Degree Requirements

The College confers four undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.), and Bachelor of Science in Music Education (B.S.M.E.). The general graduation requirements are the same for all degree programs except where indicated for B.Mus. and B.S.M.E. degree students.

For students entering as first-year students in or after the fall 2004 semester

1) 32 course units

2) Minimum accumulative GPA of 2.00 and a GPA of 2.00 in the major field

3) Fulfillment of the goals of the Gettysburg Curriculum

4) Minimum of the last year of academic work as a full-time student in residence at Gettysburg College or in an approved College program.

5) Discharge of all financial obligations to the College

A list of the specific courses that may be used to satisfy the curricular goals may be found on the Registrar's web page. Curricular goals may be satisfied, with or without course credit, by students who can qualify for exemption. (See Exemption from Degree Requirements.)

The Gettysburg Curriculum

The overarching goal of the Gettysburg College Curriculum is the development of lifelong learners who

• Are able to acquire and process information and ideas in multiple ways
• Are integrative thinkers
• Are skilled in communication
• Are prepared for the responsibilities of local and global citizenship

Students demonstrate their progress toward achieving these goals through their performance in a range of courses or comparable faculty-sponsored experiences, their completion of a major field of study, and their ability to demonstrate connections across the curriculum.

Multiple Inquiries Goal
The development of an understanding of multiple frameworks of analysis and of proficiency in reading texts that span the breadth of human expression. The divisional requirements are designed to begin this process of development. Students must take

• One course in the division of the arts
• One course in the division of the humanities
• One course in the division of the social sciences
• Two courses in the division of natural sciences, at least one of which must have a laboratory component (B.Mus. and B.S.M.E. degree students complete one science course with lab)

Through these courses, students encounter the perspectives and modes of inquiry and analysis that characterize academic disciplines, an encounter that continues in greater depth in the major field of study.

Integrative Thinking Goal
The development of a critical and open mind that seeks to adopt well-argued points of view through the active consideration and integration of alternative methodologies, perspectives, and foundational presuppositions. This process of development receives special emphasis in the curriculum in three different ways.

• The Interdisciplinary/Course Cluster Requirement, normally completed by the end of the sophomore year, in which students take two designated interdisciplinary courses or a two-course cluster that emphasizes interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approaches to a common theme. Through these experiences, students gain an understanding of the connections and tensions among approaches to common issues, texts, and phenomena.
• The Quantitative, Inductive, and Deductive Reasoning Requirement in which students take a course focusing on formal reasoning or mathematical problem-solving and the interpretation of quantitative or qualitative information.
• The Capstone Requirement, a course or faculty-sponsored experience in which students bring together what they have learned in their major curriculum and demonstrate mastery over the chosen area of concentration.

Effective Communication Goal

The development of proficiency in writing, reading, and the use of electronic media. Central to these skills is the ability to articulate questions clearly, identify and gain access to appropriate kinds of information, construct cogent arguments, and engage in intellectual and artistic expression. Emphasis on this goal begins in the first year of study and continues in the major.

• First-Year Writing Requirement, a course that introduces students to the essentials of college-level writing. The course may be Introduction to College Writing (ENG 101), a specially designated First-Year Seminar, or an introductory course in a particular discipline.

• Major Field Communication Requirement, a course or series of courses or experiences through which students demonstrate they have learned the communication conventions of their chosen field of study. The means through which students will learn these conventions and demonstrate their mastery are determined by the individual departments.

Writing Policy: Since the ability to express oneself clearly, correctly, and responsibly is essential for an educated person, the College cannot graduate a student whose writing abilities are deficient. Instructors may reduce grades on poorly written papers, regardless of the course, and, in extreme cases, may assign a failing grade for this reason.

Local and Global Citizenship Goal
The development of the skills, understandings, appreciations, and moral dispositions enabling students to be committed members of and meaningful contributors to their local, national, and global communities. Three requirements have been developed to assist students in achieving this curricular goal.

• Second Language Requirement, satisfied by successful study through the intermediate level (equivalent of 202). (B.Mus. degree vocal performance students complete four courses in language, gaining a proficiency in German and in French or Italian at the first-year level or higher depending upon placement.)
• Cultural Diversity Requirement, two courses designed to help students achieve a fuller appreciation of human diversity through exposure to alternative historical and cultural traditions and modes of analysis. Students must take one non-Western course that has a principal focus on peoples whose practices and beliefs have been shaped in significant ways by a historical tradition separate from that of Western Europe. Students must also take one Domestic or Conceptual Diversity course that has a principal focus on dimensions of diversity within the United States or on the study of the varied dimensions of diversity in a conceptual or comparative context (whether in the United States or elsewhere). A course listed as both non-Western and Domestic/Conceptual may be used to fulfill the requirement in only one area. In all cases, two cultural diversity courses must be taken.

