Advising and FAQs
Click here for a list of history department advisors and here for advising assignments for history majors.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I get an advisor?
2. Who is my advisor?
3. What do advisors do?
4. What is the non-literature humanities requirement and what courses fulfill it?
5. What counts as an advanced humanity?
6. Can my minor, if it is a humanity, count to fulfill the humanities requirements?
7. Can I use courses required for my minor to count for my major, too?
8. What credit can I get for a three or better on an A.P. history exam?
9. Why doesn’t my AP language credit show in the degree progress report?
10. What do I need to do to keep my Life Scholarship?
11. Who can evaluate transfer credit in history?
12. How do I get credit approved for courses I plan to take at another university during the summer?

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Q: How do I get an advisor?
A: The coordinator of undergraduate advising assigns each new advisee to one of our departmental advisors. Unless the student expresses a preference for a particular advisor, the director’s choice is random, based on the need to keep the number of advisees assigned to each person roughly equal. Ordinarily students keep the same advisor throughout students’ careers. If you would like to change your advisor, ask the coordinator to make the change. You can email the coordinator of undergraduate advising, Elizabeth Carney.

Q: Who is my advisor?
A: Check this list of advisors.

Q: What do academic advisors do?
A: The primary task of the academic advisor is to help the student choose individual courses and a minor. They help to make sure that students meet the various and confusing requirements of the major and the university and they give advice about course load. Advisors do offer some help about career choice and applications to graduate or law school. More generally, advisors can also help students make difficult academic choices and function as advocates for advisees in terms of the university as a whole.

Q: What is the non-literature humanities requirement and what courses fulfill it?
A: Students take 3 credits in non-literature humanities. Check general education list.

Q: What counts as an advanced humanity?
A: Students need to take 9 credits of advanced humanities courses. Generally advanced humanities courses are courses at the 3 or 400 level, but AAH 210, THEA 210, and Music 210 count for fulfillment of the advanced humanities requirement. The following fields are considered humanities areas: Art and architectural history, English (except 304,312,314,316,333,334, 335,485,490,495), languages, music, philosophy, religion, communications (except Comm 364 and 368), theater (except Theater 377, 487, 497), women’s studies, as well as courses entitled “humanities.”

Q: Can my minor, if it is a humanity, count to fulfill the humanities requirements?
A: Yes, it can. Typically minors in humanities areas would meet the requirement for 3 upper level courses in the humanities but not necessarily the non-literature Humanities requirement. Some courses that fulfill the requirement for two literature courses might also be part of a minor.
 
 

Q: Can I use courses required for my minor to count for my major, too?
A: No, you can’t.

Q: What credit can I get for a three or better on an A.P. history exam?
A: If you took A.P .US, then you get credit for History 101 and History 102. These courses can count toward your major. If you took A.P. Modern European, then you get credit for History 173. This course does not count toward your major, but it does fulfill half of the western civilization requirement of the School of Humanities in our college. Students who have credit for this exam will still need to take History 172 in order to complete the requirement.

Q: Why doesn’t my AP language credit show in the degree progress report?
A: It won’t show until you have completed 202 in whatever language you are studying.

Q: What do I need to do to keep my Life Scholarship?
A: Go to CHE Life Scholarship Program for the latest information. Basically, you need to maintain a 3.0 by the end of the academic year (this includes summer school, if courses are taken at Clemson or other SC school), having taken at least thirty hours. If you lose your scholarship, you can reapply if you meet those standards for the next year. So a student who lost a Life scholarship at the end of his/her freshman year might be able to get one back for junior year.

Q: Who can evaluate transfer credit in history?
A: Dr. Kueh, the department chair, Dr. Carney, the undergraduate coordinator, and Dr. Grubb.

Q: How do I get credit approved for courses I plan to take at another university during the summer?
A: You need to get a course approval form from the Registrar’s office or Enrolled Student Services in 104 Sikes (sometimes your advisor or the head of advising for history may have some, but we do run out). Your advisor will need to sign the form, but so will someone in the department at Clemson that teaches the course. They will probably want a description from a catalogue or web site of exactly what the course is. Check this list of CU course equivalents for a number of colleges. Once the form has been filled out and the courses approved, turn it back in at Sikes. Once you’ve completed the course, you will still need to arrange to have the other university send Clemson the record of your course. Clemson will then give credit for the course but it will not record the grade and the grade will not become part of your average. It’s a good idea to check after a month or so to make sure that the transfer credit has been recorded; always keep a copy of the form and give one to your advisor.