College of Liberal Arts

General Degree Requirements

Degree requirements for Liberal Arts majors are organized into: (1) General Requirements, including University Core Curriculum requirements and College of Liberal Arts requirements; (2) Requirements of the major field of study; (3) Requirements of the Minor Field of Study; and (4) Electives. A minimum of 128 acceptable hours of course work is required for the baccalaureate degree. All courses are to be selected with the approval of the student’s academic advisor. A minimum of 36 hours of 300- or 400-level course work must be completed at Texas A&M University.

  1. General Requirements.

    The areas listed below include University Core Curriculum requirements and College of Liberal Arts requirements. The completion of requisite hours in these areas will thus satisfy both University Core Curriculum and college requirements.

    1. Communication (6 hours)
      1. ENGL 104
      2. English Proficiency Qualifications

        Students must demonstrate the ability to express themselves in acceptable written English. The College requirement is satisfied if a student earns a grade of C or better in ENGL 104.

        Students who do not meet this standard must repeat the course prior to completing 60 hours and earn a grade of C or better or must immediately arrange with the director of the writing laboratory to be certified as competent in writing.

      3. One course chosen from: ENGL 203, 210, 235, 236, 241 or 301; COMM 203 or 243.
    2. Literature and Language

      1. Literature in English (6 hours)

        To be selected from ENGL 203, 212, 221, 222, 227, 228, 231, 232 or courses for which one of these listed courses is a prerequisite.1

      2. Foreign Language (6 hours, through course work or examination, at the intermediate level or equivalent).
        1. Every student whose major leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree must successfully complete a two-course sequence at the intermediate level of a foreign language (201 and 202). Students who have not previously studied the language will normally complete one of the sequences of four courses listed below. Students who intend to enroll for the first time in a college Spanish, French, German, Russian, or Latin course, who have had knowledge of the language, however acquired, and who have no college credit in the language must take a placement test to determine the appropriate course for their level of ability. The foreign language placement test also serves as a basis for credit by examination. The test will be offered on the first day of the freshman conferences and during the semester for students who will be enrolling in the course after the fall semester. Students who have taken the Advanced Placement (AP) test or the Reading Achievement test in their foreign language of choice may substitute these test results for the placement exam.
          1. FREN 101, 102, 201 or 221, 202 or 222
          2. GERM 101, 102, 201 or 221, 202 or 222
          3. RUSS 101, 102, 201 or 221, 202 or 222
          4. SPAN 101, 102, 201 or 221, 202 or 222
          5. CLAS 121, 122, 221, 222
          6. CLAS 101, 102, 211, 311 or 312
          7. ITAL 101, 102, 201, 202
          8. JAPN 101, 102, 201, 202
          9. ARAB 101, 102, 201, 202
        2. Students seeking a Bachelor of Science degree will substitute for the 6 hours of a language at the intermediate level additional work in computing science, mathematics, science or statistics as prescribed by their major department.

    3. Mathematics (6 hours, at least 3 of which must be in mathematics)

      To be selected from any MATH course (excluding 102, 103, 104, 130, 150)

    4. Natural Sciences (8 hours, including at least one laboratory)2

      To be selected from science courses approved for the University Core Curriculum.

    5. Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts (9 hours)2

      To be selected from humanities and Visual and Performing Arts courses approved for the University Core Curriculum with a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 6 hours of arts courses.3

    6. Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 hours)2

      To be selected from social and behavioral science courses approved for the University Core Curriculum.3

    7. U.S. History and Political Science (12 hours, 6 hours of POLS and 6 hours of HIST)4

      1. Political Science (6 hours)

        POLS 206 and 207

      2. U.S. History (6 hours)

        Two courses in American history

    8. International Cultures (6 hours)5

      To be selected from lists of approved courses. May also satisfy any other requirement.

    9. Kinesiology (2 hours)6
  2. Major Field of Study.

    Major Field of Study. To achieve depth as well as breadth, all students are required to select a major field of study. Each department sets its own requirements for the major, including no fewer than 27 hours of course work and no more than 33 hours. At least 12 semester hours in the major must be completed in advanced courses (300- and 400-level), and at least 12 semester hours in the major field must be completed in residence at Texas A&M. A grade of C or higher is required in a course to be counted toward the major.

  3. Minor Field of Study.

    Completion of a minor is not a requirement of the College of Liberal Arts; however, individual departments may require their majors to have a minor. Students should consult with an advisor in their major department to determine if a minor is required. The minor program should provide either a concentration of prescribed courses that focus on a single content area or an interdisciplinary and/or comparative perspective on more than one area. The minor program comprises 15–18 hours with a minimum of 6 hours in residence at the 300- to 400-level. Minor programs are recognized on the transcript after graduation, but not on the diploma. A grade of C or higher is required if a course is to be counted toward the minor field. Each student who is required to complete a minor, or who chooses to do so, should contact the department that offers the minor to determine which specific courses are mandated. The student’s college and/or major department determines the number of minor programs a student may seek and shall be responsible for advising after the student receives signed approval from the department, program, or college granting the minor program.

  4. Electives.

    To enhance the traditionally broad background of the liberal arts graduate, undergraduate students are allowed to include in their degree program a minimum of 9 semester hours of free elective courses. These courses may be chosen from any field within the University except from a student’s major field. (See section on “Requirements for a Baccalaureate Degree” in this catalog.) All other elective hours must be selected with the approval of the student’s advisor and dean. STLC 101, 102 and 289 may only be taken on an S/U basis. No more than 13 hours combined of KINE 199 and military training may be used as electives. Any undergraduate student may take up to four credit hours of KINE 199 on an S/U basis. In the College of Liberal Arts, students who have less than a 2.0 GPR and who enroll in KINE 199 must enroll in the course on an S/U basis. Juniors and seniors in the College of Liberal Arts whose cumulative GPR is 2.50 or above may take up to twelve credit hours of “free electives” on an S/U basis. Transfer students must take at least 12 credit hours of regular course work at Texas A&M before enrolling in a course on an S/U basis. Courses offered only on an S/U basis may be taken by freshmen and sophomores. These courses count toward the 12 hour limit.

NOTES:
  1. ENGL 203 will count toward the Communication requirement or the Literature in English requirement, but not both.
  2. No course used to fulfill this requirement may fulfill any other college or University requirement except in the minor field of study.
  3. Acceptable humanities, visual and performing arts and social and behavioral sciences courses must be selected from the University Core Curriculum.
  4. Courses in military, air or naval science may not be substituted for required history or political science courses.
  5. The list of approved courses is available in the degree audit for each major.
  6. One hour of KINE 198 Health and Fitness credit and any other one KINE 199 Required Physical Activity courses.

See University Core Curriculum, item 7.