CAS Academic Requirements - Class of 2028

 

 

Most courses in the College of Arts and Sciences are 4 credits, but quite a few are 3 credit courses. In general, courses range from 1 to 4 credits. The typical term load is 14 to 17 credits. 12 credits are required for full-time status, and anything over 17 credits for a first semester, first year student is considered an overload. After the first semester, 18 credits is the maximum number of credits allowed, and students would need to fill out an Overload Request Form to request permission to register for more than 18 credits. Credits are assigned to a course on the basis of an estimate of  'normal' student effort, figuring 3 to 4 hours of effort per week for each credit, including the hours actually spent in class ('contact' hours). Accordingly, a typical term load of 16 credits would require something like 50 to 60 hours per week of effort, including contact hours. Naturally, there will be some variability from week to week and some variability from course to course.

 

A word about completing the requirements... Because the requirements are so flexible, we urge students to avoid the mistake of "getting required courses out of the way" early. That approach has two problems. For one, it defers an exploration of options, which is important for all students. It is possible, however, to use the requirements as a map to the broad, undiscovered territory of one's options, and that's a healthy alternative to the notion of "getting the requirements done." Another problem with "getting the requirements out of the way" is that it sets up a self-defeating expectation about the nature of the requirements. Far from being drudgery, the required courses open up to the student the full range of human knowledge and develop cross-disciplinary understanding and communication skills that are among the hallmarks of a liberal arts education.

 

 

Lehigh is highly committed to the development of communication skills along with kindred skills in rhetoric. We expect students to think clearly and to articulate their thoughts persuasively. WRT 001 and 002, our two-semester sequence of First-Year Writing, is the foundation for building critical thinking and communication skills across the entire curriculum. WRT 003 and 005 are appropriate substitutes for non-native English speakers. 

 

 

All first-year students in the College of Arts and Sciences must take a Big Questions Seminar during the first fall semester. The Seminar provides an intimate and supportive environment that facilitates the transition to university academic work. Students begin to develop many of the skills that serve as a framework for their future scholarly work - how to read closely, think critically, write clearly, learn cooperatively, speak persuasively, and solve problems creatively. Big Questions Seminars give students an excellent way to explore a subject that may be new or to enter more deeply into an area of interest. Many of the seminar topics are non-tranditional or cross-disciplinary subjects of special interest to the instructor.

 

 

Courses for the Mathematics (MA) requirement can be found in the mathematics department (with the exception of MATH 000), as well as certain courses offered through Philosophy, such as PHIL 014: Symbolic Logic. 

 

 

Courses designated for the Arts and Humanities (HU) requirement are found in Art, Architecture, Design, English (but not ENGL 001 or 002), the foreign languages, History, Music, Philosophy, Religion Studies, and Theatre. Many of the interdisciplinary programs, such as Africana Studies, Film, Latin American and Latino Studies, Jewish Studies, Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, etc, also offer courses designated for the Arts and Humanities.

 

 

Social World (SW) courses are found in Anthropology, Economics, History, International Relations, Journalism, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Many of the interdisciplinary programs, such as Health, Medicine, & Society, Cognitive Science, Environmental Studies, etc, also offer Social Science courses.

 

 

 

Astronomy, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Physics are the typical places to look for Natural World (NW) courses. One of the courses taken for the Natural World requirement must have a lab (LS). You may also find NW courses offered through Cognitive Science, Anthropology, and Psychology. 

 

 

 

 

Students must earn a minimum of 120 credits to be eligible for a BA or BS in the College of Arts and Sciences. Many students will transfer credits from another institution to Lehigh. To be eligible to receive a Lehigh baccalaureate degree, the candidate must have completed either a minimum of 90 credit hours, or 60 of the last 75 credit hours at the University or in residency programs.