GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Both the CLA and the CSM undergraduate curricula are divided into three parts: preparation in general education; a major field of study; and electives that complement the major and provide the breadth and depth of a liberal education. To earn the bachelor’s degree, all students must meet the general education, major, total credits, and grade point average requirements described here (requirements for the BS differ somewhat from those for the BA).

General Education Requirements

In keeping with the university’s strong commitment to ensuring that each student’s experience of learning is wide as well as deep, both the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science and Mathematics maintain a carefully structured program of general education. Through it, students acquire the skills and habits of critical thinking, reading, and writing; and those of verbal and quantitative reasoning. They are exposed to the range of human diversity, and they discover how differing academic disciplines approach the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the world. The general education requirements, described below, include

• Verbal Reasoning and Expression

• Critical Analysis

• The Writing Proficiency Requirement

• The Quantitative Reasoning Requirement

• The Diversity Requirement

• The Distribution Requirements

Verbal Reasoning and Expression

All CLA and CSM students must complete one year of Freshman Composition (ENGL 101 and 102, or the equivalent), unless they are granted a waiver. Together, these two courses focus on the fundamentals of expository writing and the presentation of research. The results of the English Placement Test require some students to take ENGL 099 before 101. As of Fall 1998, ENGL 099 does not count for graduation credit.

This requirement may be waived for eligible students. Complete information is available at the Department of English.

The Critical Analysis Requirement*

This requirement consists of two courses:

1. a First-Year Seminar (to be taken ideally in a student’s first semester after matriculation but certainly before accumulating 30 credits) and
2. an Intermediate Seminar (to be taken after accumulating 30 but before 60 credits).

First-Year Seminars treat particular topics in some depth while simultaneously assisting students in developing the habits of thought and the range of academic capabilities necessary for success in their future course work and life experiences. Taught in small groups, these seminars emphasize careful reading, critical thinking, and clear writing, along with information technology and literacy, teamwork, oral presentation, and academic self-assessment.

Intermediate Seminars are also small in size, often thematic or problem-oriented and interdisciplinary in nature, with the main topic treated in a more complex manner than in First-Year Seminars. Academic capabilities and habits of mind are taught at a more advanced level than in First-Year Seminars.

Both First-Year and Intermediate Seminars are offered by academic departments and may be identified in this publication by the prefix “G” in front of the course number. First-Year Seminars receive G100-level numbers, and Intermediate Seminars receive G200-level numbers. For complete descriptions of these courses, see the “First-Year and Intermediate Seminars” section of this publication.

The Writing Proficiency Requirement

Both the overall design of the general education curriculum and the materials and methods of individual courses assist students in acquiring critical skills. Foremost among these is the ability to present ideas clearly, correctly, and persuasively in English prose. For this reason, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in writing either by passing a proficiency examination or by submitting a satisfactory portfolio of papers before the beginning of the junior year.

In order to fulfill the requirement by examination, the student must write an acceptable essay based on 1) a set of readings and 2) a question designed to elicit evidence of both a thorough understanding of the readings and the ability to synthesize material, use evidence, draw inferences, and construct a well-organized response in good English. The examination is given twice a year, in January and June.

The portfolio is an alternative method of demonstrating writing proficiency, consisting of three course papers, acceptable in length and topic and certified for authenticity, and one paper written especially for the portfolio on a topic distributed by the Writing Proficiency Office. The portfolio may be submitted at any of the scheduled exam times and in October and March. In all cases, sign-up begins approximately six weeks in advance of the examination date or portfolio due date. See the Schedule of Courses each semester for these dates.

This requirement holds for all students who entered as freshmen in September 1978 or thereafter and for transfer students who entered in January 1979 or thereafter. Students absent for two or more years and readmitted since fall 1985 must also pass the requirement.

The writing proficiency requirement may not be waived unless a student has already earned an undergraduate degree, in which case s/he may petition for a waiver. For information, consult the Writing Proficiency Office.

As a rule, every student who is required to take an Intermediate Seminar (a G200-level course) should complete the Writing Proficiency Requirement (WPR) at the end of the semester when he or she takes the seminar. Transfer students who will have earned 75 or more credits at the end of their first semester at UMass Boston should complete the WPR at the end of that semester, whether or not they are also required to complete an Intermediate Seminar.

