Degree Requirements

All students are assigned to the Bachelor of Arts degree upon matriculation, regardless of their intended major(s). Students who elect to complete the Bachelor of Science degree must declare their intention no later than the end of the first semester of their senior year by submitting a Change of Anticipated Degree form to the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems.

When determining graduation eligibility, students are held to the curriculum and degree requirements listed in the Catalog for the academic year they matriculated at Bates College. If officially withdrawn and readmitted, students are held to the curriculum and degree requirements listed in the Catalog for the year they are readmitted or as determined by the Committee on Academic Standing upon readmission. Each student is solely responsible for completing all of these requirements.

The Bates degree requires 32.0 course credits, which must include:

1. Completion of a major field of study;

2. Two Short Term courses;

3. 64.0 quality points;

4. Completion of all General Education requirements:

   1. A second area of study, which may include a General Education Concentration (GEC), a minor, or a second major.

   2. Three writing attentive courses; one course designated [W1], one course designated [W2], and one course designated [W3], all of which must be taken at Bates.*

   3. Five distinct courses that satisfy Modes of Inquiry ([AC], [CP], [HS], [SR], and [QF]).

Students must declare their major and second area of study by March 1 of the sophomore year at the latest.

Courses taken Pass/Fail may not apply to General Education Concentrations, the Modes of Inquiry requirement, or the writing requirement. Short Term courses graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory do not have this restriction. 

*Enrollment in a First-Year Seminar is also a requirement for the degree and all FYSs are designated [W1]. If a student fails the FYS, they must immediately enroll in a non-FYS course designated [W1] in their second semester at Bates.

Bachelor of Science Degree

In conjunction with the degree requirements above, candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree are required to complete the following:

1. Submit a Change of Anticipated Degree form to the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems no later than the end of the first semester of their senior year.

2. CHEM 107 Atomic and Molecular Structure/Lab;

3. CHEM 108 Chemical Reactivity/Lab;

4. MATH 106 Calculus II OR MATH 206 Multivariable Calculus; and

5. PHYS 108 Introductory Physics of Living Systems II/Lab OR PHYS S31 Spacetime, Waves, and Photons.

To fulfill these requirements, students may use Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-Level, or approved transfer credit. Courses taken Pass/Fail may not apply to the Bachelor of Science degree course requirements.