Why Study History at Rice University?
Transferable skills: Students acquire highly marketable skills in research, analysis, communication, and writing. They learn to use evidence to develop interpretations and gain a broad perspective on global challenges.
Great classes: The Department of History at Rice is among the largest of the departments in the humanities. Our award-winning faculty are celebrated for their teaching as well as their cutting-edge research and publications. They offer small, engaging, and discussion-based classes across the curriculum. Explore the human experience from ancient Rome and medieval Central Asia to the Indian Ocean and the Middle East, from colonial Brazil to modern China, Mexico, Europe, the American South and much more. Examine the origins of racism and slavery. Study histories of science, technology, medicine, and law. Explore changes and continuities in our attitudes to sex and gender and in our relationship to the environment.
Research opportunities: Undergraduate research in history is supported through generous endowments. History majors may do research with their professors, help publish a peer-reviewed journal, The Rice Historical Review, and contribute to the renowned SlaveVoyages.org project. Honors students are sponsored by the Gruber Fund to do independent research in libraries, museums and archives across the United States and internationally.
Independence and flexibility: History offers a major that is flexible and customizable. It is a rich and intellectually exciting major and can easily combine with a second major, such as economics, political science, pre-med and pre-law, Asian studies, public policy and many more.
Requirements for a Degree in History
A student majoring in history must take a minimum of 30 semester hours (10 courses) in history, of which 18 semester hours (six courses) must be on the advanced level (300 or 400). Majors take at least one course in four of the following five fields: A. Pre-modern; B. Europe; C. United States; D. Asia, Latin America, Africa; and E. Transnational, Comparative, World, Thematic.
A student minoring in history must take a minimum of 18 semester hours (six courses) in history, of which nine semester hours (three courses) must be on the 300 level or above. Minors take one course from at least three of the fields listed above.
Major: History
Minor: History
Learn more about the Department of History in the School of Humanities >