Bachelor of Science in History

2.7 Minimum GPA

Note: CAPS is designed for students with adult responsibilities who may require part-time and flexible course schedules. Current high school students and recent graduates seeking a traditional WashU college experience should apply through the undergraduate admissions office: admissions.wustl.edu.

Below is a list of requirements for an application to the undergraduate degree in History. Applications will be reviewed once all requirements are received.

Application Deadlines

Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis and typically take four to six weeks. An application is incomplete and will not be reviewed until all of the application requirements have been received or processed. Applicants are encouraged to submit all materials by the following dates:

• Summer 2023: April 30, 2023
• Fall 2023: July 31, 2023
• Spring 2024: Dec. 31, 2023

Completed Application Form

The online application is available on our Apply page. Applications are ready for review when all fields on the application form are completed and the required documents have been received.

Transcripts

Official (issued directly from the college or WashU) or unofficial (student-issued) copies of transcripts from the three most recent years of college-level work. If you have fewer than six units of transferable credit or CAPS course work, then proof of high school completion, General Educational Development (GED) or High School Equivalency (HSE) must be submitted. Official transcripts must be sent directly from the registrar to the WashU School of Continuing & Professional Studies. Electronic transcripts should be forwarded to washucaps@wustl.edu. For transcript questions, please contact our Admissions Coordinator, Patricia Agnew, at paagnew@wustl.edu.

Non-United States course work transcript verification
If the transcript you submit for consideration is from a college or university outside the United States, a course by course transcript evaluation is also required. Evaluations will be accepted from World Education Services (WES), Spantran or another member institution of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). For Spantran evaluations, you must use this form. 

Personal Essay

Tell us about yourself in a brief essay (about 250 words). Why are you applying to WashU School of Continuing & Professional Studies? What are your goals, both academic and professional? Is there additional information we should know about you when considering your application?

All CAPS undergraduate students must satisfy the same general-education requirements. Requirements specific to the BS in History include:

INTRODUCTORY COURSES: 6 UNITS

One introductory course chosen from:

• Western Civilization I (U16 101)
• Western Civilization II (U16 102)
• Introduction to U.S. History (U16 163)
• Introduction to World History (U16 164)
• America to Civil War (U16 209)
• America from the Civil War (U16 210)

One additional introductory course, 100- or 200-level History course.

ADVANCED LEVEL COURSES: 18 UNITS

300- or 400-level courses, to include:

• At least one course designated “premodern” and one course designated “modern.”
• At least one course from three of the following geographical areas: Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, the United States, or Transregional History.*

*A transregional course includes more than one of the designated geographic areas. If a student chooses to count a transregional course toward the geographical requirement, at least one of the two other geographical areas must cover a region that is not included in the transregional course. For example, a student who has completed courses in U.S. and Latin American history could not count towards this requirement a transregional course that examines the comparative history of the U.S. and Latin America.

A CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE (RESEARCH SEMINAR): 3 UNITS

Research Seminars are upper-level, limited-enrollment courses that emphasize engagement with primary sources. Course assignments will feature texts and images from a variety of published and manuscript materials, and students will research and write a substantial paper over the course of the semester from independently selected and analyzed primary sources. All research seminars fulfilling the capstone experience will be so designated in the course description.