University of Arizona
1. UA offers both BA and BS degrees, although most majors are only one or the other. One exception is
geology, which can be taken as either a BA or a BS degree.
2. Students take 2 tiers of composition courses, which can be either a three-course sequence (ENG 100, 101,
and 102), a two-course sequence (ENG 101 and 102), or a two-course honors sequence (ENG 103H and
104H). Students with an AP score of 4 or 5 can also complete this requirement with one course, ENG 109H.
3. Students must take the UA MRT (Math Readiness Test) to enroll in all math classes below MA 120,
including those students with transfer credits, AP credit, CLEP, or IB credit. The students choose from one
of 3 “strands” of math skill from which to take their courses: “G-Strand” for general knowledge (below
college algebra level), “M-Strand” for moderate knowledge (college algebra level), and “S-Strand” for
substantial knowledge (calculus level). Each major has a specific minimum math strand that is required,
although students can take math classes at a higher level if they choose.
4. For all BA students, 4th semester proficiency in a language is required. One semester study abroad can be
approved to fulfill the 4th semester. AP credit (3 or higher for all languages except Latin-5), IB credit, CLEP
credit, or sufficient placement on the UA placement exam can also fulfill this requirement. For all non-BA
students, 2nd semester proficiency is required. Students must finish the 2nd semester with a C or higher but
can fulfill this credit with AP credit (3 or higher in all languages), IB, CLEP credit, or sufficient placement
exam scores. UA offers French, German, Spanish, and Latin.
5. UA requires some humanities as part of their general ed courses, including at least one course that focuses
on gender, race, class, ethnicity, or non-Western studies.
6. UA divides the liberal arts and sciences into 3 colleges: Humanities, Science, and Social & Behavioral
Sciences.
7. UA also utilizes an online degree system similar to APEX, has a repeat option system for 3 classes or 10
hours, and do not count transfer work into the GPA.
University of Illinois
1. UI offers both BA and BS degrees, although all majors are only BA or BS, there are no exceptions.
2. Students can fulfill the foreign language requirement by either taking 4 years of a language in high school or
completing 4 semesters of a language in college. If the student has taken 4 years of a language in high
school, he or she does not have to take any exams once they reach college to prove their proficiency.
3. The lab/field work requirement depends on the major and most do not require this type of work. The only
exceptions are all BS degrees, including psychology, geology, and geography.
4. There are not any extra disciplinary course requirements, but there are supporting “pre-major” courses.
5. Campus-wide, there is a two-tier composition requirement, a one-class math or quantitative reasoning
requirement, the aforementioned foreign language requirement, and a cultural requirement where students
must study both a Western and a non-Western culture.
University of Florida
1. UF offers both a BA and a BS degree program, although most of their 42 majors are only one-degree
program or the other. The only exceptions are physics, geography, and geology.
2. Foreign language proficiency must be proven at the 2nd semester level. The foreign language courses are 5
semesters hours each, except for Latin and German courses which are a 3-course sequence that still adds up
to 10 hours. UF offers about 55 languages, including 10 African languages, Sanskrit, Hindu, and Hungarian.
3. UF has the general education requirements of Florida plus 6 hours of physical or biological sciences that
must include at least 1 lab hour.
4. Disciplinary hours include the aforementioned lab requirement, a composition requirement, a class in social
and behavioral sciences, a humanities course, the foreign language requirement, and 18 hours outside the
major at the 3000+ level. Students are encouraged to complete their general education requirements at the
3000+ level to attain a minor.
5. College core requirements include the disciplinary hours plus the foreign language requirement.
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University of Georgia
1.UGA offers both a BS and an AB degree (This is a BA degree but with the Latin name), but most majors are
either one degree or the other.
2. The foreign language requirement is the same for both degree types and must be completed through the 3rd
semester proficiency.
3. Part of the core requirements includes 2 science classes. BA students are required to complete one lab, and BS
students must complete two. The BS students must also complete the labs that go along with their respective
major courses.
