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LS&A
degree requirements 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:
To earn the Bachelor of Science degree, at least 60 of the 120 credits you need to graduate must come from courses designated BS in natural science, physical science, and/or mathematics. Bachelor in General Studies (BGS)
The basic requirements for a Bachelor in General Studies (BGS) degree in LS&A are:
*
This chart does not accurately represent the BGS degree. BGS
students should consult the LS&A Bulletin for details. 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, 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, History 195, 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. Unlike Introductory Composition courses that help students develop general academic writing skills, Upper Level Writing courses help students understand and practice the specific writing styles, conventions, and genres commonly used by writers working within fields related to students' concentrations. Students may take an Upper Level Writing course anytime after they complete the Introductory Composition Requirement, but most wait until they're juniors or seniors so they can take an Upper Level Writing course that will be part of their concentration programs. Each term, the Sweetland Writing Center approves a wide array of courses from many LS&A departments and programs to fulfill the Upper Level Writing Requirement, but a course approved for one term may not meet the requirement in subsequent terms. So make sure that when you're ready to take your Upper Level Writing course that you look for the "Sweetland" seal of approval in the LS&A Online Course Guide. Also, when you register for the course, you will need to check the Upper Level Writing box in Wolverine Access that indicates you want to use the course to fulfill the requirement.
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). QR courses come from a wide range of disciplines, not just Mathematics.
One of the benefits of attending the UM is that you will encounter, in microcosm, the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the United States and the world. The course that you take to meet LS&A's Race and Ethnicity requirement, however, will ask you to go beyond merely the experience of diversity and have you consider the role that racism and/or ethnocentrism have played or continue to play at the UM, in American society, and/or throughout the world. Each term, a variety of courses are approved to meet the R&E requirement.
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. Thus, 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. The language requirement usually is met in one
of three ways:
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.
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 designationNatural Science (NS), Social Science (SS), Humanities (HU), Mathematical & Symbolic Analysis (MSA), Creative Expression (CE), Interdisciplinary (ID), 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 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:
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/ |
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You 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
you are not interested in concentrating your 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.
