McMicken College of Arts & SciencesUniversity of Cincinnati

A&S Core Requirements Change
Beginning Fall 2009

Beginning in Fall 2009, the A&S college core requirements will change to better align with the university's General Education B.O.K. (Breadth of Knowledge) codes used to identify courses on the OneStop registration system. For students graduating in Fall 2009 or later, this change could benefit you as follows:

  • Fewer college core requirements in your degree program (approximately 24 credit hours less toward core, not overall)
  • Better ability to add a second major, minor, or certificate
  • Easier registration that aligns with BOK codes on OneStop
  • Ability to use some courses outside of A&S to meet college requirements
  • Better transfer credit applicability toward college core

"Do No Harm" Promise

Courses taken by actively enrolled A&S students prior to 09A which previously met the core requirements will still be honored toward the corresponding new requirement. You will not lose credit towards requirements met prior to Fall 2009. If your new degree audit does not yet reflect this accurately, please follow the instructions in the link below to request a correction. Please be patient as we work to make any necessary adjustments since this change will affect several thousand students simultaneously. Students graduating in Spring or Summer 2009 are not affected by this change.

Helpful Links

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the specific changes?
In general, the number of credit hours that are required to meet the college core have been reduced in specific ways for students graduating in Fall 2009 or later. These changes will vary, depending on your major, and have been made to better encourage students to earn a double major, minor, or certificate. Students will still need a minimum of 180 hours to graduate as well as meeting all other college requirements for graduation.

Quick Summary of Changes

Please see the New A&S College Requirements for full degree requirement details.

  • English Composition - no change
  • Foreign Language - no change
  • Quantitative Reasoning - QR (9 hrs. with at least 6 hrs. from A&S)
    • This may replace the math requirement for a few majors that do not specify that a specific math sequence be completed.
  • Historical Perspectives - HP (9 hrs. with at least 6 hrs. from A&S, 3 hrs. from HIST)
  • Humanities, Fine Arts & Literature (9 hrs. with at least 6 hrs. from A&S)
    • Humanities - HU (3 hrs.)
    • Literature - LT (3 hrs.)
    • Fine Arts - FA, Humanities - HU, or Literature - LT (3 hrs. from any college)
  • Natural Science - NS (9 hrs. with at least 6 hrs. from A&S)
    • Some majors require specific natural science sequences.
  • Social Science - SS (9 hrs. with at least 6 hrs. from A&S)
    • Some majors require specific courses to fulfill this requirement.
  • Social and Ethical Issues - SE (3 hrs. which can double count toward another requirement)
  • Capstone Course - built into your major

How could this help me?
For students graduating in Fall 2009 or later, this could improve your ability to add a second major, minor or certificate to your current degree program without extending your time to graduation, depending on how close you currently are to degree completion. The change will also help make registration easier since you can now follow the OneStop BoK codes, but many of the courses must still be taken from A&S. In addition, the use of these BoK coded courses to fulfill your new college requirements will allow you to have a wider variety of courses available. For some students, this change will allow them to graduate earlier as well.

How can I tell if this will benefit me?
If you intend to graduate in Fall 2009 or later, you should run both new and old degree audits from the pull-down menu in the degree audit system to see how the change may affect your degree progress. To do this:

  • Read all FAQs on this site first to get the details about what to expect
  • Go to the OneStop site and use the pull down menu to get a new degree audit for your program (ex. old = 15BACOMM, new = 15BACOMM/BOK)
  • Check your new audit against your old audit to see if any changes may benefit you
  • Contact your academic advisor if you have questions that are not answered by your audits and the FAQs on this page.

Will I lose credit toward requirements I've already completed?
No. This change is intended to "do no harm" to any student who has already completed a requirement (ex. literature) under the former A&S checklist. Changing majors, however, may result in a difference in how you must complete some of your core requirements.

What if it appears that I lost credit that showed as complete on my old audit but not my new audit?
If it appears that you met a college core requirement on your old audit that is not reflected on your new audit, or if a course appears on your old audit that you cannot locate on your new audit, follow the corrections request process below. Some students may be pleased to find a completed course now counting toward a different requirement. If this is the case, no corrections are needed.

How do I submit a corrections request?
Make sure to read all info on this webpage first, and carefully review both your old and new degree audits. Fill out a Request for Records Review form online and indicate what requirement and which courses seem to be in error on your new audit. You will likely want to select the "courses in the wrong category on DPA" option. Please be patient, as we do expect many of these requests and only one person in the college is able to update degree audits. We will update your new degree audit as quickly as we can, but please allow 2-3 weeks.

How do I plan for courses using the BoK codes?
Use the new A&S checklist and your new degree audit as a guide for the coursework that you'll still need to complete. There is a "search for class" function on the OneStop site under "view class offerings." This search function allows you to specify which quarter, college, time, and BoK codes you would like to search to find class choices that will fit a specific requirement. You can also check the Gen Ed website to see a more complete listing of all BoK coded courses for future planning. Your academic advisor can assist you if you have questions.

Will my core requirements vary based on my choice of major?
Yes. Some majors direct how you must complete certain college core requirements as well. For example, science majors cannot take just any NS-coded natural science courses to complete their college requirements. Similar situations are true for various majors, many of which may direct which math (not just any QR) or social science must be taken.

When will the new curriculum guides for each major be available?
A&S online curriculum guides are in the process of being updated for every bachelor's degree program in every department. This process will take some time, but new curriculum guides will become available during summer 2009.

How should I contact my advisor for help on this?
Please call or email your advisor if you are unable to determine the answer to any of your questions. Remember that your college advisor can help answer questions about the college core requirements, but your departmental or faculty advisor for your major should answer questions specifically about your major. Please be patient for a response. The advisors each have several hundred students who may also be inquiring at the same time. Another advisor may contact you with a response depending on the number of requests.

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