2024-2025 Catalog

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Advising Information

Students who are interested in the History major are encouraged to start by taking a 100- or 200-level survey course. Most 100- and 200 -level HIST courses do not have prerequisites and can be taken in any order.

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the History major. 

Sample 4-Year Plan


Fall

Spring

Year 1

  • Fall FYS course

  • Foreign Language (4 or 5 units)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • Spring FYS course

  • History Survey and/or Premodern (CPPE)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 2

  • History Survey

  • Core Requirement

  • Core Requirement

  • General Elective

  • History Survey

  • Core Requirement

  • Core Requirement

  • General Elective

Year 3

  • HIST 300 or 300-level HIST Elective

  • 300-level HIST Elective

  • General Elective

  • General Elective

  • HIST 300 or 300-level HIST Elective

  • HIST Elective

  • General Elective

  • General Elective

Year 4

  • HIST 490 (Senior Seminar)

  • HIST Elective

  • General Elective

  • General Elective

  • 300-level HIST Elective

  • General Elective

  • General Elective

  • General Elective

History Transfer Student Advice

Transfer Course Limit for Transfer Students: 2 courses

Designated Transfer Adviser

Expected preparation for transfer students wanting to major in History:

  • Transfer students need not have taken any History courses prior to transferring to Occidental, but for students transferring as juniors or mid way through their sophomore year it would be expected that they had taken enough courses to have determined that they want to major in History.

  • Junior transfer students should have completed at least seven Core requirements prior to starting at Occidental. Students starting mid way through their sophomore year should have completed at least five Core requirements prior to starting at Occidental.

General advice for transfer students wanting to major History:

  • AP exams/courses may not be used to meet major requirements in History

  • HIST 300 and the Senior Seminar, HIST490, must be taken at Occidental

What courses should a transfer student take during their first semester at Occidental?

  • Junior transfer students must enroll in a 300-level History course; juniors starting in the spring semester should take HIST300 in addition.

  • Transfer students starting mid way through their sophomore year must take at least one History course; those students starting in the spring must take at least two History courses in their first semester.

  • Sophomore students should take a History course