Degree Requirements

Requirements for All Bachelor's Degrees

Students must complete a minimum of 122 credit hours to graduate. At least 100 credit hours must be earned in courses offered by the College of Arts and Sciences. Students may select the remaining 22 credit hours from courses either inside (see point 4 below for clarification) or outside of the College.

  1. The College does not accept certain types of credit, including engineering, technology, or self-acquired competency credits.
  2. Students must have a minimum cumulative College of Arts and Sciences grade point average of 2.000 (C) in order to graduate. Any course taken to satisfy the requirements of a major must be completed with a minimum grade of C–, and the grade point average of all courses taken in the major must be at least 2.000 (C).
  3. Students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours in courses at the 300–400 (junior-senior) level for the B.A. or B.F.A. degree. Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours at the 300–400 (junior-senior) level for the B.S. degree.
  4. Students must take at least 25 College of Arts and Sciences credit hours in the major subject area. For B.A. programs, no major department may require more than 42 credit hours in the major. (This stipulation does not apply to interdepartmental majors.) However, especially for students considering graduate school, a maximum of 22 major credit hours taken in excess of 42 may be counted toward the 122 minimum credit hours required. Except for students pursuing a teaching certificate, the sum total of credit hours taken outside of the College and excess major credit hours may not exceed 22 credit hours, unless these credit hours are on top of the 122 that a student needs to graduate.
  5. Once a student has completed 86 credit hours and thereby attained Senior Status, she or he must complete at least 26 of the remaining credit hours in residence on the Bloomington campus of Indiana University. At least 12 credit hours of course work in the major field of study must be completed on the Bloomington campus.
  6. Every degree candidate must satisfy the requirement of one Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences course, which must be taken on the Bloomington campus.
  7. Requests for exceptions to College requirements may be granted by written approval from the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Kirkwood Hall 012. Requirements cannot be waived.
  8. Students with a learning disability, hearing impairment, speech impairment, or any other disability that may affect their ability to fulfill a requirement of the College should contact the Office of Disability Services for Students, Franklin Hall 006, (812) 855-7578, prior to registering. Requirements will not be waived for students with disabilities; however, some modifications may be made within specific courses. Students seeking such modifications should do so early in their academic career to ensure timely progress to degree completion.