Undergraduate Studies

Undergraduate History Advising Office

Location: 300 Gregory Hall

Hours:
Monday: 9-12, 1-4
Tuesday: 9-12, 1-4
Wednesday: 9-12, 1-4
Thursday: 9-12, 1-4
Friday: 9-12, 1-4

Hours may change without notice. 

Appointments: No walk-in appointments. To schedule an appointment you may either call 244-2078 or go to 309 Gregory Hall.

Advisor: Christopher A Cosat

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should you see?

  • If you are a major with a general question about the major or your supporting coursework, you can see the advisor.
  • If you need a major plan of study form filled out, you can see the advisor.
  • If you need a signature or stamp for declaring a minor, an insurance form, credit-no credit form, or program change, you can see the advisor.
  • If you have an “intent to declare a second major” form, you must see the advisor.
  • If you are interested in the teaching program, you must see the advisor.
  • If you are a major on probation, you must see the advisor.
  • If you are planning to participate in history honors, you must see the advisor.
  • If you need to have a course approved for study abroad or you need to have a course that didn’t transfer correctly from another higher-education institution approved, you must see the advisor and you should have an appointment.
  • If you have questions about residency requirements, general education requirements, language requirements, or a hold on your registration, please go to the college office.  If you are in LAS, that office is located in 270 Lincoln Hall.
  • If you have questions about admission or transfer into the university, see the OAR website

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General Inquiries

Where does my class meet?

Check the class schedule online at courses.uiuc.edu

For registration problems

Please see OAR's registration information.

Can/How do I get into a closed course/section?

For courses with TA sections or large classes with graders (usually 100 and 200 level courses), you will need to wait until a seat opens even if the TA or instructor says it is all right to add.

For upper-level courses, please ask the instructor if he/she is willing to allow you to add over the class limit.  However, students may not be added over the computer-specified number of seats in the room.  If you are given permission to add the course, please bring a note that verifies the permission to 300 Gregory Hall for an override.

What does it mean if a course is crosslisted?

If a course description says “also” plus other departments with course numbers, the course is being offered through more than one department.  Unfortunately the registration system can make students think that a course is still open when the “open” seats have actually been taken by students enrolling under the crosslisted course number.  If the registration system shows the course is closed, it is closed. Crosslisted courses offered in the student’s major will always be counted in the major, even if the student takes the course under another department’s designation.  See supporting coursework section for more information about use of crosslisted courses in the major, minor, or supporting coursework.

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Questions about the Major

Which program should I follow?

If you started college...

How do courses count in the different areas?
What is the difference between a double major and a double degree?

A double major is completing two majors with a total of 120 hours.  A student planning on doing a double major in the college will need to fill out an intent to double major form in 270 Lincoln Hall.

A double degree is normally sought when the departments are in different colleges or one of the majors is in a specialized curriculum.  A student must complete at least 150 hours.  Students interested in pursuing a double degree must consult with Dean Rich in 270 Lincoln Hall early in their college career.

Advanced hours

Advanced hours in LAS are defined as courses at the 300 and 400 level.  Students are required to have a minimum of 21 advanced hours to graduate.  For students who started college before fall 2004, 12 of those hours must be in the history major.  For students who started college fall 2004 or later, 15 of those hours must be in the major.

How does study abroad coursework fit into the major?

Students may use appropriate study abroad coursework in the major or in their supporting coursework.  No more than 3 hours per semester of study abroad credit can be used as advanced hours in the major.  For more information, consult the history advisor.

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Supporting Coursework

What is it?

The 20-22 hours in supporting course work [18 hours in the major as revised for fall 2004], in work outside the Department of History, must be related to the major.  The traditional areas for such work are ancient and modern languages (excluding first-year elementary courses and courses used to fulfill the college foreign language requirement), anthropology, architectural history, art history, classical archeology and civilization, economics, English, American and comparative literature; geography, library science, music history, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious studies, and sociology.  Non-history courses chosen from the multidisciplinary fields of women’s studies, African studies, African-American studies, Asian studies, Latin American studies, Russian and East European studies, and the humanities programs in American civilization, Renaissance civilization, medieval civilization, history and philosophy of science, cinema studies and others are accepted as supporting course work if they meet the criteria of relevance and academic level.

An independent minor may be substituted for the supporting course work .  The requirements for independent minors are determined by the departments offering the minors.  However, if the minor requires fewer than 20 hours in the current major, the additional hours of supporting course work must be arranged with the history advisor.

History of Science students and premedical and predental students may offer supporting course work in the physical and life sciences.

All supporting course work options must be approved by your academic advisor.  Twelve of the 20 [18] hours in supporting course work must be at the 200 through 400 level.  For students in the current program taking CWL 241-242 [Comparative Literature 141-142] to meet their western civilization requirement, these courses may be used as part of the supporting course work requirement if they fit into the overall plan.

Can you use coursework in the major as part of your supporting coursework or minor?

No.

Can you use coursework in the major as part of a second major if they are crosslisted?

Yes, you can use the course in two (but not more than two) majors.

Can you use a second major or second degree as your supporting coursework?

Yes.

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Questions about the Minor

Which program do I follow?

For students who are interested in a History Minor please look for more information on the History Minor page.

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Questions about the Teaching of Social Studies Certification Program

What are the requirements?

Please see the checklist.

How can I get certified to teach if I can’t get the undergraduate minor?

Two possibilities are to look into master’s certification programs or apply for Teach for America. Contact Phyllis Vanlandingham  or Chet Zych for more information.

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Questions about Study Abroad

How do I get a study abroad course approved?

The Advising Department has changed the study abroad approval process. If you are a history major or minor, you should call 244-2078 to schedule an appointment.

If you are not a history major or minor, please bring the items listed below (for each course) to the advisor’s mailbox outside of 309 Greg Hall.

Before traveling abroad, bring the following items to the advisor’s mailbox (outside of 309 Greg Hall):

1) Course syllabus (course description will suffice if a syllabus is not available)

2) Study Abroad Approval Form

Upon returning from campus, bring the following items below to the advisor's mailbox (outside of 309 Greg Hall):

The items will be reviewed for the appropriate level of credit (100 level, 200 level, or 300 level).

1) Course syllabus

2) Reading list, if not included on the syllabus

3) All completed coursework, if you have it

4) A separate sheet indicating how many pages, on average, you read per week for each course. Include all textbooks, packets, primary & secondary sources. Also, write down how many papers you wrote, excluding exams, and how many pages each paper contained.

5) Study Abroad Approval Form

When you drop off the above information to the advisor’s mailbox (outside of 309 Greg Hall), please include a post-it note with your name, phone number, and email address. If questions arise upon the review, you may be contacted for additional clarification.

How do I decide on a study abroad program?

Contact the Study Abroad Office for most programs.  If you want to go on a program through a foreign language department (Spanish, French, German), contact that department.  If you are interested in the LAS summer school and winter break programs, check their website.

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Other Resources

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