People often think of studying history as a matter of memorizing names and dates. While having a command of basic facts is important, college-level study of history shifts the focus to learning how to ask new questions, find new evidence, incorporate more voices, and reconsider old assumptions. As a UCSC history major, you will cultivate a broad understanding of human history across time and space. You will learn how the challenges that confront us today, such as economic inequality, environmental degradation, and racism, have developed and changed over time. You will explore the patterns of social movements and political transformation that help us understand how people change the world. History is about the past, but it is also about understanding the world we live in today.

Students whose major area of study is not history may nonetheless find that a minor in history makes an invaluable contribution to their studies.

Learning Experience

As a history major you will explore your existing interests — and discover new ones — by taking a wide range of courses that focus on different geographic regions and time periods. At the same time, you will develop deep knowledge of a particular region of the world by choosing an area of specialization: Europe and the Mediterranean World, the Americas and Africa , or Asia and the Pacific. We also encourage students to specialize in a variety of sub-fields, including imperialism, colonialism, gender, race, science and technology, and the environment.

Course Requirements

Eight history courses are required, five of which must be 5-credit upper-division courses. There are no distribution requirements, and there is no comprehensive requirement for the minor. Students are allowed to complete up to two of their minor courses for pass/no pass grades.