Areas of Study
Major in Sciences and Letters Curriculum
The major consists of course work designated by the department and approved by the faculty of the college. The major should be chosen no later than the junior year. Since most majors require that the student choose courses in consultation with a faculty adviser, students should plan to discuss the major with a faculty adviser early in the junior year. In most cases, a student will be expected to submit to the LAS Student Affairs Office (270 Lincoln Hall) a Major Plan of Study Form (available at Departmental Offices) before the end of their fifth semester.Students must take all course work for the minimum requirements of the major for a traditional letter grade (or on the satisfactory-unsatisfactory basis). The credit-no credit grading Concentration may not be used for courses in the major.
The satisfactory completion of a major requires not only the completion of a stated amount of course work, but also that the student earn at least a 2.0 average in courses for the major. In order to graduate, a student should earn at least a 2.0 grade point average in all courses that are included in the major average and taken on this campus and at least a 2.0 average in all courses that are included in the major average and taken here and elsewhere. Consult the department or the college office for a list of courses included for a specific major's average.
Bachelor degree programs are offered in the following areas:- Actuarial Science
- African American Studies
- Anthropology
- General Anthropology Curriculum
- Sociocultural and Linguistic Anthropology Concentration
- Art History
- Astronomy
- Atmospheric Sciences
- Biology Teaching
- Chemistry
- Chemistry Concentration
- Chemistry Teaching Concentration
- Classics
- Classical Archaeology Concentration
- Classical Civilization Concentration
- Classics Concentration
- Greek Concentration
- Latin Concentration
- Communication
- Comparative and World Literature
- Comparative Literature Concentration
- World Literature Concentration
- Earth Systems, Environment and Society
- Society and the Environment Concentration
- Science of the Earth System Concentration
- East Asian Languages and Cultures
- Economics
- English
- English Concentration
- English Teaching Concentration
- French
- French Studies Concentration
- French Commercial Studies Concentration
- Gender and Women's Studies
- Geography
- Environmental Geography Concentration
- General Geography Concentration
- Geographical Information Systems Concentration
- Human Geography Concentration
- Physical Geography Concentration
- Geology
- Geology Concentration
- Earth and Environmental Science Concentration
- Earth Science Teaching Concentration
- Germanic Languages and Literatures
- German and Commercial Studies Concentration
- Language and Literature Concentration
- Language Studies Concentration
- Modern German Studies Concentration
- Scandinavian Studies Concentration
- Global Studies
- History
- History Concentration
- Social Science: History Teaching Concentration
- Individual Plans of Study
- Integrative Biology
- Integrative Biology Concentration
- Integrative Biology Honors Concentration
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- American Civilization Concentration
- Medieval Civilization Concentration
- Renaissance Studies Concentration
- Italian
- Latin American Studies
- Linguistics
- General Linguistics Concentration
- Hebrew Language and Linguistics Concentration
- Mathematics
- Mathematics Concentration
- Graduate Preparatory Concentration
- Applied Mathematics Concentration
- Operations Research Concentration
- Mathematics Teaching Concentration
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Molecular and Cellular Biology
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Concentration
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Honors Concentration
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Physics Concentration
- Physics Teaching Concentration
- Political Science
- Portuguese
- Psychology
- Religion
- Asian Religions Concentration
- Christianity Concentration
- Islam Concentration
- Judaica Concentration
- Philosophy of Religion Concentration
- Religion in America Concentration
- Religion and Culture Concentration
- Rhetoric
- Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
- Russian Language and Literature
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Statistics
- Statistics and Computer Science
Specialized Curricula
Specialized curricula are designed for specific educational purposes which cannot be accommodated within the majors of the Sciences and Letters Curriculum. Specialized curricula are prescriptive programs that are offered as preprofessional study, preparation for graduate pursuits, or designed to meet the demands of an outside accrediting agency.
Each specialized curriculum consists of a more rigidly structured course of study than that generally described for the sciences and letters majors.
- Biochemistry
- Chemical Engineering
- Biomolecular Engineering Concentration
- Chemical Engineering Concentration
- Chemistry
- Environmental Chemistry Concentration
- Geology and Geophysics
- Geology Concentration
- Geophysics Concentration
- Environmental Geology Concentration
- Physics
Minors and Interdisciplinary Minors
A minor is a coherent program of study (generally 16-21 hours) requiring some depth in the subject, but is not as extensive as the major. Students must take the specified courses listed for each minor. Course substitutions are permitted with the approval of the adviser in the department offering the minor and the College office. Minors are concentrational but must be completed in conjunction with a major in a different discipline. Some majors may allow use of a minor in place of other supporting course work.
While the minor does not replace other degree requirements, courses may be used both for the minor and to meet other degree requirements as appropriate. Students must see their records officer during the first semester of their senior year if they want to declare a minor. Students are advised to consult with the department offering the minor for information on the courses that will fulfill the requirements.
Minors
- American Indian Studies
- Anthropology
- Astronomy
- Atmospheric Sciences
- Biomolecular Engineering
- Chemistry
- Classical Archaeology
- Classical Civilization
- Communication
- East Asian Languages and Cultures
- English
- English as a Second Language
- Environmental Studies
- French
- Geography
- Geology
- German
- Greek
- Hindi Studies
- History
- Italian
- Latin
- Linguistics
- Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Portuguese
- Religious Studies
- Russian Language and Literature
- Scandinavian Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Statistics
- Sub-Saharan African Languages
- World Literature
Interdisciplinary Minors
There are several interdisciplinary areas in which scholarly needs or employment demands require recognition. In these areas, the college offers an interdisciplinary minor.
The interdisciplinary minor differs from the standard minor in that it draws on coursework from other units and may require attainment of a predetermined and approved grade point average in the courses for the program. Students are required to consult with an adviser regarding selection of course work.
- African Studies
- African American Studies
- Asian American Studies
- Gender and Women's Studies
- Global Studies
- Jewish Culture and Society
- Latin American Studies
- Latina/Latino Studies
- Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
- Science and Technology in Society
- South Asian Studies
- Study of the Islamic World
Teacher Education Majors for Foreign Languages
See also teaching Concentrations in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, English, Mathematics, Physics, and Social Studies listed above under majors.
- Curriculum Preparatory to the Teaching of French
- Curriculum Preparatory to the Teaching of East Asian Languages
- Teaching Specialization: Japanese
- Teaching Specialization: Mandarin Chinese
- Curriculum Preparatory to the Teaching of German
- Curriculum Preparatory to the Teaching of Latin
- Curriculum Preparatory to the Teaching of Spanish
Teacher Education Minors
Teacher education minors are available only to students seeking to add additional teaching fields to their teaching majors.
- English as a Second Language
- Mathematics: Grades 6-8
- Mathematics: Grades 9-12