Degree Requirements

The University confers the following degrees on candidates recommended by the faculty of the College of Arts and Science and approved by the trustees of New York University:

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

B.A. programs are offered by all departments of the College except that of Neural Science.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

B.S. programs are offered by the following departments of the College: Chemistry, Neural Science, and Physics. For details, see these individual departments. The College also offers jointly with Stevens Institute of Technology a Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Engineering (B.S./B.E.) program; see under Dual Degree Program in Engineering (with Stevens Institute of Technology) in the Departments and Programs section. Further information is available in the College Advising Center, Silver Center, 100 Washington Square East, Room 905.

The general degree requirements are the same for the B.A. and the B.S., with the exception of the B.S./B.E. To be eligible for the bachelor’s degree, students must complete 128 points with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. Within these points, students must fulfill the requirements of both a major and the Morse Academic Plan (MAP).

The degree requirements to be fulfilled are those in effect during the term of the student’s first registration in the College. Registration in another division of New York University does not constitute a registration in the College of Arts and Science.

Readmitted students must fulfill the requirements as listed in the College of Arts and Science Bulletin published during the year of their readmission, unless their readmission letter states otherwise.

In very exceptional cases, a student may petition the Committee on Under-graduate Academic Standards for approval of a change in the requirements as stated in the bulletin. The petition form may be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Students, Silver Center, 100 Washington Square East, Room 909B.

Conferring of Degrees

Degrees are conferred in September, January, and May. The formal conferring of degrees by the president of the University takes place annually at Commencement in May.

The Major

Major requirements, varying from department to department, are specified in the section devoted to the course listings of individual departments and programs. Generally, a little more than one-third of the total points are earned in the major concentration.

Every student must complete a major with a cumulative grade point average in the major of at least 2.0. One-half of the courses (and in some departments, one-half of the points) used to complete the major must be taken in the College of Arts and Science. A student may not register for courses in the major outside of NYU. The student must be accepted as a major in the department and must review his or her program with a department adviser each term.

DECLARATION OF MAJOR
Students go to the office of the department or program in question to declare a major and have it posted in the Student Information System. Students who have earned 64 or more points must declare a major. Those with fewer than 64 points are strongly encouraged to declare a major as early in their academic career as possible.

DOUBLE MAJOR
Students may take a double (second) major. The same requirements, including the maintenance of a minimum grade point average of 2.0, apply to the second major as to the first. In some cases, courses may be applicable to both majors. Students must then obtain the written approval for the course(s) from the directors of undergraduate studies of both departments. The second major is declared in the same way as the first (see above).

The Minor

The minor requirements are found in the departmental sections of the bulletin. The minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0. The minor is declared at the office of the sponsoring department or program. No more than one minor can be completed outside of the College in order for the credits to count toward the degree requirement.

Regulations Pertaining to Both Major and Minor

The major and minor requirements to be followed are those stated in the departmental sections of the bulletin in effect during the semester of the student’s first registration in the College. No credit toward the major or minor is granted for grades of C- or lower, although such grades will be computed into the grade point average of the major or the minor, as well as into the overall grade point average.

No course to be counted toward the major or minor may be taken on a pass/fail basis. (See “Pass/Fail Option” under Academic Policies.)

Transfer students from other colleges and universities must have the written approval of the director of undergraduate studies to count transfer courses toward the major or the minor. Once a student transfers to the College, all course work must be completed at NYU.

Time Limit

All requirements for a degree in the College must be met within a period of eight years from the date of matriculation. For transfer students and for students who are readmitted to the College, the length of time is proportionately reduced. Transfer credit is not granted for courses taken more than 10 years before the student’s matriculation in the College.

Residence Requirement

Once a student enrolls in the College of Arts and Science (first year and/or transfer), all course work used to satisfy the 128-credit degree requirement must be completed at NYU. All students must complete their last 32 points while registered in the College of Arts and Science. In addition, students must be registered in the College during the semester immediately prior to graduation, unless officially approved for a leave of absence in that semester. One-half of the courses used to complete the major or the minor must be taken in the College. Any transfer courses to be applied toward major or minor requirements must be approved by the department.

Transfer Students

Transfer students must complete 64 points in the College with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 overall, in the required major, and in the optional minor. At least one-half of the courses used to complete the major and any minor must be courses offered by the College. Any transfer courses to be applied toward major or minor requirements must be approved by the department. Courses in which a grade of C- or lower was obtained are not transferable. Grades earned from internal or external transfer courses are not calculated in the NYU grade point average.