Any student who has reached 75 or more credits without successfully completing the WPR may not continue to make full-time progress toward his or her degree (i.e., 12 or more credits per semester) before honoring the terms of a formal learning contract for completing the WPR. This learning contract will restrict the student’s schedule for one semester, usually to a maximum of two courses or six credits; one of the courses may be a required writing course.

Students with 75 or more credits who have attempted but not passed the Writing Proficiency exam or portfolio must plan and sign a learning contract with a counselor in the Writing Proficiency Office by a date to be specified each semester. Students with 75 or more credits who have not attempted the exam or portfolio must plan and sign a learning contract with their college’s associate dean for undergraduate education by a date to be specified each semester. Any student with 75 or more credits who has not completed the WPR and has not planned and signed a learning contract with the appropriate office by the specified date (see above) will be suspended. Any student on a learning contract who does not complete the WPR at the end of the learning contract semester will be suspended.

Please consult the Schedule of Courses for a detailed description of the exam and portfolio and the regulations surrounding it. Further information about the writing proficiency requirement, including sample exams and descriptions of courses designed to assist students in fulfilling this requirement, is available at the College’s Writing Proficiency Office in room 603 on the 4th floor of McCormack Hall. Information is also available on the University web site at www.umb.edu/umb/wpr.

Please note that the Writing Proficiency Exam is not the same as the English Placement Test, which all students take upon entering the university.

The Writing Proficiency Office

This office (McCormack 4-603) is responsible for administering the core curriculum and the policies and procedures that govern the writing proficiency requirement, including the Writing Proficiency Examination or Portfolio. Faculty and staff in the office provide assistance to students seeking information about these requirements.

The Quantitative Reasoning Requirement*

The quantitative reasoning requirement is designed to enhance students’ capacity 1) to pose problems that involve quantitative relationships in real-world data by means of numerical, symbolic, and visual representations; 2) to solve problems, deducing consequences, formulating alternatives, and making predictions; 3) to apply appropriate technologies; and 4) to communicate and critique quantitative arguments orally and in writing.

Students may meet this requirement in various ways, but most will do so by taking specially designed courses offered in a range of disciplines across the curriculum. These 100-level courses are designated by the prefix “Q.” Besides completing one of these courses, a student may satisfy this requirement in other ways, as specified in the tables at the end of this section.

For complete descriptions of Quantitative Reasoning courses, see page 59.

*Please note that the Critical Analysis and Quantitative Reasoning requirements do not apply to students who matriculated before Fall 2000 with 29 or fewer credits. Those students should see the “Core Requirements” section below.

The Diversity Requirement

To fulfill the diversity requirement, each student takes courses that touch on a range of human diversity, including race, gender, class, sexual orientation, culture (including national origin, ethnicity, and religion), age, and disability. The requirement consists of two courses, one with a focus on diversity within the United States, and one with an international focus. Students who enter UMass Boston with fewer than 60 transfer credits are required to take one course from each of the two categories. Students entering with more than 60 credits should take one course from either of the two categories. Courses meeting either the U.S. or the international portion of the diversity requirement are identified in this publication by a note following the course description. A list also appears in the Schedule of Courses.

Distribution Requirements

As the university continues to expand and modify its offerings, various new course distribution requirements have been phased in during the past several years. The course distribution requirements that apply to a particular student depend on the semester in which that student matriculated at UMass Boston:

• All requirements designated “Distribution I” apply only to students who matriculated before Fall 2002.*
• All requirements designated “Distribution II” apply only to students who matriculated in Fall 2002 or later.

Requirements also vary according to the number of transfer credits a student matriculated with; some requirements can be met with transfer credit. The table at the end of this section shows the applicability of general education requirements, depending on the semester of a student’s matriculation and the number of transfer credits.

The Core Requirement

This requirement applies only to students who matriculated before Fall 2000 with 29 or fewer credits.

For such students, their Core Requirement has now changed. Two core courses are required, not five, and these may be any combination of C100-level and C200-level courses.
Because core courses are no longer offered, students who have not already met this revised requirement must complete an Intermediate Seminar. For complete descriptions of these seminars, numbered between G200 and G299, see the “First-Year and Intermediate Seminars” section. Intermediate Seminars do not count for distribution credit.

