History: Pre-Law, BA

Requirements for Students Matriculating in or before Academic Year 2024-2025. Learn more about University Academic Regulation 3.1.

Minimum Overall Grade Point Average: 2.00
Total Hours: 120 

General Education Requirements
English Composition
See Academic Regulation 3.5
ENGL 1113Composition I3
or ENGL 1313 Critical Analysis and Writing I
Select one of the following:3
Composition II
Critical Analysis and Writing II
Technical Writing
American History & Government
HIST 1103Survey of American History3
or HIST 1483 American History to 1865 (H)
or HIST 1493 American History Since 1865 (DH)
POLS 1113American Government3
Analytical & Quantitative Thought (A)
MATH or STAT course designated (A)3
Humanities (H)
Select one course from each group:
Group 1:
HIST 1613Western Civilization to 1500 (H)3
or HIST 1713 Survey of Eastern Civilization (H)
or HIST 1813 World History from Ancient Times to 1500 (H)
Group 2:
HIST 1623Western Civilization after 1500 (H)3
or HIST 1823 World History 1500 to Present (H)
Natural Sciences (N)
Must include one Laboratory Science (L) course
Course designated (N)6
Social & Behavioral Sciences (S)
SPCH 2713Introduction to Speech Communication (S)3
Additional General Education
Courses designated (A), (H), (N), or (S)10
Hours Subtotal40
Diversity (D) & International Dimension (I)
May be completed in any part of the degree plan
Select at least one Diversity (D) course
Select at least one International Dimension (I) course
College/Departmental Requirements
First Year Seminar
(Transfer students with 15 hours exempt)1
Arts & Humanities
See note 2.a.9
Natural & Mathematical Sciences
See note 2.b.
PHIL 1313Logic and Critical Thinking (A)3
Foreign Language
See note 39
Non-Western Studies
Select at least one course
See note 2.d.
Upper-Division General Education
Select 6 hours outside major department
See note 2.c.
Hours Subtotal22
Major Requirements
Minimum GPA 2.50. Minimum grade of “C” in all U/D HIST courses
HIST 3903Introduction to the Study of History3
HIST 4903Senior Seminar (For students whose research focus is U.S. History, AMST 4973 may be used.)3
or HIST 4993 Senior Honors Thesis
30 hours to include at least 2 courses (6 hours) from each of the 3 areas below. Only 9 hours may be 2000-level. 30
HIST 3980 Studies in History, and HIST 4980 Topics in History (9 hours maximum) or HIST 4993 Senior Honors Thesis may be substituted in one or more of the areas with consent of advisor.
American History
History of the Present (H) 1
Ghosts and Graveyards: History of Dark Tourism (H)
American Thought and Culture: Survey (H)
Religion in America (DH)
Plantation to Plate: Sugar, Bananas, and Coffee in America (H)
Dust Bowl (H)
History of Science (H) 1
Historical Geography of North America to 1800 (H)
Oklahoma History (DH)
African Diaspora History (DH)
History of the Second World War (HI) 1
Introduction to Museum and Cultural Studies (H)
Historians at Work
Topics in United States History
American Colonial Period to 1750 (H)
Era of the American Revolution (H)
Early National Period, 1787-1828 (H)
Antebellum America, 1828-1850 (H)
Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877
U.S History 1877-1919 (H)
United States History, 1919-45 (DH)
United States History Since 1945 (DH)
The Modern West (H)
Women in the American West (DH)
Trans-Mississippi West (DH)
American Southwest (DH)
The American South to 1860
Native American History (DH)
History of Food (H) 1
War and Memory in America (H)
History of the North American Borderlands (DH)
Disability in America (DH)
History of Health and Social Movements in the United States (H)
History of Drugs, Policy, and Culture in the United States (H)
