General Curricular Requirements

Students must have at least one major and at least one minor (the “graduation major” and the “graduation minor”). The graduation major and minor must be in different areas of study of the College, unless one or both is interdivisional. A second major outside the area of study of the first major can replace the graduation minor.
- Students matriculating in Fall 2016 or after may have at most two majors and two minors and may “double-count” courses between them without limit.
- Students matriculating before Fall 2016 may not “double-count” courses between their graduation major and minor. Second or subsequent majors must have 20 unique semester credit hours. Second or subsequent minors must have 12 unique semester credit hours.
Students must successfully complete 128 semester credit hours, including transfer credits. Courses that earn a failing grade do not count towards this total.
- Classes may be retaken for credit, but unless stipulated specifically in the course description, a course may only “count” once. Unless the course may be repeated for credit, the most recent grade earned is the grade counted, regardless of what it is.
- If a student has transfer credit for a particular course (i.e., Math 151) and they take the same course at Allegheny, they will lose the earlier credit.
Students must complete all of the following course requirements for graduation:
- FS 101 & FS 102 (do not count towards any major or minor). Students must take FS 101 but do not have to pass it, and FS 101 may not be retaken if failed.
- FS 201 (may count towards a particular major or minor or may be taken outside of the major or minor)
- Junior seminar (course numbered 550-589)
- Distribution requirement:
  - (Students entering Fall 2016 and after) Four credits in each of the eight categories (CL, HE, IP, ME, PD, QR, SB, SP). Courses may double-count for two requirements. The Distribution Requirements satisfied by a course are listed in the course description in the Academic Bulletin. Courses used to satisfy Distribution Requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
  - (Students entering before Fall 2016) Eight credits in each of the three divisions (Humanities, Social Science, and Natural Science), including four credits of Natural Science lab. Courses used to satisfy Divisional Distribution Requirements may be taken CR/NC.
- Senior project: Students must complete a senior project in each major. Students with more than one major may write separate senior projects or a combined senior project.
Students must earn a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a 2.0 in each major or minor presented. Grades of C-, D+, and D “count,” but the overall GPA in each case must be at least 2.0. In most cases, all classes presented for a major or minor must be taken for a grade; exceptions are listed in the requirements for each major and minor published in the Academic Bulletin.
Only 16 credits taken on a CR/NC basis can count towards graduation, and students may take no more than 4 credits per semester on a CR/NC basis. Courses taken CR/NC due to the COVID-19 in Spring 2020 will not count against this total.
64 credits must be taken in academic residence, including the final 16. Courses taken “in academic residence” are those undertaken through registration at Allegheny College and supervised by Allegheny faculty, regardless of the physical location of the student.
Students who elect a 3-2 program are exempt from the senior project and need complete only 98 credits before entering the program. Some majors exempt 3-2 students from additional requirements; consult the department for details. Departments and programs may have their own regulations and practices (e.g., whether they exempt failed courses from GPA calculations or how many hours of transfer credit they accept and for what).
Students are subject to all graduation requirements in place at the time they first matriculated, including all major, minor, distribution, and any other requirements for the degree, so please consult the appropriate Academic Bulletin for further information.
- With some exceptions, students who matriculated after the Fall 2016 semester have the option of graduating either under the requirements in effect when they first matriculated at Allegheny or those specified in a subsequent Academic Bulletin. Students may not select an Academic Bulletin previous to the term in which they first matriculated.
- Students who wish to adopt a new set of graduation requirements will be subject to all major, minor, distribution, and any other requirements of their new Bulletin and must complete a form in the Office of the Registrar at least one semester prior to graduation. These changes may not be made during the Spring semester for an August or September graduate, but may be made during the summer for a January graduate.
- In no case may a student qualify for graduation by meeting various requirements set forth in two different Academic Bulletins. In particular, students may not use self-designed majors or minors to circumvent this rule.
Requirements for Transfer Students
Transfer students must complete all of the graduation requirements listed above, with the following exceptions:
- All transfer students are exempted from FS 101
Transfer students do not need to complete FS 102 if they have received transfer credit for equivalent coursework.
For transfer students, departments may make exceptions to policies regarding the number of credits or courses in the major or minor that must be taken on a letter-grade basis.