIST 103The History of Me3
HIST 110History of Western Civilization I3
HIST 111History of Western Civilization II3
HIST/LCA/PHIL/PLSI 112Quantitative Reasoning for Civic Engagement3
HIST 114World History to 15003
HIST 115World History Since 15003
HIST 120History of the U.S. through Reconstruction3
HIST 121History of the U.S. since Reconstruction3

Upper-Division Core (6 units)

Students must complete HIST 300GW before enrolling in HIST 696, which should preferably be taken in the final year of study.

HIST 300GWSeminar in Historical Analysis - GWAR3
HIST 696Proseminar in History3

Upper-Division Electives (21 units)

Breadth Requirements (9-12 units)

Students must complete the following four Breadth requirements within their upper-division course of study. Courses used to satisfy one geographic requirement (B, C, or D)  may not be used to satisfy another geographic requirement. The course used to satisfy the Early Period of History - Before 1750 requirement (A) may also satisfy one of the geographic requirements (B, C, and D).

A. One Upper-Division Course in Early Periods of History - Before 1750
HIST 307Monsters & Monstrosity: Historicizing Fear3
HIST 310Ancient Near East: Cities and Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia3
HIST/CLAS 319
HIST 320Archaic and Classical Greece3
HIST 321Hellenistic Greece3
HIST 322The Roman Republic3
HIST 323Imperial Rome3
HIST/CLAR 324
HIST 325
HIST 326/MGS 510/CLAS 510The Byzantine Empire3
HIST 327The Medieval Mediterranean3
HIST 328Pagans and Christians in a Changing Roman World3
HIST 329Early Christian Church 313-7873
HIST 330/HUM 403Vikings, Caliphs, & Carolingians: Europe in the Early Middle Ages3
HIST 331/HUM 404The High Middle Ages3
HIST/JS 332Ancient and Medieval Jews Among Pagans, Christians, and Muslims3
HIST 333The Black Death3
HIST 334The Renaissance3
HIST 336
HIST 337
HIST 338
HIST 340Saints, Demons, and Popular Beliefs in Medieval Europe3
HIST/MGS 351
HIST 357Colonial Latin America3
HIST 359
HIST 360Ancient Chinese Civilization3
HIST 361Imperial China3
HIST 365
HIST 366/ANTH 609Approaches to the African Past3
HIST 367
HIST 370/CLAS 582/HUM 582Tales from Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism3
HIST 371
HIST 380Islamic World I: 500-15003
HIST 420American Colonial History3
B. One Upper-Division Course That Focuses Primarily on U.S. History
HIST 302
HIST 303Introduction to Oral and Public History: The Bay Area3
HIST 404A Cultural History of American Technology3
HIST 416/JS 548The Jewish Sixties: A Journey Through The Social Protest Movements of the 1960s3
HIST 418Society and Politics in American History3
HIST 420American Colonial History3
HIST/JS 421Food Fights: The Politics of American Jewish Consumption from 1654 to the Present3
HIST 422The American Revolution3
HIST 424History of the United States: Civil War and Reconstruction3
HIST 426History of the United States 1877-19163
HIST 427History of the United States 1916-19453
HIST 428U.S. History in the Civil Rights Era, 1945-19803
HIST 429U.S. History: The Recent Past, 1980 to the Present3
HIST/JS/HUM 441American Jews and Popular Culture3
HIST/JS 449American Jewish History3
HIST 450History of California3
HIST 451/A U 303Bay Area History and Society3
HIST 455The Philippines and the United States3
HIST 460The United States and the World Before 19133
HIST 461The United States and the World after 19133
HIST 464American Ethnic and Racial Relations to 18903
HIST 465American Ethnic and Racial Relations II: 1890-Present3
HIST 466/RRS 600History of People of Color in the U.S.3
HIST 467Women in the U.S. to 18903
HIST 468Women in the U.S.: 1890-Present3
HIST 469American Childhoods: Past and Present3
HIST 470The U.S. Constitution to 18963
HIST 471The U.S. Constitution Since 18963
HIST 472The Supreme Court and Social Change in U.S. History3
HIST/RRS/LABR 473Slavery and Antislavery in the United States3
HIST/ECON/LABR 474History of Labor in the United States3
HIST 475History of Sexuality in the United States Before 19003
HIST 478American Popular Culture History: Barnum to Reality TV3
HIST 479The History of Baseball3
HIST/HUM 480Thought and Culture in America to 18803
HIST/HUM 481Thought and Culture in America: 1880 to the Present3
HIST/RELS 482Religion in America3
HIST 484Disability and Culture in the U.S.3
