LS&A degree requirements OVERVIEW Bachelor of Arts (AB) and Bachelor of Science (BS) The basic requirements for a Bachelor of Arts (AB) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in LS&A are: Completion of 120 credits of course work, of which 108 must be LS&A courses, with an average of at least "C" (GPA>=2.000). Completion of the following requirements: · Introductory Composition and Upper-Level Writing Requirement. · Quantitative Reasoning (QR) Requirement. · Race & Ethnicity (R&E) Requirement. · Fourth-term proficiency in a language other than English. · Area Distribution Requirements. Completion of the requirements for a concentration (major) program in LS&A with an average of at least "C" (GPA>=2.000). Some concentrations have additional grade requirements. Completion of an optional minor program, if desired. Completion of elective credits sufficient to reach the 120 credit minimum. To earn the Bachelor of Science degree, you must complete 60 credits of approved courses (designated BS) in natural science, physical science, and/or mathematics.   Bachelor in General Studies (BGS) Some students may want to consider the Bachelor in General Studies (BGS) degree as an alternative to the Bachelor of Arts (AB) or the Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees, particularly if they are not interested in concentrating their studies in a specific area. The BGS degree program, seeking primarily to attract students with interdisciplinary interests, is more flexible and potentially less structured than either the AB or BS programs. It gives students greater freedom and responsibility for their educational choice and, if planned responsibly, can afford a liberal arts education in the truest sense. The basic requirements for a Bachelor in General Studies (BGS) degree in LS&A are: Completion of 120 credits of course work, of which 100 must be LS&A courses, with an average of at least "C" (GPA>=2.000). Completion of the Introductory Composition and Upper-Level Writing Requirement. Completion of the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) Requirement. Completion of the Race & Ethnicity (R&E) Requirement. Completion of 60 credits of courses numbered 300 or higher with an average of at least "C" (GPA>=2.000). No more than 20 of these credits may be elected from any one division (e.g., French, Cultural Anthropology, or Classical Archaeology). Introductory Composition Learning how to be an effective writer is crucial to your academic success at the University of Michigan. As a result, all incoming students are required to take an Introductory Composition course. Because most upper level courses at UM require a considerable amount of writing, you are strongly encouraged to complete the Introductory Composition requirement during your first year. The content of Introductory Composition courses vary significantly from section to section, but all emphasize learning how to make convincing arguments, support those arguments with evidence, synthesize course material, and critique arguments made by others. There are a variety of courses you can take to meet the Introductory Composition requirement. These include but are not limited to: English 124, English 125, Slavic Survey 151, Classic Civilization 121 (for students in Honors), Great Books 191 (for students in Honors), Lloyd Hall Scholars 125 (for students in the Lloyd Hall Scholars Program), RC Core 100 (for students in the Residential College), Institute for the Humanities 104, Linguistics 104, and University Courses 153. Writing Practicum (ECB 100-105) Some students may want to consider an additional Writing Practicum course before they take an Introductory Composition course. Writing Practicum is a non-graded, two-credit course designed to support students who have limited experience with the type of writing often assigned at UM. Practicum is an opportunity to improve how you organize, develop, and support ideas, analyze complex materials, recognize evidence used to support an argument, and begin to use evidence and reasoning to support your claims. The course requires biweekly tutorial sessions with the instructor. This concentrated individual attention has proven crucial to the success of students with limited writing experience. FAQcomposition Q: Do I have to take an Introductory Composition course if I complete the Writing Practicum? A: Yes. The Writing Practicum is NOT a substitute for Introductory Composition. Q: Can my AP Composition credits count as Introductory Composition? A: No. AP Composition credits count only as elective credits towards graduation. ? Quantitative Reasoning (QR/1, QR/2) Another skill students need to master is Quantitative Reasoning. Quantitative Reasoning is not just the ability to solve mathematical problems, but instead involves understanding and interpreting quantitative material. The emphasis of the QR requirement is on critical thinking and the ability to explain, not only the correct answer, but how you arrived at that answer. There are two ways students can meet the QR requirement: · Successful completion of one course designated for full QR credit (QR/1). · Successful completion of two courses (at least one of which must be of 3 credits or more) designated for half QR credit (QR/2). QR courses come from a wide range of disciplines representing the natural and social sciences, as well as some areas of the humanities. FAQQR Q: Can my AP Calculus or transfer credits be used to meet the QR requirement? A: No. AP credits cannot be used to meet the QR requirement, but