The application for History Honors for the 2026-27 cohort is now open. You will need a UW NetID to access the form via Google Suite. Please read below for application and program requirements. Applications require:
- Unofficial Transcript
- Writing Sample: This should be a class paper (previous or current) that examines primary sources, secondary sources, or a combination of both. It should present an argument and include proper citations. Some examples of a writing sample are a research paper, a primary source analysis, a critical review of a secondary source, or a historiography. While a history paper is preferred, you should submit your best paper to date. Please limit your writing sample to 10 pages.
- Statement of Purpose addressing your academic interests: Please share some possible research topic(s) for your Honors in History project. (We will not hold you to this topic(s) but would like to get a sense of your interests.) Why would you like to complete Honors in History requirements? This might include long-term goals and/or skills and strengths you hope to gain from the program. Limit your response to one page.
- Two Letters of Recommendation: one of these letters must be from an instructor of a UW history course. Instructors will submit a recommendation form which they may access via this link.
The deadline to apply for the 2026-2027 Honors in History program will be January 28th, 2026.
Successful applicants to the History Honors program enjoy a unique opportunity to craft their thesis project from the ground up. Spending two quarters engaged in primary-source research under the guidance of a faculty member specializing in their subject area, students will produce a piece of work similar in structure and analysis to the articles professional historians submit for publication.
Success in history Honors is not predetermined by GPA. Students who are considering applying to the program should think deeply about the descriptions below and decide whether or not they want to engage in such intense independent research. Since students are required to take all three courses with the rest of the Honors cohort, they will need to make sure this coursework doesn't conflict with other opportunities or classes. Students considering honors may have a project outline or several in mind at the time of their application. These topics should be shared as part of their application. The "With Honors in History" on an honors student's diploma is not an end in itself, but rather marks the rigorous process by which a student becomes better prepared for post-graduate work, or employment which requires such a skill set.
Declaring Honors in the History Major
Admission to the History Honors Program is by application only. See above for latest news about application open dates.
In order to apply to the History Honors Program students must meet these prerequisites by the end of the Winter quarter preceding their first Honors course.
- A minimum cumulative GPA or 3.3
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 in history
- At least 10 credits of upper division history coursework (300-400 level) completed in residence at the University of Washington
Honors Major Requirements
To earn a History major and graduate "With Honors in History" you will need a cumulative UW GPA of 3.3, as well as 70 credits of history with a cumulative history GPA of 3.5 and a 2.0 in each history course.
Most of the requirements for the major with Honors in History are the same as the normal major, with the following changes. Instead of taking the usual Junior and Senior Seminars (HSTRY 388 and HSTRY 494 or 498), the Honors students will take:
5 credits of HSTRY 395 in the Spring of the academic year that they are admitted to Honors in History,
5 credits of HSTRY 491 in the Autumn after finishing 395,
5 credits of HSTRY 492 in the Winter after completing 491,
and 5 credits of any additional History elective course of the student’s choice (taken any quarter).
HSTRY 395, Modern Historical Writing, is taken in Spring of the academic year the student is admitted to Honors in History. This course serves as a rigorous introduction to historiography, "the study of the study of history." HSTRY 395 acquaints students with the numerous ways historians have defined their craft, provides insight on factors which influence historians' perceptions of the past, and introduces students to a broad range of approaches to historical analysis. In HSTRY 395 students learn the skills necessary for HSTRY 491/492: Honors Historical Methods. Students must earn a 3.5 or better in HSTRY 395 in order to continue on to HSTRY 491.
HSTRY 491 and 492 are taken in the following Autumn and Winter quarters, respectively. HSTRY 491 and 492 are combined into a working seminar in which students produce a senior thesis to serve as their seminal work. Each student is paired with a faculty member who specializes in the student's particular area of interest. Participants in the seminar act as colleagues, reviewing and critiquing each other's work.
The choice of remaining elective History coursework (to reach a total of 70 credits) is entirely at the student's discretion.
The faculty have determined which of our courses fulfill the above requirements. See the Approved Course list.