Degree Requirements
Both the bachelor of arts degree and the bachelor of science degree combine liberal studies with advanced studies. To earn the BA degree or the BS degree, a student must complete successfully a minimum of 32 academic courses totaling at least one hundred and twenty-four semester hours in approved academic courses plus two semester hours in physical education and a one semester hour personal health course.
No rigid program for either degree is prescribed by Emory College. Each student must design a program of study suited to individual interests and needs. To aid the student in this task and to ensure that no program is either too narrow or too diffuse, the college assigns advisers who work with students in planning their programs.
The undergraduate education in Emory College comprises three overlapping components:
- general education requirements that provide a common core of substance and methodology;
- more intensive and advanced study in a major field; and
- free-ranging exploration by means of elective courses.
General Education Requirements
These courses provide for a common core of academic experience for Emory College students. Faculty and advanced student advisers work closely with students, especially in the first two years, in choosing the specific courses used to fulfill these requirements. The faculty's principal objective in establishing these requirements is to encourage students to familiarize themselves with the knowledge and the methodologies that characterize the arts and humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences and mathematics; to increase their ability to express ideas effectively in English and in another language; to extend their capacities for making informed judgments of value; to expand their knowledge and understanding of themselves, of their own and other cultures, and of the natural world; and to develop their awareness of the ways in which the various academic disciplines may complement one another in solving the world's problems.
For the most current list of courses satisfying the General Education Requirements, please see the GER website.
Major Requirements
Students must complete requirements for the major in a particular academic field. In order to complete a major, students must formally designate a program no later than the second semester of their freshman year and no later than the end of the sophomore year (see "Declaration of Plan [Major/Minor ] form" available in the Office for Undergraduate Education, 300 White Hall).
The departments and the dean reserve the right to judge the advisability of an applicant's admission to any particular concentration. Each student's major program must be arranged under the direction and with the approval of a faculty advisor in the major department with a view to obtaining reasonable mastery of a chosen field and with due provision for work outside that field. If they choose, students may be certified in two, but not more than two, areas of concentration. Minors are available in certain fields for students who wish to complete a minor in addition to a major. (A student may thus have two majors or one major and a minor.) Students must maintain at least a C (2.0) average in any major or minor they complete.
Programs of Study
Students may earn one, and only one, of the following undergraduate degrees from Emory University. In completing the following degrees, Emory College officially recognizes no more than two concentrations-either two majors or a major and minor. Such recognition does not appear on Emory diplomas but is shown on students' transcripts.
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science
Emory College offers a number of majors that can result in a BA or BS.
Minors
Minors are available in a number of fields.
Bachelor of Business Administration
The BBA requires that students complete 64 credit hours (four semesters) in Emory College prior to transferring to the Roberto C. Goizueta Business School of Emory University. These 64 credit hours do not include AP credit.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The BSN degree is awarded after students complete 64 credit hours (four semesters) in Emory College and two years in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. These sixty-four credit hours do not include AP credit. Emory College issues a dual degree as a BA or BS in the college and a BSN in nursing. Some courses required prior to entering the nursing program are not available at Emory College. Interested students should consult with the nursing school and the Office for Undergraduate Education about requirements.
Students Continuing to Emory College of Arts and Sciences from Oxford College
Graduates of Oxford College may continue in the junior class in Emory College of Arts and Sciences. In order to graduate from Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Oxford graduates must complete at least three semesters in residence on the Atlanta campus and earn at least 54 semester hours of credit in Emory College.
Combined Degree Programs
Students who enter the Combined Degree Program may earn the bachelor of arts or the bachelor of science degree from Emory College and a professional or advanced degree from another division of the University or from the Georgia Institute of Technology. These programs include:
Dual-Degree Programs in Engineering
Accelerated Master's Program
Students may earn the bachelor of arts and the master of arts degrees within four years in:
- English
- history
- philosophy
- political science
- sociology
Students may earn the bachelor of science and the master of science degrees within four years in:
- biology
- chemistry
- mathematics
- mathematics and computer science
A bachelor of arts in mathematics and a master of science in biostatistics can be earned through the College and the School of Public Health.
Additionally, students who initially enrolled at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA can participate in a combined degree program with Emory in the field of Computer Science.