you can use these credits to meet course prerequisites (for example, AP Calculus credits gives you UM credit for Math 115) and towards the 120 credits you need to graduate. In addition, most transfer credits do not meet the QR requirement. For example, even if a math course you took at a community college transfers to UM at Math 115, it will not meet the QR requirement. The only exceptions are transfer credits for Physics 125, 126, 140, 240 or any statistics course, which do meet the QR requirement. Q: If QR is not just Calculus, what courses meet the requirement? A: A wide variety of courses meet the QR requirement, including: (QR/1) Math 115, 116, and 215; Astronomy 101; Statistics 100, 170, and 350; Physics 125; (QR/2) Economics 101 and 102; Chemistry 130; Astronomy 102, 111, and 112; Physics 126; and Geological Sciences 222. For a complete list of approved courses for Fall 2001, see: Q: Can a QR course also count towards my concentration or distribution requirements? A: Yes. For example, Stats 350 meets the QR requirement and also counts as 4 credits of NS for distribution (as long as you are not using the course towards your concentration). Q: Do I have to take a Math or Statistics course? A: No. However, many departments require Math or Statistics courses for completion of a concentration. ? Race & Ethnicity (R&E) Understanding problems of racial and ethnic intolerance is an essential part of the undergraduate education at UM. The purpose of the R&E requirement is not simply exposure to diversity, but also that you begin to understand the role racism has played and continues to play at UM, in American society, and/or world wide. A wide variety of courses have been approved to meet the R&E requirement. FAQR&E Q: Can my AP credits be used to meet the R&E requirement? A: No. AP credits cannot be used to meet the R&E requirement. Q: Can a transfer course meet the R&E requirement. A: No. Transfer courses can only meet the R&E requirement if they meet a strict set of criteria established by the LS&A R&E Committee. The reason for this is that two courses with a similar title could have dramatically different course content. For example, even though Anthropology 101 at UM meets the R&E requirement, most Anthropo-logy transfer courses will not because they may not focus on the impact of racial and ethnic intolerance. Q: Can a R&E course count towards my major or distribution requirements? A: Yes. For example, Anthropology 101 meets the QR requirement and also counts as 4 credits of SS for distribution (as long as you are not using the course towards your concentration). ? Language Requirement Because understanding foreign languages is important to succeeding in today's increasingly global environment, students are required to complete the fourth semester of a second language. This requirement can be met in any language, even a language not offered in the LS&A curriculum. In meeting this requirement, a student must earn a grade of "C-" or better to proceed to the next course in the language sequence. Learning a new language provides access to the cultural and intellectual heritage of another part of the world and enables students the opportunity to study abroad and immerse themselves in another culture. The study of language also helps students gain a critical understanding of how language functions as a communication system. In this age of growing global interdependency, it is imperative that we be able to communicate across cultures. The language requirement usually is met in one of three ways: Certified proficiency on a UM reading and/or listening test. Tests are administered regularly during Orientation for proficiency/placement in French, German, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, and Latin. Tests for languages other than those listed above must be arranged through the appropriate department office. On the basis of this test, you may be exempted from the Language Requirement, or you may be placed into a first-, second-, third-, or fourth-term course. Credit for a UM fourth-term language course with a grade of at least "C-" (GPA2.000). Credit for a UM language course which presumes fourth-term proficiency in a language (except for 305 and/or 306 in French, German, Italian, and Spanish, and Spanish 290/American Culture 224). Check with your academic advisor for specific course information. If you take language courses at the UM in order to meet the language requirement, please note: If you have previous experience in a language you plan to continue, you must take a language placement test. If a test in your choice of language is not offered at Orientation, an advisor will help you choose the most likely placement and course for registration. Course adjustments can be made in the first two or three weeks of the term. You may place into a course for which you have already earned AP credit. If you elect a course at the same or a lower level than that for which you have earned credit, you will lose that credit. If you decide to forfeit fourth-term transfer credit for the election of a lower level course, you also forfeit satisfaction of the language requirement by transfer credit. You are encouraged to continue a language already begun, but you may choose from 39 languages offered by LS&A departments. Students wishing to begin a language sequence in Winter Term should note that the first term course is offered only in the following languages: Latin, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Ojibwa. All other language sequences offer the first