4. UGA divides their core courses into 6 “Areas” that are labeled A-F. The Area F requirements are 18 hours
unique to their major that give background and extra information pertinent to the major. Areas A-E include 2
English courses (two tiers of composition), a basic math course, 2 humanities or fine arts courses, 3 science,
math, or technology courses, and 4 social science courses.
University of Michigan
1. UM offers 3 programs of study: BA, BS, and BGS, which is a Bachelors of General Studies.
2. All 3 programs require a first year general writing and a 2nd level of writing in their major concentration. For
example, a history student would take his or her 2nd level in a history-based writing course to learn how to
write history-style papers. Also, all students must complete either 1 semester of quantitative reasoning
(statistics or math) or two semesters of a less quantitative area such as micro/macroeconomics or astronomy.
All students must also take at least one class about race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality conflicts and possible
resolutions to the conflicts.
3. BA and BS students have the same general requirements except that the BS students must complete 60
hours of natural science and math. They must also complete through the 4th semester of proficiency in a
foreign language and take a placement exam before beginning.
4. There is a distribution requirement for BA/BS students outside of their major that must include 7 hours each
of natural science, humanities, and social science, as well as 9 hours chosen from those three disciplines,
creative expression (art courses), math and symbolic analysis, or interdisciplinary courses.
5. BGS students do not do the distribution requirement, instead they must complete 60 hours of any courses at
the 300+ level. This degree is an interdisciplinary degree for students that do not wish to do their upper level
hours in one concentration.
University of Washington
1. University of Washington offers both BA and BS degrees, and many majors such as chemistry, biology,
psychology, and mathematics are available with either option. Some majors, especially languages, only offer
a BA.
2. All students are required to complete 3 college quarters (15 hours) of foreign language as well as one
English course (5 hours) to fulfill their language skills requirement.
3. One quantitative or symbolic reasoning course is required, as well as 75 hours in an area of knowledge that
must include 20 hours of each of these areas: Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts, Individuals and
Societies, and the Natural World. Students must also complete 50-90 hours in their major depending on the
requirements of their specific major. Other courses can be taken to finish the required 180 hours for
graduation called general education electives. Students often use these courses to attain a minor.
University of Wisconsin- Madison
1. University of Wisconsin offers both BA and BS degrees, but only some are offered with both degree
options, such as biology, chemistry, psychology, and mathematics.
2. The general education requirements for all students at UW are 2 quantitative reasoning courses, 2
communications courses, and 1 ethnic studies course.
3. BA students fulfill their math requirement with the general education requirements. Foreign language
proficiency must be proven up to the 4th semester equivalency or 3rd semester in one language and 2nd
semester in another. Twelve hours in natural sciences are required with at least 3 hours in each physical
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science and biological science. Also, 12 hours of humanities are required (with 6 hrs of literature) and 12
hours of social sciences.
4. BS students are required to fulfill 2 classes in math, computer science, or statistics outside the general
education requirements. Only one class can be from computer science or from statistics, although both
classes can be from math. Students must show foreign language proficiency up to the 3rd semester, 12 hours
of humanities courses (including 6 hours of literature), and 12 hours of social science. They must also
complete 12 hours of natural science that include 6 hours of physical science and 6 hours of biological
science.
University of Iowa
1. University of Iowa offers both BA and BS degrees, and all majors are available with both types of degrees.
2. There is a university-wide foreign language requirement that allows each student to fulfill his or her
requirement by completing 3 years of foreign language in high school or making up each year not taken in
high school by a semester of college foreign language. For example, if a student takes 1 year of foreign
language in high school, he or she can complete the requirement by taking 2 semesters of the same language
in college.
3. There is a lab/field work requirement as part of the general education/College core requirements. Every
student must take two different natural science courses and one must have a lab.
