Students completing a BA degree from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences or the School of Sciences must fulfill all the requirements of the campus-wide General Education program. In addition, they must complete these three additional requirements.
- Foreign Language Proficiency: Students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language. They may demonstrate such proficiency in one of three ways:
- Completion (grade of C or better) of the first semester of the second year of a language sequence (e.g., SPAN-S 203).
- Demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language through standardized testing. Students should contact the Department of English and Language Studies for a full list of testing options and required scores.
- Completion (grade of C or better) of the second semester of the first year of a language sequence AND participation in an approved study abroad program. Students should contact the Department of English and Language Studies for a full list of approved study abroad programs.
- Historical Perspectives: Students must complete (grade of C or better) one of the following courses:
- HIST-H106: American History II
- HIST-H114: History of Western Civilization II
- HIST-A307: United States Cultural History
- HIST-B361: Europe in the Twentieth Century I
These courses all meet the following learning outcomes:
Outcome 1: Students will demonstrate an understanding of historical change and continuity within cultures over a minimum of three historical periods spanning 50+ years. This ensures students recognize how changes build on each other and take different forms in different periods.
Outcome 2: Students will demonstrate understanding of the complex historical context required to understand any topic. Students must engage with key economic, political, social, and cultural contexts that inform and explain any theme or period as at least a third of the course material.
Outcome 3: Students will demonstrate an understanding of how historical events directly shaped and/or relate to political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects of the modern world. This ensures students appreciate the origins and depth of such issues and their relevance to their own lives.
Students who take HIST-H 106 or HIST-H114 for the campus-wide General Education program must take a different course from the list above to complete this requirement.
- Interdisciplinary BA Seminar: Students must complete (grade of C or better) one Interdisciplinary BA Seminar, either SCI-IXXX or HSS-IXXX. These courses will vary in theme or topic, but all will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Integrate diverse fields of knowledge upon analyzing local, national, and/or global issues.
- Work collaboratively to develop effective, interdisciplinary approaches to addressing enduring problems.