Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Degrees

Candidates for B.A. and B.S. degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete the credit hours of work and achieve the quality point average specified for students in the University at large. These requirements are indicated in the Academic Procedures and Information section of this Bulletin.

I. Required Areas of Study

Courses taken for the major, the minor, and the writing requirement may also be used to satisfy the Areas of Study requirements of the College. In each department and program, the applicable prerequisites must be met before upper division courses can be taken. No more than six credits in any discipline may be used to satisfy the Areas of Study requirements.

A. English Composition

B.A. and B.S. degrees: 3-6 credits

Students (except those first enrolling in English 103) must take English 105 and 106, or their approved equivalents, in the first year of residence.

Students with an appropriate score on the Advanced Placement [AP] language and literature examination, or with an appropriate score on the International Baccalaureate [IB] higher level English examination, may earn 6 credits in English 105 and English 106. Those with an appropriate score on the SAT verbal or ACT verbal exams may be exempted from English 105. Those with transfer credit for English 105 will take English 106 or its equivalent in the first year of residence; those with credit for English 105 and 106 will take an approved advanced composition course or intensive writing course section in the first year of residence, unless otherwise exempted with the approval of the English Composition Program .

B. Languages

B.A. and B.S. degrees: 3-9 credits

Students must earn at least 3 credits of a language other than English at the 200 course level or higher. Special 100- and 200-level Spanish courses are required of native Spanish speakers who choose to fulfill the language requirement by taking Spanish. Students may fulfill the foreign language requirement from the following: Arabic, French, German, Greek Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese and Spanish.

C. People and Society (Social Sciences)

B.A. and B.S. degree: 12 credits

B.A. and B.S. degree candidates must earn twelve credits in the following social science disciplines: Africana Studies, American Studies (AMS only), Anthropology (except APY 203), Classics (CLA 301, 302, 303 and 304), Economics, Geography and Regional Studies (except GEG 120), History, International Studies, Judaic Studies (JUS ), Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Women’s Studies (WGS only) . No more than six credits may be earned in any one discipline.

One approved First Year seminar course may be taken for the Social Sciences requirement. See the College of Arts and Sciences Center for Student Academic Services for details of specific courses.

D. Arts and Humanities

B.A. and B.S. degree: 12 credits

B.A. and B.S. degree candidates must earn twelve credits in the three areas listed below. At least three credits must be earned in each area.

Fine Arts: courses in the departments of Art and Art History, Dance (DAN 250 only), Musicology (only the following: either MCY 131 OR MCY 132, but not both, MCY 325, MCY 361 and MCY 362), Music Theory (MTC 125 only), and Theatre Arts (THA 101 only) count toward this requirement.

Literature: literature courses in the departments of English (200-level and higher) Foreign Languages and Literatures (300-level and higher) and Classics (CLA 220, CLA 310, CLA 311 and CLA 370) count toward this requirement.

Philosophy and Religious Studies: courses in the departments of Philosophy and Religious Studies count toward this requirement.

One approved First Year seminar course may be taken for the Arts and Humanities requirement. See the College of Arts and Sciences Center for Student Academic Services for details of specific courses.

E. Mathematics

B.A. degrees: 3-6 credits
B.S. degrees: 11-12 credits

B.A. degree candidates who do not place out of MTH 101 must take MTH 101 or MTH 107 during their first year in the College. In addition, all B.A. degree candidates must take one of the following MTH courses: MTH 108, MTH 113, MTH 130, MTH 140, MTH 161, or MTH 171.

B.S. degree candidates must earn 11-12 credits, consisting of two semesters of Calculus: MTH 161-162, MTH 171-172 and either a) one semester of a computer course approved by the major department; or b) a statistics course approved by the major department.

F. Natural World (Natural Science)

B.A. degrees: 9 credits
B.S. degrees: 4-8 credits

B.A. degree candidates must earn nine credits in two of the following disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, Ecosystem Science and Policy, Geological Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Physics. APY 203 and/or GEG 120 may also be taken for this requirement.

B.S. degree candidates minoring in one of the subjects approved as a B.S. major must earn 4 credits, and those minoring in other subjects must earn 8 credits, in one of the following departments: Biology, Chemistry, Geological Sciences or Physics. These credits must be taken in a department other than the major or the minor, and must be earned in courses that count toward a major in that department.

II. Writing

Every student must complete five (5) writing-oriented (W) courses beyond ENG 105 and 106. Students are required to write at least 4000 words in each W course. Writing assignments will be graded on both content and style. All literature and foreign language literature courses receive writing credit. Transfer students must satisfy at least three (3) courses of the writing requirement at the University of Miami.

III. Major

Every candidate for a degree must choose a major field. To find the requirements for the major, consult this Bulletin under the discipline concerned, and confer with the designated departmental representative. The candidate for the B.A. degree may choose a major from among the disciplines offering majors in the College of Arts and Sciences, from the Departments of Political Science and Economics in the School of Business Administration, and from Elementary Education and Special Education in the School of Education. The candidate for the B.S. degree must choose a major from the following areas: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Ecosystem Science and Policy, Geological Sciences, Mathematics, Meteorology/Mathematics, Microbiology and Immunology, Neuroscience, Physics, or Psychology. The choice of a major field should be made not later than the beginning of the junior year and must be approved by the major department. Any student making unsatisfactory progress in a major may be required to change his/her major or to relinquish candidacy for the degree.

IV. Minor

Except for those majoring in Ecosystem Science and Policy, Latin American Studies, all students must choose a minor. The minor must be in a department other than the major except for students in the Department of Foreign Languages, who may major and minor in different languages. The minor requirements are specified by each department and are listed under departmental headings in the Bulletin.

If the candidate for the B.A. degree presents Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geological Sciences, or Mathematics, as a major, the minor may not be selected from among these disciplines or from Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Marine Sciences, Microbiology and Immunology, Physics, or Engineering. Subject to the foregoing, students may select a minor from any discipline in the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering or the Schools of Architecture, Business Administration, Communication, Education, or Music, which lists a minor. Courses taken for the minor may also be used to satisfy the Areas of Study requirements of the College up to the limit of each area. Students planning a minor in Music should contact the School of Music for information regarding placement examinations in theory and applied music requirements.

V. Other Requirements

Credit Only: Only free electives may be taken under this option. Courses which satisfy the major, the minor, the distribution requirements of the College and the general education requirements of the University may not be taken for credit only.

Exemption: Exemption from a course or courses refers specifically to the following: a) credit by examination through the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs; b) advanced placement by proficiency examinations or test scores, with no credit earned; c) advanced standing and/or placement, with credit granted.

Transfer Credits: Credits transferred from other institutions may not count towards the completion of a major or minor without the written approval of the department or program.

General Electives: Sufficient for a total of 120 credits. Electives may be chosen from any courses offered by the University except certain specific unapproved courses such as activity courses in the School of Education. The student should consult an advisor before selecting elective courses.