4. There are university requirements that include a 3- or 4-course English sequence, 1 quantitative reasoning
course, and 1 cross-cultural course. The English sequence is English composition 1 and 2 (or 1 advanced
composition course), a speaking and reading course, and a literature course.
5. College core requirements are the same as the university requirements, although each major is able to add
courses to the basic requirements.
Texas A&M University- College of Science
1. Most majors (including chemistry, mathematics, and biology) are available in either a BA or a BS degree
with some differences in the requirements.
2. Foreign language requirements vary by the department. For example, a BA biology student is required to
complete proficiency through the 2nd semester, while chemistry students (both BA and BS) do not have a
foreign language requirement.
3. All students are required to complete at least one quantitative reasoning course and 3-4 social science
classes (US history and political science courses are recommended). Students are also required to complete
two kinesiology courses and an introductory English course.
University of Minnesota- College of Biological Sciences
1. Majors are only available as a BS degree.
2. According to the four-year plans, there is no foreign language requirement for students in this college.
3. The general education requirements include 2 composition requirements (a general writing class and a
writing intensive course), 6 hours of social sciences, 6 hours of arts and humanities, 3 hours of historical
perspective, and 3 credits in each area of citizenship and public ethics, cultural diversity, environment, and
international perspective.
4. Major electives should include 11 hours of mathematics, physical, biological, and computer sciences. These
requirements should also include two lab/field work courses.
University of Minnesota- College of Liberal Arts
1. All majors offered are BA degrees, even though some of the majors (including biology and chemistry) are
offered as BS degrees in the College of Science. Others, such as economics and geography, are offered as
both a BA and a BS degree.
2. According to the four-year plans, there is no foreign language requirement for students in this college.
3. The general education requirements include 1-2 general composition requirements (depending on their
major), 4 writing intensive courses, 6 hours of social sciences, 6 hours of arts and humanities, 3 hours of
historical perspective, and 3 credits in each area of citizenship and public ethics, cultural diversity,
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environment, and international perspective. Also required are 8 hours of physical and biological sciences,
including one lab or field course in each science.
University of North Carolina- College of Arts and Sciences
1. All majors offered can be either a BA or a BS
2. The standard language requirement is 3 semesters for all majors, although some science majors require a 4th
semester, such as chemistry.
3. There is no requirement called a lab/field work requirement, but there are classes called Experiential
Education where students study the minorities and minority cultures in the U.S.
4. One of the groups of classes are called “Connections,” and these classes are meant to “connect the dots”
between classes that students have taken and make them applicable to real life. For example, there is a SOC
122 class that culminates in an outreach project for the community.
5. There are general college requirements, but at UNC, students are discouraged from declaring a specific
major until they have completed their sophomore year of college. In this way, students get a more general
college experience to learn more before they actually choose a major. Therefore, by the time a student has
reached their junior year and picks a major, their general requirements are complete, and they are able to
focus on their major courses. The general college requirements (called Foundations) include a 2-course
sequence of English courses, 3 foreign language courses, 1 physical fitness course, and 1 quantitative
reasoning course. The next set of college requirements (called Approaches) include 2 physical and life
science courses with one lab, 3 courses in social and behavioral sciences from at least 2 different
departments with one Historical Analysis courses, and 3 humanities and fine arts (1 in Visual and
Performing Arts, 1 Literary Arts, and one philosophical and Moral Reasoning).
University of Virginia- College of Arts and Sciences
1. The only departments that offer a BS degree are chemistry, biology, physics, and environmental sciences.
All others (including other science departments) only offer BA degrees.
2. The foreign language requirement is the same as UK in that students must complete up through the 202
level of 4 semesters but may test into a higher level than 101. In the rare case that a student has a learning
disability, this requirement may be altered.
3. There are no lab/field work requirements at the College level, although students in science majors almost
always end up doing some type of field work as part of their major courses.
4. Students must take 2 English courses, the aforementioned language requirement, two social sciences, two
humanities, four science and/or math courses from two different departments, one “historical studies”
course, and one “non-Western perspectives” course.
