Do I Get Credit for the Advanced Placement History Course I Took in High School?

A student obtaining a score of 5 in an Advanced Placement Examination in History will automatically receive two course credits, and a student scoring 4 will receive one course credit. A student can receive no more than three course credits from AP exams. These credits apply to College graduation requirements; they do not apply toward the ten credits required of History majors. Students receiving AP credit should consult with the department before registering for 100-level courses in the department.

What Course Should I Take to Find Out If I Like History?

The short answer: any course that interests you. Very few of our courses have prerequisites, although you will certainly find the 200 and 300-level courses more challenging than the introductory surveys and topics courses.

The best gateway to the history major is perhaps History 101, "Introduction to Historical Investigation." This course is, in fact, a topics course. It teaches the methods and issues of historical thinking through the study of a particular topic. Past offerings have included, The Sixties, Western Travelers to China, Latin American Popular Culture, Crime and Punishment in European History, Hitler and the Nazi State, and more. See the general description in the Catalogue.

As a History Major, How Easy Is It To Study Abroad?

We encourage our students to take a semester or a year to study off-campus. In the past, history students have completed internships, or attended programs abroad where they can see a wider world for themselves and observe the way in which the past shapes the present in places such as Rio de Janeiro, Prague, Nairobi, Tokyo, Barcelona, and Galway.

One important consideration: Junior Independent Study should normally be completed at Wooster. It serves, in important ways, as preparation for the Senior Independent Study. In some cases, with the permission of the Advisor and the Chair of the History Department, students can submit a research paper (of equivalent scope and depth as the Junior Independent Study project) written off-campus to fulfill the Junior I.S. requirement.

What If I Want to Double Major

Many of our students are double majors, combining their interest in history with work in languages, literature, anthropology, economics, urban studies or more. As a double major, you are required to complete all of the requirements for both majors, with the exception that, subject to the approval of both departments, a joint Senior I.S. project may be done on a topic that incorporates materials and approaches from both disciplines and fulfills the requirements of both departments. As a double major, you must do Junior Independent Study in both departments. See the Catalogue for further details.

What Other Majors Include An Important Component of History?

The Department of History contributes courses to many programs on campus, such as Black Studies, Women's Studies, Urban Studies, and Archaeology. It participates directly in the interdisciplinary programs of International Relations and Cultural Area Studies. As a student in one of these two programs, you may make History your core or home department if you are interested in doing coursework in History and writing a Senior Independent Study that draws extensively on historical methods.

I'm Interested in Teaching History in High School After College. What Should I Do?

Many of our students complete some kind of teacher certification along with the History Major, through the Teacher Education Program in the Department of Education (link http://www.wooster.edu/Education). Note: there are many requirements for certification. Students interested in teacher certification should consult with a faculty member in the Department of Education as early as possible in their college career.

I'm Interested in Law School. What Should I Do To Prepare?

History majors have gone on to many of the nation's premier Law Schools. See the suggestions at the Pre-Law web page (link to http://www.wooster.edu/pre-law/) and talk to one of the Pre-Law Advisors (link to http://www.wooster.edu/pre-law/advisors.html).

I Love History, But I'm Planning On Going to Medical School? What Can I Do?

The History Major will not, in itself, prepare you for medical school, but it is excellent training for future doctors. And medical schools are especially interested in applicants who can think outside of the sciences. History majors have higher rates of acceptance to medical school than Chemistry majors. If you are planning on a career in Medicine, look to the Pre-Health web page (http://www.wooster.edu/pre-health/) and talk to a Pre-Health Advisor (link to http://www.wooster.edu/pre-health/#Pre-Health%20Advising%20Committee%20Members) soon.