McMicken College of Arts & SciencesUniversity of Cincinnati

Old College Requirements (thru summer 2009)

NOTICE!! This list applies only to graduates for summer 2009 and earlier. Beginning fall 2009, the college requirements have changed. Follow the list of new college requirements if you will graduate in Fall 2009 or later.

In addition to meeting the University General Education requirements, the requirements listed immediately below are common to all potential graduates of the college, whether they are pursuing the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree.

A&S College Core Requirements

To graduate from McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, a student must:

  • Earn at least 180 credits.
  • Attain at least a 2.0 grade point average for all courses taken at the University of Cincinnati.
  • Be in good academic standing, that is, not on either academic or disciplinary probation or suspension.
  • Be matriculated in the college for at least the last full academic year (the three quarter preceding graduation). While matriculated in the college:
    • Attain at least a 2.0 average for all courses taken;
    • Attain at least a 2.0 average for all courses counted toward satisfaction of the field of concentration requirements;
    • Earn at least 18 credits toward satisfaction of the field of concentration requirements from the controlling A&S department(s);
    • Earn at least 27 additional credits from courses taught by McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Social & Ethical Issues - All but one of the university's Breadth of Knowledge (BoK) requirements are automatically satisfied by completing the 8 categories in A&S core requirements listed in the College Requirements Checklist. To satisfy the remaining BoK requirement you need to take one course in Social and Ethical Issues, a few of which are included in the College Requirements Checklist designated by the code (SE). Others are identified in the online course offerings.
  • Satisfy all requirements (courses, credits, and otherwise) for completion of the field of concentration established by the controlling A&S department(s).
  • Satisfy all of the liberal arts college requirements listed below.
  • File formal application for the degree at the college office no later than six weeks prior to the beginning of the quarter in which graduation is anticipated.
  • Satisfy the University's General Education requirements.
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Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science

Course requirements are of three types, and together comprise the 180 quarter credits required for a degree: liberal arts requirements, field of concentration (major) requirements, and free electives. Liberal arts and field of concentration courses must be chosen from offerings of McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, with such exceptions as have been provided by the Curriculum Committee of the faculty or by the individual departments of the college. Free electives may be chosen from throughout the university.

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Liberal Arts Requirements

Note: The departments of the college and the Curriculum Committee of the faculty designate specific courses suitable for application to the liberal arts college requirements. Lists of these courses are available and are given to students during registration.

Because English composition, mathematics, natural sciences, and foreign languages tend to be yearlong sequences, students are urged to begin these requirements in their freshman year and to complete them as early as possible. This is especially true of English composition, which should be completed during the first year. A student's major will also help to decide which courses, from the area of concentration as well as from the liberal arts requirements, are most appropriate for the first two years.

The purpose of the liberal arts college requirements is to provide breadth of study. For that reason, students may count courses from the major field of concentration in only one area from among areas of three through eight below:

  • English Composition - 9 credits All students, prior to beginning English Composition, are given a diagnostic writing examination to determine whether developmental work in composition is required prior to enrollment in English Composition or, on the other hand, whether they may be placed in Advanced Freshman English. Students generally take two quarters of English Composition during their freshman year and one quarter during their sophomore year.
  • Foreign Language - 15-18 credits All students who have earned two or more years of language credit in high school take a placement/waiver examination prior to enrollment to place them at the appropriate level in the introductory or intermediate sequence in those languages.

    McMicken College of Arts and Sciences awards up to 10 credits of advanced standing to students who earn a grade of C or better in the foreign language course into which they have been placed. Credit is granted for courses previous in the sequence to the one taken. Enrollment for credit or audit in courses below the placement level is not permitted.

    Credit is granted only to students taking a placement test developed and administered by the appropriate department or program of McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.

    Students for whom the language requirement is not waived by testing enter at the appropriate level in a language previously studied, or begin a new language, and attain the required level of competence in either of two ways:

    • Complete a one-year, 15-credit sequence (earning five credits each quarter) in French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, or Swahili.
    • Complete a two-year, 18-credit sequence in Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, or Swedish.
  • Natural Science - 15-18 credits This requirement may be fulfilled in either of two ways:
    • A one-year, 15- to 18-credit lecture/ laboratory sequence in biology, chemistry, geology, physical geography, or physics.
    • Complete 18 credit hours, at least 9 of which are in one science department.
  • Mathematics - 9-10 credits One three-quarter sequence offered by the Department of Mathematics.
  • History - 9 credits Designated survey courses from African American Studies, Classics, History and Judaic Studies.
  • Literature - 6 credits Literature courses are offered by the Departments of African American Studies, English, German, Judaic Studies, and Romance Languages and Literatures.
  • Behavioral and Social Sciences - 15 credits Designated courses from the Departments of African American Studies, Anthropology, Communication, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Women's Studies.
  • Humanities - 9 credits Designated courses from the Departments of African American Studies, Classics, German, Judaic Studies, Philosophy, and Romance Languages and Literatures and Women's Studies. Some courses from other colleges are also appropriate.
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Field of Concentration Requirements

Requirements in the field of concentration are determined by the academic departments or faculty committees overseeing particular programs. While the faculty of the college has established a minimum number of credits required in two general types of majors, additional credits may be required by particular majors. This is especially true in the sciences, which often include cognate courses from other disciplines. Credits that have been applied toward the liberal arts college requirements may not be applied toward the minimum credits required in the field of concentration.

  • Minimum credits required for Bachelor of Arts:
    54 credits
  • Minimum credits required for Bachelor of Science:
    54 credits
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Free Electives

Free electives may be chosen by the student from anywhere in the University. Once the liberal arts requirements and field of concentration requirements have been met, free electives can be used to bring the total credits to the minimum of 180.

A complete list of introductory courses approved for the liberal arts college requirements, as well as a summary description of each field of concentration, is available in 102 McMicken Hall. More detailed descriptions of the fields of concentration are available in the academic departments.

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Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies - Individualized

  • At least one-third of the credits obtained must be for courses at the 300 level or above.
  • No more than 60 of the accumulated credits to be applied toward the degree may be from one department.
  • Two-thirds of the credits obtained must be in courses taught in McMicken College of Arts and Sciences or for which there are equivalents in the college.
  • The student must formally enter the BIS program with at least one academic year of full-time study remaining prior to graduation.
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Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies - Tracks

The pre-designated interdisciplinary track in Brain and Mind Studies or Family Studies. See your adviser for degree requirements.

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Major Requirements

Requirements in the field of concentration are determined by the academic departments or faculty committees overseeing particular programs. While the faculty of the college has established a minimum number of credits required in two general types of majors, additional credits may be required of particular majors. This is especially true in the sciences, which often include cognate courses from other disciplines. Credits that have been applied toward the college requirements may not be applied toward the minimum credits required in the field of concentration. View an online listing of major requirements. Please contact the College Office at 556-5860 or your adviser for more information.

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Degrees with Distinction

In determining the eligibility of students for graduation with various distinctions, the college recognizes the previous work of its many transfer students. Even though a new grade point average begins upon enrollment in the college, the various distinctions below take into account grades received in other institutions and other divisions of the University of Cincinnati.

Candidates for the degree of BA or BS who have shown ability throughout their baccalaureate studies may be awarded the degree cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude. Students who have shown exceptional distinction in the field of concentration may be awarded the degree with Honors or High Honors. A student enrolled in the University Honors Program is eligible to receive the degree with College Honors or High College Honors. Ohio Delta of Phi Beta Kappa awards its key to those graduates deemed the most representative of academic excellence.

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