CAS: History

Sample Pathway

Below is an example of a four-year plan of a College of General Studies student pursuing a degree in history. Students will work with their CGS academic advisors and the history department to plan their own pathway to a history degree.

*Strongly recommended for prospective majors: one 200- or 300-level history course. Students should note that a maximum of three courses numbered below 200 may count for the major.

**Choose your electives carefully to fulfill any remaining BU Hub requirements. You will find a list of all of the courses that carry Hub units on the University’s BU Hub website. External courses are not eligible for Hub general education credit.

^^Distributional Requirement (four courses): At least one course is required in each of the following geographical areas: American history, European history, and world history. In addition, students must take one course that focuses on premodern history; a list of courses satisfying this requirement is available in the department office and in the Course Areas section of the departmental website.

History courses by Hub unit can be found on the History Department webpage.

College of General Studies Program Requirements

• Two rhetoric courses: CGS RH 103 and CGS RH 104
  • CGS RH 104 is taken during the London semester
• Two natural science courses: CGS NS 201 and CGS NS 202
• Three social science courses:
  • CGS SS 104 is required and is taken during the London semester
  • Students select at least two additional SS courses and will work with their academic advisor to determine course selection
    
• Three humanities courses:
  • CGS HU 104 is required and is taken during the London semester
  • Students select at least two additional HU courses and will work with their academic advisor to determine course selection

Major Requirements

All history majors must take at least 12 courses, including CAS HI 200 and two seminars at the 400- or 500-level, and fulfill the distributional requirement. CAS HI 200 should ideally be taken in the sophomore year. A grade of ‘C’ or higher is required for all courses counted toward the major. For required courses, please see the CAS Bulletin.

Students who complete the following College of General Studies courses with a grade of C or higher will receive HI credit towards the major.

• SS 103 is equivalent to HI 101
• SS 104 is equivalent to HI 102
• SS 201 is equivalent to HI 176
• SS 202 is equivalent to HI 2XX

Note: Students may not obtain credit for taking CAS HI 101, CAS HI 102, CAS HI 176, since these duplicate the credit received for the CGS courses.

Students with a score of 4 or 5 on a history Advanced Placement examination receive credit as follows:

• European History exam: CAS HI 098
• American History exam: CAS HI 099
• No credit is given for the World History examination
• Note: These courses cannot count towards the history major and are to be used as general credits towards graduation

For more information, please see the History Department webpage.

For further guidance on course selection and degree planning, please contact the appropriate department academic advisor based on the first letter of your last name:

• A- K: Giovanna Karlovic (gigikar@bu.edu)
• L – Z: Derek Briand (dbriand1@bu.edu)

Continuation Requirements

• Completion of the CGS required courses and appropriate electives
• Cumulative GPA greater than or equal to 2.00

Graduation Requirements

In addition to the history major requirements, Boston University students completing a degree in CAS must also complete. 

• BU Hub requirements
• CAS requirements:
  • Second Language requirement
• History major requirements 
• CAS requires a minimum of 128 credits, excluding PDP, ROTC, and CAS FY and SY courses.

This is a sample pathway to be used in consultation with your CGS Academic Advisor.

It is subject to change according to course availability and individual circumstances.

Last revised: 03/31/2025