The departments and schools of the College of Arts and Sciences offer nearly 100 curricula leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Design, and Bachelor of Science, as well as graduate study leading to master's and doctoral degrees.
A liberal arts education entails mastery of certain basic skills, exposure to a broad range of academic disciplines, and concentration in a particular field of knowledge. To be awarded a baccalaureate degree a student in the College must fulfill requirements* in the following areas: Language Skills, Reasoning and Writing in Context, Areas of Inquiry, Diversity, and a Major. All required courses must be taken for a numerical grade. In addition, the student must present at least 90 credits outside the major department and must meet minimum GPA requirements as specified below.
*Requirements of colleges other than Arts and Sciences are based on these, but may differ. Students who have not chosen a major are advised to follow the College of Arts and Sciences requirements.
To receive a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, students whose first enrollment in college (whether at the UW or elsewhere) was in autumn quarter 1985 or later are required to complete 5 credits of English composition with a minimum 2.0 grade. They must also complete coursework through the end of the first-year college sequence in a foreign language, with a 2.0 or higher grade in the third-quarter course, or demonstrate equivalent proficiency through one of the following: successful completion of the third-year or higher level of high school language instruction; by passing a proficiency examination and placing into a course beyond the first year; or by receiving a passing grade in a qualifying course beyond the first-year level. Credits used for these two requirements (including the entire first year of foreign language, if taken) cannot also be applied to the Areas of Inquiry requirements described below.
Students who first entered college autumn quarter 1985 or later must complete a minimum of 5 credits in Reasoning (RSN) and 10 credits of additional composition courses or courses that emphasize the development of writing skills in the context of an academic discipline (W courses). RSN and writing courses, if they apply, can also be counted toward Areas of Inquiry or major requirements. The writing requirement is in addition to the English composition requirement mentioned in the preceding paragraph.
The Areas of Inquiry requirement is the means by which the student develops a breadth of knowledge. Undergraduate courses are currently divided broadly into three categories: Arts and Humanities; Social Sciences; and the Natural Sciences. Each student must select at least 20 credits in courses from each of the three fields and an additional 15 credits from any courses in the three fields. Of the 75 total credits required, 15 may be from courses in the student's major department.
No fewer than 5 credits of courses focusing on the sociocultural, political, and economic diversity of human experience at local, regional, or global scales. Of Special Note: For students admitted to the University prior to autumn quarter 2023, the DIV requirement is 3 credits.
The following symbols, included in course descriptions in this catalog, indicate which, if any, of the above requirements are fulfilled by certain courses:
A&H -- Arts and Humanities (Area of Inquiry requirement)
SSc -- Social Sciences (Area of Inquiry requirement)
NSc -- Natural Sciences (Area of Inquiry requirement)
RSN -- Reasoning
DIV -- Diversity
Courses that meet the foreign-language requirement and the additional-writing requirement are not marked. The third-quarter (or second-semester) course in any language meets the language requirement, so long as the entire first-year sequence totals at least 12 credits (regardless of whether the student earned credit for the earlier parts of the sequence). Consult the quarterly Time Schedule for writing-intensive courses that meet the additional-writing requirement.
In fulfilling the requirements for a major, the student engages in thorough study of a discipline or subject, aimed at developing knowledge in depth. This part of the student's program is determined by the department, school, or faculty committee with which the major study is pursued. Measured in academic credits, the "major" required of each student consists of 50 or more prescribed credits in a department of the College or a closely related group of departments.
Completion of a minor, available through many departments, is optional.
So that the student does not overspecialize, the College limits to 90 the number of credits from a single department that the student may elect to count in the 180 credits required for the baccalaureate degree.
To be eligible to receive the baccalaureate degree, the student must achieve at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA in the major (some departments prescribe a higher minimum GPA for the major), as well as a 2.00 cumulative GPA for all work done in residence through the University.
Students should apply for the baccalaureate degree no later than the first quarter of their final year. Seniors who apply by announced quarterly deadlines receive Graduating Senior Registration Priority (GSP), allowing them to register first for the following quarter. GSP status is limited to two quarters.
All current and past UW students may graduate under the College requirements published in this catalog. Students may use the department requirements in effect at the time they are admitted to the major, if they graduate within 10 years of that time. Otherwise, the department may insist on more recent major requirements. Students wishing to fulfill a previous set of requirements should see an adviser for details and options. All responsibility for fulfilling graduation requirements rests with the student concerned.
A student graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences may count a maximum of three credits of 100-level physical-education activity courses taken at the University of Washington, or their equivalents at other collegiate institutions, as elective credits toward graduation. At present, physical-education courses are not offered at the University.
Students who intend to work toward advanced degrees must apply for admission to the Graduate School and must meet the general requirements outlined in this General Catalog, as well as the requirements established by the graduate faculty in the department or unit offering the degree program. Graduate students must satisfy the requirements for an advanced degree in force at the time the degree is to be awarded.