General College Graduation Requirements

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degrees

The College of Science and Technology offers two undergraduate degrees: a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.). The B.A. degree gives students a broad-based education, including the study of a foreign language. The B.S. degree is for those students who wish for more specialized training in their chosen disciplines.

Credit Hour Requirements
The College of Science and Technology requires that students complete a total of 123 credits. Of that total, 90 credits must be in the College of Science and Technology or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). A course shall count as a College of Science and Technology or College of Liberal Arts course if it is offered by a department or program in either of the respective colleges, or if it is in the department of Economics and Art History, or if it is taken to satisfy a major or minor requirement in the College of Science and Technology. Of those 90 credits, 45 must be in upper-level courses. Students receiving a Bachelor of Arts (as opposed to Bachelor of Science) degree must take two courses numbered 0100 or above in the College of Liberal Arts.

Students who transfer into the College of Science and Technology must complete at least 30 of their last 45 semester hours of course work at Temple and at least half of the courses required in the department of the major must be taken at Temple. Please refer to degree programs for the specific number of major courses required.

A student with an intercollegial or interdisciplinary studies major can obtain information concerning the minimum number of semester hours in College of Science and Technology or College of Liberal Arts courses required for graduation from his or her major advisor and from the description of the major found in this Bulletin.

These credit-hour requirements apply to students who matriculated during or after the fall semester 1995. A maximum of nine semester hours in preparatory courses (courses numbered 0001-0049) may be applied to any baccalaureate degree.

Courses Inapplicable to Graduation

Semester hours earned in Mathematics 0045, military science, and RCC-enhanced courses are not credited toward the minimum semester hours required for graduation.  Students will not be awarded duplicate credit for courses.  Students will not receive credit towards graduation for lower-level courses (courses numbered below 0100), which are two or more courses below either an already completed course or their placement level.

Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement

The College of Science & Technology requires that students have a GPA of at least 2.00 overall and at least 2.00 in the department(s) of their major and/or minor.

Bachelor of Science Requirements

Core. In addition to the requirements above, Bachelor of Science candidates must complete the University Core Curriculum in effect at the time of their matriculation.

Major. They must also complete the requirements of a departmental major. The minimum acceptable grade in a course taken to fulfill major requirements is a C- unless otherwise specified. B.S. majors are offered the following programs:

• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Biophysics
• Chemistry
• Computer and Information Sciences (CIS)
• Environmental Studies
• Earth Science (see Geology)
• Information Science and Technology
• Mathematics
• Mathematics and Physics
• Physics

Minor or Additional Specialization. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree may also choose to fulfill the requirements of a second Major, Minor, or Additional Specialization. See below under Major and Minor Requirements.

Bachelor of Arts Requirements

Core. Bachelor of Arts candidates must complete the University Core requirements in effect at the time of their matriculation with the following difference: For the Core Language or International Studies requirement, candidates for the B.A. degree are required by the College to complete both an International Studies and a Language requirement by:
(a) completing the third semester of a language (course number C061, except in Critical Languages) and one international studies course, or
(b) completing 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."

Upper-level distribution requirements. B.A. students must complete upper-level distribution requirements by taking two upper-level courses in one or more departments of the College of Liberal Arts or the Departments of Economics and Art History.

Students who have second majors, one of which is in the College of Liberal Arts or Economics and Art History, automatically satisfy the distribution requirement.

Major. Bachelor of Arts candidates must complete the requirements of a major. It is important to note that students enter the College of Science and Technology as Bachelor of Science majors.  If students wish to change their degree choice to Bachelor of Arts, they must complete a declaration of major form in the Office of Student Services with an advisor.  The minimum acceptable grade in a course taken to fulfill major requirements is a C- unless otherwise specified. B.A. majors are offered in the following programs:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer and Information Sciences
• Earth Science (see Geology)
• Environmental Studies
• Information Science and Technology
• Mathematics
• Mathematical Economics
• Physics

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- unless otherwise specified.  At least three of the courses credited towards the minor must be courses that were not credited towards the major. 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:

• Biology
• Cognitive Neuroscience (see Psychology)
• Computer and Information Sciences
• Environmental Studies
• Geology
• Information Science and Technology
• Mathematics
• Physics

Second Major.  Students may complete a second major by fulfilling all requirements for the primary and second majors, including at least four courses that are credited towards the second major but not the primary major.  Core requirements need to be satisfied based on the requirements of the primary major.

Individual Program Requirements

Certain courses fulfill multiple requirements. In careful consultation with your advisor, you will be able to optimize curriculum choices.

The total number of hours required for the degree may vary based on initial placement exams, transfer evaluations, individual curriculum choices, and academic programs.

Listed under each degree program are the courses students must successfully complete to earn that particular B.A. or B.S. degree. These required courses are in addition to the University Core Curriculum requirements.