HIST 485History of Sexuality in the United States Since 19003
HIST 489/USP 400Dynamics of the American City3
HIST 490Topics in American History3
C. One Upper-Division Course that Focuses Primarily on a Region Outside of the U.S. and includes Europe (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and/or the Middle East)
HIST 310Ancient Near East: Cities and Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia3
HIST 311Ancient Mediterranean World in Transition: c. 1600-700 BCE3
HIST 313Comparative History of Love and Sexuality3
HIST/HUM 315History of Science from the Scientific Revolution3
HIST/JS 317The Holocaust and Genocide3
HIST/CLAS 319
HIST 320Archaic and Classical Greece3
HIST 321Hellenistic Greece3
HIST 322The Roman Republic3
HIST 323Imperial Rome3
HIST/CLAR 324
HIST 325
HIST 326/MGS 510/CLAS 510The Byzantine Empire3
HIST 327The Medieval Mediterranean3
HIST 328Pagans and Christians in a Changing Roman World3
HIST 329Early Christian Church 313-7873
HIST 330/HUM 303Vikings, Caliphs, & Carolingians: Europe in the Early Middle Ages3
HIST 331/HUM 404The High Middle Ages3
HIST/JS 332Ancient and Medieval Jews Among Pagans, Christians, and Muslims3
HIST 333The Black Death3
HIST 334The Renaissance3
HIST 335/JS 633Jewish History II: 1650 to Present3
HIST 336
HIST 337
HIST 338
HIST 339Pirates and Piracy3
HIST 340Saints, Demons, and Popular Beliefs in Medieval Europe3
HIST 342French Revolution and Napoleon3
HIST 343Soviet Russia, the West, and the Cold War3
HIST 344Society, Culture, and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Europe3
HIST 345The Era of Globalization 1968-20083
HIST/I R 346Europe since 19143
HIST 347Women in Modern Europe3
HIST/HUM 348Thought and Culture in Modern Europe3
HIST 349Topics in European History3
HIST/MGS 350Greece and the Balkans3
HIST/MGS 351
HIST/MGS 352
HIST 353History of Mexico3
HIST 354
HIST/WGS 355/LTNS 533History of Women in Latin America3
HIST 356
HIST 357Colonial Latin America3
HIST 358/ANTH 501/LTNS 501Latin America: The National Period3
HIST 359
HIST 360Ancient Chinese Civilization3
HIST 361Imperial China3
HIST 362History of Modern China3
HIST 363Taiwan: History, Memory, and Imagination3
HIST 364Sex and Gender in East Asia3
HIST 365
HIST 366/ANTH 609Approaches to the African Past3
HIST 367
HIST 368Modern Africa3
HIST 369Gender in African History3
HIST 370/HUM 582/CLAS 582Tales from Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism3
HIST 371
HIST 372India and the British Empire3
HIST 373Contemporary India3
HIST 374/HUM 586Bollywood and Beyond: Indian History Through Film3
HIST 376History of Southeast Asia3
HIST 379
HIST 380Islamic World I: 500-15003
HIST 381Islamic World II: 1500 - Present3
HIST 382History of Iran and Afghanistan 1500 - Present3
HIST 383
HIST 385The Russian Revolution3
HIST 390Era of the World Wars 1918 to 19453
HIST 395International History 1814-19183
HIST 398History of Modern European Imperialism3
HIST 455The Philippines and the United States3
D. One Upper-Division Course That Focuses Primarily on a Region Outside of the U.S. and Europe (Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and/or the Middle East)
HIST 310Ancient Near East: Cities and Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia3
HIST 311Ancient Mediterranean World in Transition: c. 1600-700 BCE3
HIST 353History of Mexico3
HIST 354
HIST/WGS 355/LTNS 533History of Women in Latin America3
HIST 356
HIST 357Colonial Latin America3
HIST 358/ANTH 501/LTNS 501Latin America: The National Period3
HIST 359
HIST 360Ancient Chinese Civilization3
HIST 361Imperial China3
HIST 362History of Modern China3
HIST 363Taiwan: History, Memory, and Imagination3
HIST 364Sex and Gender in East Asia3
HIST 365
HIST 366/ANTH 609Approaches to the African Past3
HIST 367
HIST 368Modern Africa3
HIST 369Gender in African History3
HIST 370/HUM 582/CLAS 582Tales from Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism3
HIST 371
HIST 372India and the British Empire3
HIST 373Contemporary India3
HIST 374/HUM 586Bollywood and Beyond: Indian History Through Film3
HIST 376History of Southeast Asia3
HIST 380Islamic World I: 500-15003
HIST 381Islamic World II: 1500 - Present3
HIST 382History of Iran and Afghanistan 1500 - Present3
HIST 383
HIST 395International History 1814-19183
HIST 455The Philippines and the United States3