• Science, Technology, and Society Requirement, one course with a focus on the methodological analysis, historical context, or discussion of the social ramifications of some aspect of natural science or technology. (Applicable for students entering fall 2007 forward.)

A major field of study, including a capstone experience. (See Major Requirements following this section.)

No course used to obtain a bachelor's degree elsewhere may be counted toward the requirements for a Gettysburg College degree.

Each student is responsible for being sure that graduation requirements are fulfilled by the anticipated date of graduation. The College normally requires students to complete degree requirements in effect at the time of their original enrollment and the major requirements in effect at the time that students declare the major at the end of the first year or during the sophomore year.

Major Requirements

Each student must successfully complete the requirements in a major field of study. Most majors consist of eight to twelve courses and may include specific courses from one or more other departments and/or programs. No more than twelve courses may be required from a single subject area, with the exception of the B.Mus. and B.S.M.E. degrees. Since the general graduation requirements are essentially the same for all degree programs, students completing the major requirements leading to two different degrees must choose which degree to receive at graduation. (Requirements of the various majors are listed in the department and program introductions in the Courses of Study section.)

The following are major fields of study at Gettysburg College:

Bachelor of Arts:

Africana Studies

Anthropology

Art History

Art Studio

Biology

Chemistry

Classical Studies

Computer Science

Economics

English

Environmental Studies

French

German

Globalization Studies

Greek

Health Sciences

History

International Affairs

Japanese Studies

Latin

Management

Mathematics

Music

Philosophy

Physics

Political Science

Psychology

Religion

Sociology

Spanish

Spanish and Latin American Studies

Theatre Arts

Women's Studies

Bachelor of Science:

Biology

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Chemistry

Environmental Studies

Health Sciences

Physics

Bachelor of Music:

Music Performance

Bachelor of Science in Music Education:

Music Education

A student must file a declaration of major with the Registrar before registering for the junior year. A student may declare a second major as late as the beginning of the senior year.

Optional Minor: Students may declare a minor concentration in an academic department or area that has an established minor program. Not all departments offer minor programs.

A minor shall consist of six course units, no more than two of which shall be 100-level courses. Because of the language required, an exception to the two 100-level course limitation may occur in classical studies. Students must maintain a 2.00 average in the minor field of study. Although a certain minimum number

of courses constitute a minor field of study, all courses in the minor field will be considered in determining the minor average.

Minors are offered in all major fields listed earlier, except for management, music

education, music performance, psychology,

and biochemistry and molecular biology. In addition, minor fields of study are possible in the following areas:

Civil War Era Studies

East Asian Studies

Elementary Education

Film Studies

Italian Studies

Latin American Studies

Neuroscience

Peace and Justice Studies

Secondary Education

Writing

individual major

As an alternative to the major fields of study, students may declare an individual major by designing an interdisciplinary concentration of courses focusing on particular problems or areas of investigation which, though not adequately included within a single department or discipline, are worthy of concentrated study.

Students intending to pursue an individual major must submit a proposal for their plan of study to the Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies. The proposed program must be an integrated plan of study that incorporates course work from a minimum of two depart-ments or fields. An individual major must include a total of ten to twelve courses, no fewer than eight of which must be above the 100-level; three or more courses at the 300-level or above; and a 400-level individualized study course which is normally taken during the senior year. Individualized study allows students to pursue independent work in their areas of interest as defined by the proposal and should result in a senior thesis demonstrating the inter-relationships among the fields comprising the individual major.

After consulting with and obtaining an application from the interdisciplinary studies chairperson and meeting several times with two prospective sponsors/advisers, students should submit their proposals during the sophomore year. The latest students may submit a proposal is March 31 of their sophomore year. It is often possible to build into an individual major a significant component of off-campus study.

Normally, to be accepted as an individual major, a student should have a 2.3 overall GPA. Students should be aware that an individual major program may require some departmental methods or theory courses particular to each of the fields within the program.

A student may graduate with honors from the individual major program. Honors designation requires a 3.5 GPA in the major, the recom-mendation of the student's sponsors, the satisfactory completion of an interdisciplinary individualized study, and the public presentation of its results in some academic forum.