Bachelor of Arts Degree
Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree, in addition to meeting the general requirements for bachelor’s degrees, including the SAGES and Physical Education requirements, must also complete the following requirements:
- A minimum of 120 total credit-hours earned.
- No more than 42 credit-hours beyond the 100-level in any one department may be applied to the 120 credit-hour total.
- At least 90 credit-hours in arts and sciences. These credits may be drawn from those offered by the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as those in economics, biochemistry, nutrition, and computer science. (Students completing both a BA and BS are exempted from six hours of the 90-credit-hour arts and sciences requirement for the BA.)
- A minimum of 30 credit-hours of courses at the 300- or 400-level.
- The General Education Requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences listed below.
- The requirements for a major listed below as specified in the bulletin for each department or program. A major requires a minimum of 30 credit-hours, at least 24 of which are taken in the major department or program.
- For all courses taken in the major department and for which grades are averaged, and for all courses taken to satisfy major requirements and for which grades are averaged, a BA candidate must earn a minimum cumulative average of 2.000. Major requirements include all required and elective work completed in the major department combined with required courses completed in related fields. Transfer students must complete at Case Western Reserve University at least half the credit-hours required in the major department.
Majors Available for the Bachelor of Arts Degree
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Anthropology |
Environmental Geology |
Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism Origins Sciences Philosophy Physics Political Science Pre-architecture* Psychology Religious Studies Sociology Spanish Statistics Teacher Education* Theater Women's and Gender Studies World Literature |
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*May be taken only as a second major. **Any student interested in developing for the BA a major of his or her own design may submit, before the end of the sophomore year, a program proposal for a Dean's Approved Major to the Office of Undergraduate Studies. The Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences must approve any proposed Dean's Approved Major. |
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General Education Requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences for the Bachelor of Arts Degree
These requirements provide a broad foundation for the Bachelor of Science degree programs.
Students pursuing a degree in the College of Arts and Sciences may not fulfill the Departmental Seminar requirement with a course that is being used to fulfill an Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, or Natural & Mathematical Sciences breadth requirement. A course that has been designated as a Departmental Seminar and that also falls into the Global and Cultural Diversity category may be used to fulfill both requirements.
Course credit earned by Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-levels and similar programs offered at high schools may not be used to satisfy the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Transfer credits for college-level course work done at other institutions—for example, prior to matriculation, during the summer, or in an approved Study Abroad program—may be applied to this requirement if approved by the appropriate department.
Breadth Requirements
(minimum of six three- or four-credit-hour courses, totaling at least 18 credit-hours)
One-half or more of the breadth requirement courses in each breadth area must be taken on campus. Credit earned for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-levels and similar programs offered in high schools, or by proficiency exams may be used to satisfy up to one-half of this requirement if the credit is equivalent to specific courses taught at CWRU. AP, IB, and A-level credit equivalents ending in “TR” may not be used to satisfy the breadth requirements. Pre-matriculation and post matriculation transfer credit for work done at other institutions—for example, at colleges or universities prior to matriculating at CWRU, during the summer or in an approved Study Abroad program—may be applied to satisfy part of this requirement if approved by the appropriate department.
Note: Two courses used to fulfill requirements for the major may be used also to fulfill the breadth requirements.
Arts and Humanities (six to eight credit-hours)
Two three- or four-credit-hour arts and humanities courses selected from:
- Akkadian (AKKD)
- Arabic (ARAB)
- Art History (ARTH)
- Art Studio (ARTS)
- Chinese (CHIN)
- Classics (CLSC)
- Dance (DANC)
- English (ENGL)
- French (FRCH)
- German (GRMN)
- Greek (GREK)
- Hebrew (HBRW)
- History (HSTY)
- Italian (ITAL)
- Japanese (JAPN)
- Latin (LATN)
- Linguistics (LING)
- Music - General (MUGN)
- Music - History (MUHI)
- Music - Theory (MUTH)
- Philosophy (PHIL)
- Portuguese (PORT)
- Religious Studies (RLGN)
- Russian (RUSN)
- Spanish (SPAN)
- Theater (THTR)
- World Literature (WLIT)
Natural and Mathematical Sciences (six to eight credit-hours)
Two three- or four-credit-hour natural and mathematical science courses selected from:
- Astronomy (ASTR)
- Biochemistry (BIOC)
- Biology (BIOL)
- Chemistry (CHEM)
- Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (EEPS)
- Mathematics (MATH)
- Nutrition (NTRN)
- Physics (PHYS)
- Statistics (STAT)
Social Sciences (six credit-hours)
Two three-credit-hour social science courses selected from:
- Anthropology (ANTH)
- Cognitive Science (COGS)
- Communication Sciences (COSI)
- Economics (ECON)
- Political Science (POSC)
- Psychology (PSCL)
- Sociology (SOCI)
Quantitative Reasoning (three to four credit-hours)
Each student must complete at least one three- or four-credit-hour course identified as a quantitative reasoning course selected from the list below. This course may also be used to fulfill a major, minor and/or breadth requirement.