course in a sequence only beginning in the Fall Term. FAQlanguage Q: Can my AP credits be used to meet the Language Requirement? A: Yes. If you receive AP language credit you can use those credits to meet your LS&A Language Requirement. Q: Do all students need to complete the Language Requirement? A: Yes. The only LS&A students exempt from the Language Requirement are BGS students. Q: Can I take any of my languages courses Pass/Fail? A: Yes. Although it is not encouraged, you can take any language course Pass/Fail EXCEPT the fourth semester. The fourth semester course must be taken for a grade. Q: Can I earn retroactive credits in a language? A: Yes. Students who have done very well on their language placement exam (in Latin, German, Spanish, French, or Hebrew) may be eligible to receive retroactive credit. Consult your Academic Advisor or the LS&A Bulletin for details. Q: Can I be placed in a higher- or lower-level language course than the level indicated by my placement score? A: If the instructor of the course in which you have been placed feels that a change of level is advisable, this can be arranged during the first week or two of classes. You CANNOT take a course lower than that indicated from your placement test and still receive credit toward graduation without the written approval of the coordinator of the language course in which you are originally placed. Similarly, if you feel confident that your language preparation is strong enough to warrant taking a higher level course than your original placement, talk it over with your academic advisor. If they agree, you can attempt the higher level course if you wish. ? Distribution The Distribution Requirement is the portion of your LS&A degree which adds intellectual breadth to your academic experience. Through the distribution requirement, the College seeks to instill in each student an understanding and appreciation of the major areas of learningNatural Science, Social Science, Humanities, Mathematics & Symbolic Analysis, and Creative Expression. Students are not expected to master all aspects of each area, but rather to develop a coherent view of essential concepts, structures, and intellectual methods which typify these disciplines. Each of the courses in the LS&A Bulletin carries a designation ­ Natural Science (NS); Social Science (SS); Humanities (HU); Mathematical & Symbolic Analysis (MSA); Creative Expression (CE); or Excluded (Excl). Only those courses listed in the LS&A Bulletin can be used for distribution; and they can be used only according to their listed designations. Experiential courses, Independent Study courses, and courses designated as Excluded may not be used in a distribution plan. Transfer credits may be used in distribution with advisor approval. Your orientation advisor will help you interpret these credits. Advanced Placement credits cannot be used in an area distribution plan. Distribution, which forms an essential part of a liberal arts education, can be achieved in the following way: Students must complete 7 credits in each of the following three areas: Natural Science (NS), Social Science (SS), and Humanities (HU), for a total of 21 credits. Students must also complete 3 additional credits in three of the following five areas: Natural Science (NS), Social Science(SS), Humanities (HU), Mathematical and Symbolic Analysis (MSA), and Creative Expression (CE), for a total of 9 credits.   FAQdistribution Q: Can courses from my concentration also be used to meet distribution requirements? A: No. Courses from your concentration cannot be used for distribution. For example, if you are an English concentrator, no courses from the English department can be used towards distribution. The only exception to this policy is that courses that are prerequisites for a concentration which are outside that department can be used for distribution. For example, if you are concentrating in Biology, prerequisite courses such as Chemistry 130, Math 115, Physics 125/127, etc. can be used for distribution. Q: Can my cognates count towards distribution? A: No. Even though cognate courses are outside of the department you are concentrating in, they still count as part of your concentration and therefore cannot be used towards distribution. Q: If I'm planning on a double concentration, can the courses from my second concentration count towards distribution? A: Yes. If you complete a double concentration, you can use the courses from one of the concentrations to meet distribution requirements. Q: Can distribution courses be taken Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit? A: Yes. Q: Can distribution courses overlap with the R&E, QR, Introductory Composition, and Upper Level Writing? A: Yes. Q: Can Non-LS&A courses be used towards distribution? A: There are a limited number of Non-LS&A courses at UM that have been approved to count as Creative Expression credit for distribution. For a complete list see the LS&A Bulletin. Q: Can transfer credits count towards distribution? A: Typically yes. As long as the courses are not going to count towards your concentration and are LS&A courses (see your advisor if you are not sure whether or not your transfer credits are LS&A credits), they can be used towards distribution. Q: Can AP credits count towards distribution? ? Additional Information on LS&A Degrees: Information sheets: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/saa/information/degrees/ LS&A Bulletin: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/saa/publications/bulletin/chapter3/