Major

All students must complete the requirements of a major field of study.  A major ordinarily includes a program of 10 or more courses.  Only one major is required for a student to satisfy degree requirements, and most students complete their degrees having met the requirements for a single major.  However, some students wish to complete more than one major in order to address their interests and academic goals.  Several opportunities exist for a student to complete more than one major.

Double Majors

A student may double major in two (or more) Arts and Sciences majors for the BA degree, or two (or more) Engineering majors for the BS in Engineering degree, or two (or more) Management majors for the BS in Management degree. No additional credit hours beyond those ordinarily required for the specific degree are required, but students may need additional credit hours to meet all requirements of the two (or more) majors. Students pursuing multiple majors within a single degree will receive one diploma corresponding to the degree earned and each major will be noted on the diploma and the transcript.

Secondary Majors

A student whose interests span majors that fall under two different degree programs (the BA degree program and a BS degree program or two different BS degree programs) may complete one degree program and the requirements for the two (or more) majors. The major for which the student does not complete the associated degree requirements will be designated as a "secondary major."  If the field chosen as a secondary major has different requirements for the BA and BS degrees, the requirements to complete the secondary major are those associated with the BA degree. No additional credit hours are required beyond those ordinarily required for the degree for which the student completes all degree requirements, though students may need additional credit hours to complete all requirements of the two (or more) majors. The student will receive one diploma corresponding to the degree requirements that were completed, and that degree will be recorded on the transcript.  Each major will be noted on the diploma and the transcript, but a secondary major will be designated in that way.

Dual Degrees

To qualify for two (or more) undergraduate degrees, i.e., a BA and a BS degree or two BS degrees, as a dual degree student, a student must satisfy all requirements for each degree and complete for each additional degree 30 credit hours of study beyond the hours required for the first degree. Students who seek a dual-degree program that involves the Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music must meet Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve admission requirements, and must seek approval of both institutions.

Note that the majors in Environmental Studies, Evolutionary Biology, Gerontological Studies, Natural Sciences, Pre-Architecture, and Teacher Education are available only as a second major for a BA degree, as the sole major for a BA degree if a student is also completing a BS degree, or as a secondary major for a student completing a BS degree.

Minor

A minor concentration requires no fewer than 15 credit hours and normally requires no more than 18 credit hours.

Minors are not required. Students have the option of completing a minor in a discipline other than the major. Students who choose to complete a minor must complete at least half the requirements for the minor at Case Western Reserve University. With the exception of minors offered by the Case School of Engineering, students must earn a minimum cumulative average of 2.000 for all courses taken to satisfy minor requirements and for which grades are averaged. The successful completion of a minor will be indicated on a student's transcript.

Note that the minor in electronics is available only to students completing the BA degree.

Undergraduate Programs

To explore all undergraduate program offerings through filters and keyword search, please visit our Programs page.