No U.S. History: How College History Departments Leave the United States out of the Major

For American Council of Trustees and Alumni
Summary of Study

Bottom Line: The 2nd edition of ACTA’s “No U.S. History” report finds that most history majors do not have to take a single course in a specific period of American history to graduate. The report calls trustees and alumni to ask questions of provosts and department chairs regarding the state of their history programs and urges state policymakers to pass legislation to strengthen U.S. government and history requirements.

The 2nd edition of “No U.S. History,” a report published by American Council of Trustees and Alumni, finds that colleges and universities have shifted away from having students study history. Aside from a methods course, most history majors today are not required to complete even a single course on a specific period in American history. In fact, just one of the top 25 national universities (the University of California–Berkeley) requires history majors to complete a U.S. history course. And just three of the top 25 liberal arts colleges require history majors to complete an American history course.

The report points out that today’s students would have performed “abysmally” on the 2003 version of the Major Field Test, a widely used assessment in a range of disciplines. (In 2003, between 30 percent and 35 percent of the 160 overall questions pertained to U.S. history.)  

More findings include:

  • Thirty-two of 45 universities in 1952 required history majors to complete a U.S. history course; today, only nine do.
  • In 1952, 14 of 16 of the top public universities required history majors to complete a U.S. history course; today, only five do.
  • Twelve of 18 liberal arts colleges in 1952 required history majors to complete a U.S. history course; today, only four do.
  • Many institutions today require students to take courses covering three or four regions outside of the United States and Europe without requiring coursework in American history.

The report calls trustees and administrators to ask provosts and history department chairs “to explain the department’s rationale for what it does and does not require of history majors.” It calls on state policymakers to pass strong requirements for the study of U.S. government and history in their states.

Read the full report here.