The undergraduate program in History at Queen’s provides students with exciting opportunities to critically explore the roots of contemporary societies throughout the world. You can explore such diverse areas as the Crusades, slavery and race relations, Native history in the Americas, the Russian Revolution, and the problems of 20th century Canadian unity, the economic development of Africa, and the perception and treatment of women in North America. Our seminar based undergraduate program offers something hard to find these days - small classes where students and instructors discuss what they have read, what they think, and what they believe. With an emphasis on developing speaking, research and writing skills, a history degree provides a sound preparation for careers in education, law, public service, journalism, and business.
Degree Options
Major in History
A major is an intensive course of study in one discipline, with approximately half of your courses within the discipline with room for an optional minor in any other Arts and Science discipline.
Medial in History
A dual course of study in History and any other Arts discipline.
Minor in History, Liberal Studies, Medieval Studies or Jewish Studies
A minor is a less intensive course of study in the discipline that must be combined with a major in another discipline.
Course Highlights
If specific time periods are your interest there are courses that cover every period such as The Crusades, Slavery in North America from the Colonial Era to 1865, or The Holocaust. If your interest is more regional there are course such as India and the World, Africa in the Modern World or The History of Sexuality in Canada. Medicine and history overlap with courses such as Health and Disease in Western Society, Historiography of Medicine, and Nobel Prize in Medicine: Who won it; Who didn’t; and Why? Two of the most popular courses are the Queen’s Archives Internship and the new Food in Global History.
Where could I go after graduation?
Expected September 2025
Faculty of Arts and Science
Dunning Hall - First Floor,
94 University Avenue,
KINGSTON,
Ontario (ON),
K7L 3N6, Canada
Applicants must have the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), and six 4U/4M courses. Students must have a minimum of three 4U courses, except where stated otherwise. Students in francophone schools may offer the equivalent of English 4U.
The accepted tests of facility in English and the minimally acceptable scores for each are:
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - Score of 6.5 on Academic Module with no band below 6.0; Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - iBT (Internet Based TOEFL)/88 overall: 24 Writing, 22 Speaking, 22 Reading, 20 Listening; Paper Based TOEFL (PBT)/580 (TBC); Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL) - Overall band of 70 with no band below 60; Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) - 90; Queen’s School of English - High standing on 12-week English for Academic Purposes advanced level English courses; Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) - Overall score of 60.