Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree

Credit Hour Requirements

The liberal arts baccalaureate degrees require a minimum of 123 credit hours, distributed according to University and College policy outlined below, with at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). A minimum 2.0 GPA must also be maintained in CLA/CST coursework and in the major.
To earn a CLA baccalaureate degree, a student must complete a minimum of 90 semester hours in CLA/CST courses, 45 semester hours of which must be at the upper-level. Of that, 6 semester hours must be outside the student's major division (e.g. Social Sciences or Humanities).

A maximum of 9 semester hours in preparatory courses (courses numbered 0001-0049) may be applied to any baccalaureate degree.

A maximum of 12 semester hour credits of Independent Study can be applied to the Bachelor’s degree. 

Bachelor of Arts Requirements

The College of Liberal Arts does not award Bachelor of Arts Degrees to students who have already completed an accredited first Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree, regardless of when the degree was completed. 

Core

Bachelor of Arts candidates must complete the University Core requirements with the following difference: For the Core Language or International Studies requirement, the College of Liberal Arts requires candidates for the B.A. to complete one of the following options:
● Complete the third semester of a language (course number C061, except in Critical Languages) and one International Studies course or
● Complete the second semester of a language (course number 0052, except in Critical Languages) and two International Studies courses, at least one of which must be "Third World/Non-Western."

Major

Students must also complete the requirements of a major. The minimum acceptable grade in a course taken to fulfill major requirements is a "C-", though students need a "C" GPA overall in minor coursework in order to graduate with the minor. Students are encouraged to declare their major by the end of the freshman year; forms for this purpose are available in the Academic Advising Center in Sullivan Hall.

B.A. majors are offered in the divisions of the Humanities and the Social Sciences.

● Humanities: English, Foreign Languages, Greek and Roman Classics, Philosophy, Religion
● Social Sciences: African American Studies, American Culture and Media Arts, American Studies, Anthropology (includes tracks in Human Biology and Visual Anthropology), Asian Studies, Criminal Justice, Economics, Environmental Studies (BA or BS), Geography and Urban Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Latin American Studies, Mathematical Economics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Sociology (includes track in Sociology of Health), Women's Studies

Upper level distribution requirements

B.A. students must complete upper level distribution requirements by taking two upper level CLA courses outside the curriculum division of the major (or upper level College of Science and Technology courses.) Students who have double majors in two different divisions automatically satisfy the distribution requirement.

Courses Inapplicable to Graduation

Semester hours earned in Mathematics 0015, Military Science, or RCC-Enhanced are excluded from the total minimum semester hours required for graduation. 

For areas in which placement into a sequenced course is determined by test (such as English, Math, and Foreign Language): students will not receive academic credit towards graduation for courses taken below the level into which they placed after they have completed either that placement level or a higher-level course.

Credit/No Credit

During the junior and senior years, any College of Liberal Arts student who is in good standing and taking a minimum of 12 semester hours may elect to take one course each semester on a Credit/No Credit basis, except for courses that count toward major, minor, Core, or distributional requirements. Application must be made at the Academic Advising Center during the first two weeks of a fall or spring semester course and during the first three days of a first or second summer session course.

Special Major and Minor Requirements

Interdisciplinary Major

Rather than major in an existing department or program, students may apply for a major in Interdisciplinary Studies. The proposed major should consist of coursework totaling at least 36 semester hours, and be justified in terms of some thematic unit of cohesive rationale. The program must not closely resemble any major currently available in the College of Liberal Arts.
The proposed major program may include courses outside of the College of Liberal Arts, but at least 24 semester hours must be in upper-level liberal arts or science courses. The student's proposal must be sponsored by two faculty members from different departments, at least one of whom must be in the College of Liberal Arts. Approval for the program must be obtained from the College of Liberal Arts Academic Advising Center prior to the initiation of the last 60 semester hours of the degree.

Honors Interdisciplinary Major

Students in the University Honors Program may apply for a College of Liberal Arts Honors Interdisciplinary Major. They must complete the degree requirements of the B.A. in the College of Liberal Arts and the requirements for the Interdisciplinary Major described above as well as the requirements for the University Honors Program. Approval for this program must also be obtained from the University Honors Committee prior to the initiation of the last 60 semester hours of the degree.
In addition, the proposed Major Program should include submission of an acceptable Honors Thesis to the University Honors Steering Committee.

Minor

Students may also choose to complete the requirements for a minor. The minimum acceptable grade in a course taken to fulfill minor requirements is "C-", though students need a "C" GPA in the minor in order to graduate.  At least half of the courses taken by a student to fulfill the minor must be taken at Temple. Forms for declaring a minor are available in the following programs:

African American Studies, American Studies, Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Anthropology, Asian-American Studies, Asian Studies, Cognitive Neuroscience (see Psychology), Criminal Justice, Critical Languages, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, French, Geography and Urban Studies, German, Greek, Hebrew, and Roman Classics, History, Italian, Japanese, Jewish Studies, Latin American Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Portuguese, Psychology, Religion, Russian, Sociology, Sociology of Health, Spanish, Visual Anthropology (see Anthropology), Women's Studies.

Certificates of Specialization

Students may choose to complete the requirements for an additional Certificate of Specialization. Forms for declaring a certificate are available in the Academic Advising Center in Sullivan Hall. Certificates of Specialization are available in the following programs:

Asian Business and Society (see Asian Studies); Foreign Languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish (see departments); Geography of Sports, Recreation and Tourism Planning (see Geography and Urban Studies); Geography of Tourism (see Geography and Urban Studies); Latin American Studies and Spanish for Business (see Spanish); Latino Studies and Spanish for Health and Human Services Professions (see Spanish); Management Career (see Economics); Multilingual Business and Government Studies (see Spanish); Neuroscience (see Psychology); Political Economy (see Political Science); Sociology Health Research (see Sociology); Women's Studies (see Women's Studies); Writing (see English)