Bachelor of Arts: History
University Requirements
General Education
UMKC Essentials is the university-wide curriculum that all undergraduate students will complete. The 30-credit hour program includes a First Year Experience course; three critical thinking courses in the areas of Arts & Humanities, Natural & Physical Sciences, and Social & Behavioral Sciences; a course in Culture and Diverse Perspectives; a course in Civic & Urban Engagement; two courses in Written Composition and one course in Oral Communication; and a Math Pathway course. Transfer students entering UMKC will elect from the UMKC Essentials General Education Program or the Missouri Core 42 General Education Curriculum. Academic advisors will meet with incoming transfer students to determine which option best serves the student’s educational needs. More information about General Education may be found on the General Education Requirements page.
Constitution Course
Every undergraduate student must take a course covering the United States Constitution and the Missouri State Constitution before graduation. Course options are included in the program requirements section below.
Exit Examinations
Information on exit examinations is available in the Undergraduate Academic Regulations and Information section of the catalog.
Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination
In accordance with Missouri Senate Bill 807 (section 170.013.1), 'any student entering a public institution of higher education for the first time after July 2019 who is pursuing an associate's or bachelor's degree from such institution shall successfully pass an examination on the provisions and principles of American civics with a score of seventy percent or greater as a condition of graduation from such institution'. To satisfy this requirement at UMKC, students access the exam through the Canvas site. This requirement will be listed in the degree audit system as, 'Take State Mandated Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination', and listed on the transcript as 'Missouri Civics Examination'.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from this program will:
- Identify, describe, and recognize general knowledge of the world’s civilizations and peoples as well as their political, economic, social, and cultural histories.
- Illustrate and explain particular historic stories in relation to general histories of the topic; summarize and interpret past events in order to appraise, evaluate, and consider them in relation to existing historical scholarship.
- Identify primary and/or secondary sources in order to analyze, distinguish, and classify relevant ideas and evidence.
- Organize and prepare primary and secondary sources as evidence to originate an argument, hypothesize an outcome, or interpret ideas and evidence for a research topic.
- Compose and write prose that is clear, well-organized, and grammatically correct.
The Department of History has developed a set of carefully crafted learning objectives. Simply put, history majors are expected to acquire specified levels of knowledge, perspectives and skills through the study of the past. The learning objectives are designed to help students succeed in their undergraduate history major, as independent, creative and self-directed learners. More important, they will help students to be successful in their pursuit of a career and to hold a lifelong appreciation for the humanities and social sciences.
Program Requirements
UMKC Essentials
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Semester Experience Course (GEFSE) | 3 | |
| Written Communication: | ||
| ENGLISH 110 | Introduction to Academic Prose | 3 |
| ENGLISH 225 | English II: Intermediate Academic Prose | 3 |
| Oral Communication (choose one of the following): | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Effective Speaking and Listening | ||
| Introduction to Communication | ||
| Argumentation And Debate (offered via dual credit only) | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Math Pathway (choose one of the following): | 3 | |
| Mathematics For Liberal Arts | ||
| Statistical Reasoning | ||
| Precalculus Algebra | ||
| Precalculus (5 credit hours) | ||
Any 200-level MATH or STAT course | ||
ACT Math Subscore of 28 or higher; or SAT Math Subscore of 660 or higher | ||
| Critical Thinking in Arts & Humanities (GECRT-AH) | 3 | |
| Critical Thinking in Natural & Physical Sciences (GECRT-SC) | 3 | |
| Critical Thinking in Social & Behavioral Sciences (GECRT-SS) | 3 | |
| Culture & Diverse Perspectives (GECDV) | 3 | |
| Civic & Urban Engagement (GECUE) | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Constitution Course Requirement
Section 170.011.1 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, 2015, states that all candidates for a degree issued by a college or university in the state of Missouri must have “satisfactorily passed an examination on the provisions and principles of the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Missouri, and in American history and American institutions.”
Courses at UMKC that satisfy this state requirement are:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one of the following: | ||
| The Supreme Court And The Criminal Process | ||
| U.S. History to 1877 | ||
| U.S. History Since 1877 | ||
| Honors American Government | ||
| American Government | ||
There are a few other ways this requirement can be satisfied for students transferring to UMKC:
- Take an equivalent course from the list above at a regionally accredited institution.
- Earn credit for one of the above courses through AP, IB, or CLEP.
- Take a course that directly satisfies the Missouri Constitution Requirement at another Missouri institution.