Course credit earned by Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-levels and similar programs offered by high schools, by proficiency exams, by courses taken at domestic colleges and universities or in an approved Study Abroad program may be used to satisfy the quantitative reasoning requirement if the credit is equivalent to the specific CWRU courses that satisfy the requirement.
| Course ID | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 319 | Introduction to Statistical Analysis in the Social Sciences | 3 |
| BIOL 321 | Design and Analysis of Biological Experiments | 3 |
| EECS 132 | Introduction to Programming in Java | 3 |
| ENGR 131 | Elementary Computer Programming | 3 |
| MATH 121 | Calculus for Science and Engineering I |
4 |
| MATH 123 | Calculus I |
4 |
| MATH 125 | Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci I | 4 |
| MATH 150 | Mathematics from a Mathematician's Perspective | 3 |
| PHIL 201 | Introduction to Logic | 3 |
| PSCL 282 | Quantitative Methods in Psychology | 3 |
| STAT 201 | Basic Statistics for Social and Life Sciences | 3 |
| STAT 201R | Basic Statistics for Social and Life Sciences Using R Programming | 3 |
Global and Cultural Diversity (three to four credit-hours)
The goal of the Global and Cultural Diversity requirement is to provide students with the opportunity for academic reflection about the variation in human experience. Courses that satisfy this requirement must 1) substantively explore one or more cultures outside the United States, or 2) address in a substantive way ethnic, gender, sexual, religious, or other cultural practices within the United States, so as to provide students with fresh perspectives on their own cultural assumptions, traditions, and experiences. This course may also be used to fulfill a major requirement and/or one of the breadth requirements.
Course credit earned by Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-levels and similar programs offered at high schools may not be used to satisfy the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Transfer credits for college-level course work done at other institutions—for example, prior to matriculation, during the summer, or in an approved Study Abroad program—may be applied to this requirement if approved by the appropriate department.
For a complete list of courses that fulfill the Global and Cultural Diversity requirement, click here.
Bachelor of Science Degree
Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degrees, in addition to meeting the general requirements for bachelor’s degrees, must also complete the following requirements:
- A minimum of 120-133 credit-hours as specified by the requirements for each BS program.
- A minimum of 30 credit-hours of courses at the 300- or 400-level.
- The General Education Requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences listed below. For some BS programs, the General Education Requirements of the College Arts and Sciences have been modified and incorporated into the degree requirements as presented in this bulletin in the section devoted to each department or program.
- The requirements for a major field listed below as presented in this bulletin in the section devoted to each department or program.
- For all courses taken in the major department and for which grades are averaged, and for all courses taken to satisfy major requirements and for which grades are averaged, a candidate for a BS from the College of Arts and Sciences must earn a minimum cumulative average of 2.000. Major requirements include all required and elective work completed in the major department combined with required courses completed in related fields. Transfer students must complete at Case Western Reserve University at least half the credit-hours required for the major.
Majors Available for the Bachelor of Science Degree:
| Applied Mathematics Art Education Astronomy Biochemistry Biology Chemistry Geological Sciences Mathematics |
Mathematics and Physics Music Education Nutrition Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism Physics Statistics Systems Biology |
General Education Requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences
These requirements provide a broad foundation for the Bachelor of Science degree programs.
Students pursuing a degree in the College of Arts and Sciences may not fulfill the Departmental Seminar requirement with a course that is being used to fulfill an Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, or Natural & Mathematical Sciences breadth requirement. A course that has been designated as a Departmental Seminar and that also falls into the Global and Cultural Diversity category may be used to fulfill both requirements.
Course credit earned by Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-levels and similar programs offered at high schools may not be used to satisfy the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Transfer credits for college-level course work done at other institutions—for example, prior to matriculation, during the summer, or in an approved Study Abroad program—may be applied to this requirement if approved by the appropriate department.
