BA History at The Ohio State University

Programme overview

Why do human beings do what they do? Historians answer this basic question by looking at human behavior in widely divergent places and times. By leaving our own time and place behind, historians encounter beliefs, behaviors and practices that are strikingly different from our own. Studying history creates comprehension of complexity and diversity. This is an essential skill for negotiating today’s multicultural, globalized world.

Faculty: Arts and Sciences | Study mode: full-time | Location: Columbus, OH, United States

What you will study

A major program in history consists of a minimum of 33 semester hours of course work at the 2000-level and above. After consultation with and approval by the student’s advisor, a student may apply up to six hours of course work from outside the Department of History to the major. All students must complete History 2800, Introduction to the Discipline of History, and two 4000-level seminars. These courses fulfill nine of the 33 hours of the major. Honors sections of these seminars are often available for students in the Honors program.

Career pathways

The skills you learn in history—critical thinking, careful reading, well-crafted writing—are essential tools for a wide range of careers: law, teaching, social work, economics, advertising, banking, and government work. History trains you broadly. It opens up possibilities rather than narrowing your focus to a single career.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission to the university (and the Arts and Sciences college where applicable) applies; no separate programme-specific requirement published. Upon admission to the university, students can declare a major in history within the College of Arts and Sciences. Students contemplating a history major should try to take History 2800, Introduction to the Discipline of History, early in their career.

Domestic applicants: USD 12,921 a year (2026-27). Columbus campus on-campus Instructional Fee (tuition) for students beginning Autumn 2026: $6,460.50 per semester at 12-18 credit hours, shown as two semesters (Autumn and Spring). The Ohio State Tuition Guarantee fixes this rate for four years for Ohio re Source

Entry terms for first-year applicants to the Columbus campus: Autumn 2027 and Spring 2027 (Spring 2027 deadline November 1, 2026). Summer first-year applications are not accepted.

Transfer applicants can start in Spring, Summer or Autumn 2027.

First-year, Columbus campus, Autumn 2027: early action (non-binding) deadline November 1, 2026; regular decision deadline January 15, 2027; financial aid priority date February 1; acceptance fee deadline May 1, 2027. Early action decisions: December 11 (Ohio residents and Stamps Eminence applicants) and January 22 (non-Ohio residents and international applicants); regular decision decisions March 5.

First-year applicants apply with the Common Application. ACT or SAT scores are required for first-year Columbus applicants (superscored; sent directly by the testing agency); applicants out of high school two or more years are not required to submit scores. The essay is not required.

Transfer applicants (Columbus campus): Spring 2027 deadline November 1, 2026; Autumn 2027 deadline March 1, 2027; Summer 2027 deadline May 15, 2027. Regional campuses: December 1, 2026, April 15, 2027 and July 15, 2027 respectively.

International transfer applicants: Spring 2027 deadline October 1, 2026; Autumn 2027 deadline March 1, 2027.

Apply through the official page: https://undergrad.osu.edu/apply

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