Electives (9-12 units)

Select enough courses from the list below to reach a total of 21 upper-division elective units in the major.

Three upper-division units (normally one course) outside the major (with a non-HIST prefix) may be counted upon advisement.

Students may take additional electives if they choose.

Elective Options
HIST 303Introduction to Oral and Public History: The Bay Area3
HIST 304Teaching History with Comics3
HIST 305Digital History Methods and Practice3
HIST 307Monsters & Monstrosity: Historicizing Fear3
HIST 308/PLSI 451Engaging Democracy: Participating in Historical Debates3
HIST 310Ancient Near East: Cities and Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia3
HIST 311Ancient Mediterranean World in Transition: c. 1600-700 BCE3
HIST 313Comparative History of Love and Sexuality3
HIST 315History of Science from the Scientific Revolution3
HIST 317The Holocaust and Genocide3
HIST 318The Holocaust and Law: Complicity, Dissent, and Correction3
HIST 320Archaic and Classical Greece3
HIST 321Hellenistic Greece3
HIST 322The Roman Republic3
HIST 323Imperial Rome3
HIST 326The Byzantine Empire3
HIST 327The Medieval Mediterranean3
HIST 328Pagans and Christians in a Changing Roman World3
HIST 329Early Christian Church 313-7873
HIST 330Vikings, Caliphs, & Carolingians: Europe in the Early Middle Ages3
HIST 331The High Middle Ages3
HIST 332Ancient and Medieval Jews Among Pagans, Christians, and Muslims3
HIST 333The Black Death3
HIST 334The Renaissance3
HIST 335Jewish History II: 1650 to Present3
HIST 339Pirates and Piracy3
HIST 340Saints, Demons, and Popular Beliefs in Medieval Europe3
HIST 342French Revolution and Napoleon3
HIST 343Soviet Russia, the West, and the Cold War3
HIST 344Society, Culture, and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Europe3
HIST 345The Era of Globalization 1968-20083
HIST 346Europe since 19143
HIST 347Women in Modern Europe3
HIST 348Thought and Culture in Modern Europe3
HIST 349Topics in European History3
HIST 350Greece and the Balkans3
HIST 353History of Mexico3
HIST 355History of Women in Latin America3
HIST 357Colonial Latin America3
HIST 358Latin America: The National Period3
HIST 360Ancient Chinese Civilization3
HIST 361Imperial China3
HIST 362History of Modern China3
HIST 363Taiwan: History, Memory, and Imagination3
HIST 364Sex and Gender in East Asia3
HIST 366Approaches to the African Past3
HIST 368Modern Africa3
HIST 369Gender in African History3
HIST 370Tales from Ancient India: Hinduism and Buddhism3
HIST 372India and the British Empire3
HIST 373Contemporary India3
HIST 374Bollywood and Beyond: Indian History Through Film3
HIST 376History of Southeast Asia3
HIST 380Islamic World I: 500-15003
HIST 381Islamic World II: 1500 - Present3
HIST 382History of Iran and Afghanistan 1500 - Present3
HIST 385The Russian Revolution3
HIST 390Era of the World Wars 1918 to 19453
HIST 395International History 1814-19183
HIST 398History of Modern European Imperialism3
HIST 404A Cultural History of American Technology3
HIST 405Maritime History3
HIST 416The Jewish Sixties: A Journey Through The Social Protest Movements of the 1960s3
HIST 418Society and Politics in American History3
HIST 420American Colonial History3
HIST 421Food Fights: The Politics of American Jewish Consumption from 1654 to the Present3
HIST 422The American Revolution3
HIST 424History of the United States: Civil War and Reconstruction3
HIST 426History of the United States 1877-19163
HIST 427History of the United States 1916-19453
HIST 428U.S. History in the Civil Rights Era, 1945-19803
HIST 429U.S. History: The Recent Past, 1980 to the Present3
HIST 430Rising Powers4
HIST 441American Jews and Popular Culture3
HIST 449American Jewish History3
HIST 450History of California3
HIST 451Bay Area History and Society3
HIST 455The Philippines and the United States3
HIST 460The United States and the World Before 19133
HIST 461The United States and the World after 19133
HIST 464American Ethnic and Racial Relations to 18903
HIST 465American Ethnic and Racial Relations II: 1890-Present3
HIST 466History of People of Color in the U.S.3
HIST 467Women in the U.S. to 18903
HIST 468Women in the U.S.: 1890-Present3
HIST 469American Childhoods: Past and Present3
HIST 470The U.S. Constitution to 18963
HIST 471The U.S. Constitution Since 18963
HIST 472The Supreme Court and Social Change in U.S. History3
HIST 473Slavery and Antislavery in the United States3
HIST 474History of Labor in the United States3
HIST 475History of Sexuality in the United States Before 19003
HIST 478American Popular Culture History: Barnum to Reality TV3
HIST 479The History of Baseball3
HIST 480Thought and Culture in America to 18803
HIST 481Thought and Culture in America: 1880 to the Present3
HIST 482Religion in America3
HIST 483Horror Land: Monsters, Haunts, and Horror in American History3
HIST 484Disability and Culture in the U.S.3
HIST 485History of Sexuality in the United States Since 19003
HIST 489Dynamics of the American City3
HIST 490Topics in American History3
HIST 514Political Violence and Terrorism in German History, Film, and Visual Media3
HIST 680Archives or Historical Agency Internship1-6
HIST 690Editing and Publishing the History Journal1-4
HIST 698Directed Reading in History3
HIST 699Independent Study1-4