5. Major courses are supposed to be no more than 10 courses (approximately ¼ the required hours to
graduate), but some departments “cheat” by requiring co-requisites.
Ohio State University- College of Arts and Sciences
1. The College offers a BA in all comparable majors, but a BS in only some such as biology, chemistry,
economics, geography, and psychology.
2. All BS and BA students must complete foreign language classes through the 4th semester level.
3. As part of the General Education Curriculum, BA students must complete 1 natural science course with a
lab component and BS students must complete 3 labs.
4. OSU divides courses into quarter hours. BA students are required to complete 10 hours of writing/related
skills, 9-10 quantitative/logical skills, 15 natural sciences (1 two-course sequence and another class, one
must include a lab component), 10 social science hours from two different disciplines, 10 arts and
humanities hours, 10 historical study hours, and 5 hours in “Issues of the Contemporary World.” While a
diversity course is not required, it is suggested.
5. BS students complete the same requirements except 10 quantitative skills hours, 25 natural science hours (1
two-course sequence and 3 classes, 3 must include a lab component), 15 social science hours from 2
different disciplines, and 25 arts and humanities hours. Diversity is still not required but suggested.
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Michigan State University- College of Natural Science
1. MSU divides the equivalent of our College of Arts and Sciences into 3 colleges: Arts and Letters, Natural
Science, and Social Science. University-wide requirements include a 2-tier writing requirement (one general
and the 2nd within your major), 1 social science course, 2 arts and humanities courses, and at least one
integrative studies course with a biological or physical science lab component.
2. Specific to Natural Science, some majors require 1st year language proficiency, but most do not. For
example, chemistry and mathematics have this requirement, but biology does not.
3. Within this college, most students will end up taking several lab/field work courses, but there is a specific
university-wide requirement that is typically met by the courses for these majors.
Michigan State University- College of Social Science
1. Most majors are offered with both a BA and a BS, but some only offers BAs such as political science and
history.
2. The College does not have a foreign language requirement, but certain majors do require language courses
(varies by the major). Within the humanities course options, students may opt to take foreign language
courses.
3. A BA requires 6 general credit hours in the College of Natural Science, 9 hours in the College of Arts and
Letters, and 15 hours in the College of Social Science, in addition to the pre-major and major coursework.
4. A BS requires 9 hours in the College of Social Science, 6 hours in the College of Arts and Letters, and 15
hours of science and math courses.
Michigan State University- College of Arts and Letters
1. All majors are offered with a BA, but no BS degrees.
2. Students in the College of Arts and Letters are required to have 2nd year proficiency in a foreign language,
therefore taking up to 4 semesters of foreign language courses.
3. Aside from the university-wide requirement, any lab work varies by major and is minimal.
4. College requirements other than the university requirements include the foreign language proficiency and
taking Cognate courses where students take classes in 2 areas of study outside their major.
Purdue
1. Purdue offers a BA from the College of Liberal Arts. They have a Liberal Arts Core Curriculum which
includes “Proficiency through Level IV in one language (3-12 hours); one Laboratory component
science courses is required; and disciplinary type courses totaling 15 hours is required not including
Math/Statistics and English Comp.”
2. The College of Sciences offers a BS degree and requires 18 hours of Humanities, social sciences, and
behavioral sciences. They also require Communications and an Interdisciplinary study course plus 11
credits of mathematics and four laboratory courses outside the major discipline.
3. Beginning in fall 2007, a new curriculum goes in to effect where College of Science students will be
required to take a Language and Culture component. This requirements is fulfilled by: a) 3 courses in
one language or two courses in the same language and 1 additional course from culture and/or
civilization of a foreign culture or one course from the approved list of courses on diversity or an
approved study abroad experience; b) 9 hours of required disciplinary courses; c) one course from a
multidisciplinary requirement; d) two-course sequence for the laboratory requirement; and, e) a Math,
Statistics and a computing course.
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