- Have a previous bachelor's degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited institution.
- Have an Associate of Arts degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Complete the 42 Hour Core at a Missouri institution and have it listed on the official transcript.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Writing Intensive Course (300-level or above; satisfied in major requirements below): | 0 | |
| Total Credits | 0 | |
Major Requirements
The History major consists of 36 total credit hours, but no credit will be given toward the major for courses in which the grade is below C-.
Students are required to select, at minimum, two history survey courses (total of 6 credit hours). One course, or 3 credit hours, will be selected from each of two categories (U.S. History Survey and Non-U.S. History Survey).
Students will be required to take HISTORY 301WI and a Capstone Course (selected from the below list) to be completed in either their Junior or Senior year and cannot be taken in the same semester. HISTORY 301WI will provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the theory and methods of historical research and interpretation. The selected Capstone Course will build upon the knowledge and skills gained from HISTORY 301WI. A capstone project combines different kinds of practical experience or other written work with analytical and interpretive writing in the form of an original scholarly work based in primary source research, an internship in archives or public history, or student-teaching experience in elementary or high school social studies.
Note: Capstone projects require approval departmental approval – for more information students are encouraged to contact the Undergraduate Mentor for the Department of History.
Major Requirements
Students must successfully complete the major requirements below with at least 12 hours of the noted upper division (300+) course requirements completed at UMKC.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum of two History Surveys (Select one from each category) | 6 | |
| Category 1: U.S. History Survey (fulfills Constitution Course Requirement) | ||
| U.S. History to 1877 | ||
| U.S. History Since 1877 | ||
| Category 2: Non-U.S. History Survey | ||
| European History to 1600 | ||
| European History since 1600 | ||
| World History To 1450 | ||
| World History since 1450 | ||
| Methods Course: | 3 | |
| Historiography and Method 4 | ||
| Senior Capstone Course (Select one of the following) | 3 | |
| Senior Capstone | ||
| Archival Internship | ||
| Public History Internship | ||
| History Internship | ||
| Historical Research Project | ||
| Honors Thesis 2 | ||
| Practicum-Secondary Social Studies 3 | ||
| Upper Division (300-400+) Level Course Electives (Any HISTORY course numbered at or above 300 and not used to fulfill the course requirements above can be applied toward the elective hours. 1 | 24 | |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
- 1
Students may petition for inclusion of up to 6 hours of relevant 300- and 400-level courses offered by other departments to be counted towards their major elective requirements.
- 2
Students seeking to enroll in HISTORY 499WI or HONORS 495J must have applied to and been accepted into the Honors Program (http://honors.umkc.edu).
- 3
Students seeking to enroll in TCH-ED 426B must be admitted to the School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences’ Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (https://seswps.umkc.edu/).
- 4
HISTORY 301WI is only offered every fall semester.
General Electives
Students must take elective credit hours to meet the minimum credit hour requirement for their degree, including at least 36 credit hours of coursework at the 300-level or above. The minimum required by the university is 120 credit hours, of which at least 30 credit hours must be taken at UMKC, but some degree programs require more.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Electives | 54 | |
Minimum GPA: 2.0
Total Credit Hours: 120
Tools for Planning and Fulfilling Academic Requirements
UMKC's Major Maps are detailed, semester by semester plans that lead a student to complete all degree requirements within four years. Plans include benchmarks and critical courses by term that assist a student’s evaluation of progress and major “fit”. In order to ensure that the appropriate courses are taken, students are encouraged to consult with the undergraduate advisor for this major. Please see the tab above to view the major map for this program.
UMKC’s Transfer Guides provide detailed guidance on recommended transfer coursework, plans of study, transfer timelines, and transfer contact information. To ensure a seamless transfer experience, students are encouraged to work with both their community college advisor and a UMKC advisor when planning their coursework.
UMKC’s PlanMyDegree ‘Audit’ degree audit system provides an individual evaluation of all degree requirements (General Education, Degree Specific, Major Specific, etc.) for students' officially recorded (Office of the Registrar) and “what if” exploratory plans of study. This evaluation is used to certify all graduation requirements.
UMKC’s PlanMyDegree ‘Plans’ degree planning tool enables students to develop a personalized semester by semester plan of study towards completion of degree requirements for student’s officially recorded (Office of the Registrar) and “what if” exploratory plans of study. Update and edit your full plan to degree completion each term and confirm accuracy each semester with your Academic Advisor(s).
Year 1