Breadth Requirements
(minimum of six three- or four-credit-hour courses, totaling at least 18 credit-hours)
One-half or more of the breadth requirement courses in each breadth area must be taken on campus. Credit earned for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-levels and similar programs offered in high schools, or by proficiency exams may be used to satisfy up to one-half of this requirement if the credit is equivalent to specific courses taught at CWRU. AP, IB, and A-level credit equivalents ending in “TR” may not be used to satisfy the breadth requirements. Pre-matriculation and post matriculation transfer credit for work done at other institutions—for example, at colleges or universities prior to matriculating at CWRU, during the summer or in an approved Study Abroad program—may be applied to satisfy part of this requirement if approved by the appropriate department.
Note: Two courses used to fulfill requirements for the major may be used also to fulfill the breadth requirements.
Arts and Humanities (six to eight credit-hours)
Two three- or four-credit-hour arts and humanities courses selected from:
- Akkadian (AKKD)
- Arabic (ARAB)
- Art History (ARTH)
- Art Studio (ARTS)
- Chinese (CHIN)
- Classics (CLSC)
- Dance (DANC)
- English (ENGL)
- French (FRCH)
- German (GRMN)
- Greek (GREK)
- Hebrew (HBRW)
- History (HSTY)
- Italian (ITAL)
- Japanese (JAPN)
- Latin (LATN)
- Linguistics (LING)
- Music - General (MUGN)
- Music - History (MUHI)
- Music - Theory (MUTH)
- Philosophy (PHIL)
- Portuguese (PORT)
- Religious Studies (RLGN)
- Russian (RUSN)
- Spanish (SPAN)
- Theater (THTR)
- World Literature (WLIT)
Natural and Mathematical Sciences (six to eight credit-hours)
Two three- or four-credit-hour natural and mathematical science courses selected from:
- Astronomy (ASTR)
- Biochemistry (BIOC)
- Biology (BIOL)
- Chemistry (CHEM)
- Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (EEPS)
- Mathematics (MATH)
- Nutrition (NTRN)
- Physics (PHYS)
- Statistics (STAT)
Social Sciences (six credit-hours)
Two three-credit-hour social science courses selected from:
- Anthropology (ANTH)
- Cognitive Science (COGS)
- Communication Sciences (COSI)
- Economics (ECON)
- Political Science (POSC)
- Psychology (PSCL)
- Sociology (SOCI)
Quantitative Reasoning (three to four credit-hours)
Each student must complete at least one three- or four-credit-hour course identified as a quantitative reasoning course selected from the list below. This course may also be used to fulfill a major, minor and/or breadth requirement.
Course credit earned by Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-levels and similar programs offered by high schools, by proficiency exams, by courses taken at domestic colleges and universities or in an approved Study Abroad program may be used to satisfy the quantitative reasoning requirement if the credit is equivalent to the specific CWRU courses that satisfy the requirement.
| Course ID | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 319 | Introduction to Statistical Analysis in the Social Sciences | 3 |
| BIOL 321 | Design and Analysis of Biological Experiments | 3 |
| EECS 132 | Introduction to Programming in Java | 3 |
| ENGR 131 | Elementary Computer Programming | 3 |
| MATH 121 | Calculus for Science and Engineering I | 4 |
| MATH 123 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 125 | Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci I | 4 |
| MATH 150 | Mathematics from a Mathematician's Perspective | 3 |
| PHIL 201 | Introduction to Logic | 3 |
| PSCL 282 | Quantitative Methods in Psychology | 3 |
| STAT 201 | Basic Statistics for Social and Life Sciences | 3 |
| STAT 201R | Basic Statistics for Social and Life Sciences Using R Programming | 3 |
Global and Cultural Diversity (three to four credit-hours)
The goal of the Global and Cultural Diversity requirement is to provide students with the opportunity for academic reflection about the variation in human experience. Courses that satisfy this requirement must (1) substantively explore one or more cultures outside the United States, or (2) address in a substantive way ethnic, gender, sexual, religious, or other cultural practices within the United States, so as to provide students with fresh perspectives on their own cultural assumptions, traditions, and experiences. This course may also be used to fulfill a major requirement and/or one of the breadth requirements.
Course credit earned by Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-levels and similar programs offered at high schools may not be used to satisfy the Global and Cultural Diversity Requirement. Transfer credits for college-level course work done at other institutions—for example, prior to matriculation, during the summer, or in an approved Study Abroad program—may be applied to this requirement if approved by the appropriate department.
For a complete list of courses that fulfill the Global and Cultural Diversity requirement, click here.