Introduction to Public History (H)
Historians and the Law 1
Historic Preservation 1
Digital Methods in History 1
Oral History: Theory and Methodology
Historical Geography of the United States (H)
African American History, 1619-1865 (DH)
African American History, 1865-Present (DH)
Black Intellectual History (DH)
The Body in American Culture (H)
The Death Penalty in America (S)
U.S. Foreign Relations to 1945 (H)
U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1945 (H)
History of Sexuality in the United States (D)
American Military History (H)
US History through Popular and Unpopular Music (DH)
History and Film (H) 1
American Cultural History to 1865 (H)
American Cultural History Since 1865 (H)
Frontier in American Memory (H)
American Urban History (H)
Economic History of the US (S)
American Environmental History (H)
Vietnam War (HI) 1
Gender in America (DH)
Cold War (HI) 1
America in International Perspective (H) 1
Religion in Early America (H)
European History
Ancient Greece (H)
The Roman Empire (H)
Modern Italy: Cultural Patrimony and National Identity (HI)
Germany Since 1815 (HI)
Russia to 1861 (H)
Russia Since 1861 (HI)
Late Medieval World, 1000-1450 (H)
Renaissance, 1350-1517 (H)
Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1648-1789
Modern Europe, 1815-1914 (H)
Modern Europe Since 1914 (HI)
Modern France, 1789-Present (HI)
World War I in Modern European Culture (HI)
Mediterranean World
Popular Religion in the West, 1300-1700 (H)
Invasion and Identity: The Medieval English World: 700-1400 (H)
Tudor-Stuart England (H)
Modern England: 1714-Present (H)
British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations (H)
Reformation Europe, 1517-1648 (H)
Scandinavia Since 1500 (HI)
Topics in European History
History of Disease (H) 1
History of Medicine (H) 1
Earthly Powers: Politics and Religion in Modern Europe
Modern Empires and Revolutions (H)
Sorcerers, Saints and Heretics: Religion in the Medieval World (H)
Sex and Gender in the Medieval World (H)
From Assassin's Creed to Witcher: Medievalism in the 21st Century World (HI)
World History
Heroes and Wonders of the Ancient World (H)
Sympathy, Curiosity, and Rivalry: The U.S. and China Since 1900 (H)
Ancient Egypt and Israel (H)
From the Garden of Eden to Babylon (H)
Introduction to Central Asia Studies (IS)
The History of Modern Africa (HI)
The Medieval World, 500-1500 (H)
Nations on the Move: Latin American Migration and Latinx Communities in the US (DH)
East Asia to 1800 (H)
East Asia Since 1800 (HI)
Modern Japan (HI)
Modern China (HI)
Gender Relations in Chinese History (H)
Colonial Latin America (H)
Modern Latin America (HI)
Medieval Islamic History (H)
Modern Middle East (HI)
History of Modern India and South Asia (HI)
Israel & Palestine in Modern Times (HI)
The Mongol Empire (H)
Minorities and Diversity in the Middle East (H)
Topics in World History
Jerusalem: City and Symbol Across Millennia (H)
Muslim-Christian Relations (H)
History of Modern Southeast Asia (HI)
Select 12 hours of the following upper-division law-related courses:12
Agricultural Law
Crime, Law and American Culture (S)
Introduction to Industrial Organization
Symbolic Logic (A)
International Law
State Courts and the Bar
Courts and Judicial Process (S)
Legal Research And Analysis
Environmental Law And Policy
Psychology and Law
Juvenile Delinquency (DS)
Sociology of Law
others with consent of advisor
Hours Subtotal48
Electives
Select 10 hours10
May need to include 6 hours upper-division general education outside major department (see note 2.c.)
Recommended courses:
Introduction to Microeconomics (S)
The Individual And The Law
Hours Subtotal10
Total Hours120

