Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Requirements for the A.B. Degree

Requirements for students who matriculated in the fall of 2011 through fall 2022. 

These requirements are for students who matriculated in the fall of 2023 or later.

Students who matriculated prior to fall 2011 should consult the Catalog for the year they entered.

These requirements are for students who matriculated in the fall of 2011 through fall of 2022

Thirty-two units of work are required for the A.B. degree.
These must include:

• One Emily Balch Seminar.
• One unit to meet the Quantitative and Mathematical Reasoning Requirement [QM] (preceded by the successful completion of the Quantitative Readiness Assessment or Quantitative Readiness Seminar)
• Two units to satisfy the Foreign Language Requirement
  • Before the start of the senior year, each student must complete, with a grade of 2.0 or higher, two units of foreign language. Courses that fulfill this requirement must be taught in the foreign language; they cannot be taught in translation. Students may fulfill the requirement by completing two sequential semester-long courses in one language, either at the elementary level or at the intermediate level.
• Four units to meet the Distribution Requirement.
  • Before the start of the senior year, each student must have completed, with grades of 2.0 or higher, one unit in each of the following Approaches to Inquiry:
    • Scientific Investigation (SI)
    • Critical Interpretation (CI)
    • Cross Cultural Analysis (CC)
    • Inquiry into the Past (IP)
  • Although some courses may be classified as representing more than one Approach to Inquiry, a student may use any given course to satisfy only one of the four Approaches.
    Only one course within the major department may be used to satisfy both the distribution requirement and the requirements of the major. No more than one course in any given department may be used to satisfy distribution requirements.
• A major subject sequence.
• Elective units of work to complete an undergraduate program.

In addition, all students must complete six credits of physical education, including wellness, successfully complete a swim proficiency requirement and meet the residency requirement.

These requirements are for students who matriculated in the fall of 2023 or later:

Thirty-two units of work are required for the A.B. degree.
These must include:

• One Emily Balch Seminar.
• One unit to meet the Quantitative and Mathematical Reasoning Requirement [QM] (preceded by the successful completion of the Quantitative Readiness Assessment or Quantitative Readiness Seminar)
• Two units to satisfy the Foreign Language Requirement
  • Before the start of the senior year, each student must complete, with a grade of 2.0 or higher, two units of foreign language. Courses that fulfill this requirement must be taught in the foreign language; they cannot be taught in translation. Students may fulfill the requirement by completing two sequential semester-long courses in one language, either at the elementary level or at the intermediate level.
• Power, Inequity, and Justice Requirement (Beginning with the Class of 2027)
  • Before the start of the senior year, each student must have completed, with grades of 2.0 or higher, a one-unit course at Bryn Mawr or Haverford Colleges that focuses on issues of power, inequity, and justice. Courses used to meet this requirement may also satisfy other college-wide requirements. Courses that satisfy this requirement are designated “PIJ” in the course catalog and guides.
• Four units to meet the Distribution Requirement.
  • Before the start of the senior year, each student must have completed, with grades of 2.0 or higher, one unit in each of the following Approaches to Inquiry:
    • Scientific Investigation (SI)
    • Critical Interpretation (CI)
    • Cross Cultural Analysis (CC)
    • Inquiry into the Past (IP)
  • Although some courses may be classified as representing more than one Approach to Inquiry, a student may use any given course to satisfy only one of the four Approaches.
    Only one course within the major department may be used to satisfy both the distribution requirement and the requirements of the major. No more than one course in any given department may be used to satisfy distribution requirements.
• A major subject sequence.
• Elective units of work to complete an undergraduate program.

In addition, all students must complete six credits of physical education, including wellness, successfully complete a swim proficiency requirement and meet the residency requirement.

Academic Catalog