Complementary Studies

All candidates for the Bachelor of Arts in History are required to complete 12 units of Complementary Studies. These are courses with a prefix other than HIST and not cross-listed with HIST that support the study of History. These units can be earned in residence at San Francisco State, in a Study Abroad Program, or transferred.

  1. Up to all 12 units may be in a Foreign Language or through Study Abroad at either the lower- or upper-division;
  2. For units that are not in a Foreign Language or through Study Abroad, up to 3 units may be lower-division and the remainder must be upper-division;
  3. Within an established minor, students can satisfy Complementary Studies by completing 12 units from a single minor. If students earn their Complementary Studies as part of an established minor, a maximum of 6 units may be lower-division. 

Students who have earned AA–T or AS–T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement in order to ensure degree completion within 60 units.

General Education Requirements

Requirement Course Level Units Area Designation
Oral Communication LD 3 A1
Written English Communication LD 3 A2
Critical Thinking LD 3 A3
Physical Science LD 3 B1
Life Science LD 3 B2
Lab Science LD 1 B3
Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning LD 3 B4
Arts LD 3 C1
Humanities LD 3 C2
Arts or Humanities LD 3 C1 or C2
Social Sciences LD 3 D1
Social Sciences: US History LD 3 D2
Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) LD 3 E
Ethnic Studies LD 3 F
Physical and/or Life Science UD 3 UD-B
Arts and/or Humanities UD 3 UD-C
Social Sciences UD 3 UD-D
SF State Studies
Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective.
American Ethnic and Racial Minorities LD or UD 3 AERM
Environmental Sustainability LD or UD 3 ES
Global Perspectives LD or UD 3 GP
Social Justice LD or UD 3 SJ

Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.

First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)

  1. The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
  2. In order to choose your English Composition A2 course and your QR/Math B4 course, please complete the online advising activities at writingadvising.sfsu.edu and mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.

First-Time Student Roadmap

SF State Scholars

The San Francisco State Scholars program provides undergraduate students with an accelerated pathway to a graduate degree. Students in this program pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree simultaneously. This program allows students to earn graduate credit while in their junior and/or senior year, reducing the number of semesters required for completion of a master’s degree.

San Francisco State Scholars Roadmap

Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)

For students with an AA-T in History.
HIST ADT Roadmap

This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in History

California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T). 

Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.

An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area C and 3 units in lower-division GE area D until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.

Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.

Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.

A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:

  • How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
  • Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
  • How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.

Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.

General Advising Information for Transfer Students

  1. Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
  2. The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
    • a course in U.S. History
    • a course in U.S. & California Government

For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:

  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.

Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.

Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).

Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.

Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.

Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.

Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs

Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.

Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.