Other Requirements

  • See the College of Arts and Sciences Requirements.
  • Upper-Division Credit: Total hours must include at least 40 hours in courses numbered 3000 or above.

College of Arts and Sciences Requirements

  1. Hours in One Department: For B.A. and B.S. degrees, no more than 54 hours in one department may be required to meet degree requirements. Courses used to satisfy the General Education English Composition, U.S. History, American Government, and Mathematics or Statistics requirements will not count toward the 54-hour maximum required from one department.
  2. A&S College/Departmental Requirements
    1. Arts and Humanities are defined as any course carrying an (H) designation or courses from AMST, ART, DANC, ENGL (except ENGL 3323 Technical Writing) HIST, MUSI, PHIL (except PHIL 1313 Logic and Critical Thinking (A), PHIL 3003 Symbolic Logic (A) and PHIL 4003 Mathematical Logic and Computability), REL, TH, and foreign languages.
    2. Natural and Mathematical Sciences are defined as any course from the following prefixes: ASTR, BIOC, BIOL, CHEM, CS (except CS 4883 Social Issues in Computing), GEOL, MATH, MICR, PBIO, PHYS, and STAT; or courses from other departments that carry an (A) or (N) general education designation.
    3. Six upper-division hours are required from General Education or any CAS courses outside the student’s major department. This requirement may be satisfied by courses also used to satisfy any part of a student’s degree program (i.e., in General Education, College Departmental Requirements, Major Requirements or Electives).
    4. Non-Western Studies Requirement for B.A. and B.F.A.; One course in Non-Western Studies (N.W.). This requirement may be satisfied by courses also used to satisfy any part of a student's degree program (i.e., in General Education, College Departmental Requirements, Major Requirements or Electives).
    5. The College of Arts & Sciences requires a minimum 2.0 GPA in all major requirements and a minimum 2.0 GPA in all major-prefix courses applied to the degree.
  3. Foreign Language Proficiency
    1. The foreign language requirement for the B.A. may be satisfied by 9 hours college credit in the same language, which must include 3 hours at the 2000-level, or equivalent proficiency (e.g., passing an advanced standing examination; TOEFL exam; presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates the high school was primarily conducted in a language other than English; etc.). Computer Science courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement. Currently Arabic and Mvskoke are not offered at the 2000-level at OSU.
    2. The foreign language requirement for the B.S., B.M. and B.F.A. may be satisfied by presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates two years of study of a single foreign language (passing grades at second-year level of study). It may also be satisfied by 6 hours college credit in the same language, which must include language courses 1713 and 1813, or equivalent proficiency (e.g., passing an advanced standing examination; TOEFL exam; presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates the high school was primarily conducted in a language other than English; etc.). Computer Science courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement.
    3. In addition to a. and b., students pursuing teacher certification must meet novice-high foreign language proficiency by presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates two years of study of a single foreign language with no grade below B. Or, students may complete 3 hours college credit in a single language with no grade below C (or pass an advanced standing examination, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam, or Oral Proficiency Interview developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, equivalent to 3 hours of college credit.) Or, students may meet the requirement by transfer of documentation of meeting the foreign language competency from one of the teacher education programs in the State of Oklahoma approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
  4. Exclusions. Courses with ATHL or LEIS prefixes and leisure activity courses may not be used for degree credit.

Additional State/OSU Requirements

  • At least: 60 hours at a four-year institution; 30 hours completed at OSU; 15 of the final 30 or 50% of the upper-division hours in the major field completed at OSU.
  • Limit of: one-half of major course requirements as transfer work; one-fourth of hours earned by correspondence; 8 transfer correspondence hours.
  • Students will be held responsible for degree requirements in effect at the time of matriculation and any changes that are made, so long as these changes do not result in semester credit hours being added or do not delay graduation.
  • Degrees that follow this plan must be completed by the end of Summer 2030.

Finish in Four Plan of Study

The plan below is an example of how students can successfully complete degree requirements in four years. This suggested class schedule plan may be used as a guide and can be adjusted based on individual needs. Students are required to meet with an academic advisor prior to enrollment each semester to plan their class schedule, and students are ultimately responsible for completing all degree requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman
FallHours
ENGL 1113 Composition I 3
HIST 1493
American History Since 1865 (DH)
or American History to 1865 (H)
or Survey of American History
3
General Education courses 8
 Hours14
Spring
ENGL 1213 Composition II 3
POLS 1113 American Government 3
HIST 1613
Western Civilization to 1500 (H)
or Western Civilization after 1500 (H)
or Survey of Eastern Civilization (H)
or World History from Ancient Times to 1500 (H)
or World History 1500 to Present (H)
3
General Education courses 7
 Hours16
Sophomore
Fall
HIST 1623
Western Civilization after 1500 (H)
or Western Civilization to 1500 (H)
or Survey of Eastern Civilization (H)
or World History from Ancient Times to 1500 (H)
or World History 1500 to Present (H)
3
1713 First Semester Foreign Language 3
PHIL 1313 Logic and Critical Thinking (A) 3
General Education courses 6
 Hours15
Spring
1813 Second Semester Foreign Language 3
Major, College, and Elective courses 12
 Hours15
Junior
Fall
2000-level Foreign Language 3
Major, College, and Elective courses 12
 Hours15
Spring
Major, College, and Elective courses 15
 Hours15
Senior
Fall
HIST 3903 Introduction to the Study of History 3
Major, College, and Elective courses 12
 Hours15
Spring
HIST 4903
Senior Seminar
or Senior Honors Thesis
3
Major, College, and Elective courses 12
 Hours15
 Total Hours120