Some former core courses continue to be offered, but without the “C” designation. A student who previously took a core course and needs to repeat it to remove an F or improve the grade may take the non-core version for this purpose. Consult the section of this publication for the appropriate department for continuing course offerings.

*Among these “Distribution I” students, those who matriculated before Fall 2000 with 29 or fewer credits should see the “Core Requirements” section. That section is applicable to those students only.

Distribution I Requirements

The following requirements apply to students who matriculated before Fall 2002:

To develop a broad familiarity with the range of human knowledge, students must complete, or earn transfer credit for:

• twelve courses, distributed among
• seven areas of study,
• with the option of omitting one area.

These areas, and the codes sometimes used to refer to them, are
The Arts (A)

• Foreign Languages (F)
• Historical and Cultural Studies (H)
• Mathematics and Computer Science (M)
• Natural Sciences (N)
• Philosophical and Humanistic Studies (P)
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (S)

Most 100- and 200-level CLA and CSM courses are assigned to areas of study and count toward this requirement. Such courses are offered by many departments.

Please note: Students granted a foreign languages waiver or a mathematics waiver need take only ten courses toward the distribution requirement (or eight, if they are granted both waivers).

Foreign language waiver: Students who present placement scores or transcripts demonstrating proficiency in a foreign language at the level of fourth-semester college work (if they are seeking the BA) or second-semester college work (if they are seeking the BS) will receive a waiver of two courses in the foreign language area. Native speakers of languages other than English are encouraged to apply for this waiver. For information about the waiver, see the appropriate foreign language department or, for languages not taught at UMass Boston, the assistant dean for undergraduate education (in the Academic Support Office, M/3/421).

Mathematics waiver: Students who present transcripts demonstrating proficiency in mathematics at a level above college calculus II (MATH 141 at UMass Boston) will receive a waiver of two courses in the mathematics area. Students granted this waiver need take only ten courses toward the distribution requirement. For information about this waiver, see the Mathematics Department.

Distribution II Requirements

The following requirements apply to students matriculating in Fall 2002 or later:

To develop a broad familiarity with the range of human knowledge, students must complete, or earn transfer credit for, certain courses in four areas of study. These areas, and the codes sometimes used to refer to them, are

• Arts, Humanities (AR, HU)
• Mathematics, Natural Sciences (MT, NS)
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (SB)
• World Languages, World Cultures (WC, WL)

Three of the areas are subdivided. Many departments offer courses that meet the distribution requirement, and represent the areas and subdivisions. They are to be completed according to the table below. The requirements for the BS degree differ somewhat from those for the BA.

Distribution II Requirements

Area		BA Requirements		BS Requirements
AR Arts		3 courses, including both AR and HU.		1 AR course and 1 HU course.
HU Humanities
MT Mathematics		3 courses, at least one of which must be NS.		4 courses, at least one of which must be NS.
NS Natural Sciences		Any mathematics course must be MATH 125 or higher.		Any mathematics course must be MATH 140 or higher.
SB Social and
Behavioral Sciences		3 courses.		2 courses.
WC World Cultures		Elementary proficiency in a language other than		1 WC or WL course
WL World Languages		English and 2 courses, WC or WL or both.		(if WL, at 102 level or higher.)
Total Courses		11 courses.		9 courses.

Elementary Language Proficiency Requirement

Distribution II students can meet this requirement by

• completing or transferring in a college foreign language course at the 102 level or higher. If a student completes or transfers in two semesters of the same language (such as 101 and 102), the student will also meet the two-course WC/WL requirement.
• completing three years of the same foreign language in high school.
• completing at least one year of secondary or post-secondary education in a non-English-speaking school or university.
• earning an appropriate score on an appropriate national test (such as AP, CLEP, AATG).
• demonstrating proficiency to the appropriate language department or, if the language is not taught at UMass Boston, to the assistant dean for undergraduate education.

Please note: Students who have met this requirement may not take elementary language courses at UMass Boston in the language with which they met the requirement, except in unusual circumstances. For further information about the requirement, please see the chair of the appropriate department.

Residency Requirement

UMass Boston’s General Education Program is intended to develop capabilities that are critical for advanced academic work, and these capabilities are stressed in UMass Boston distribution courses. Every Distribution II student who enters UMass Boston with 0-89 credits must therefore take a certain minimum number of distribution courses at UMass Boston, according to the following table.

If a student enters with	the student must take at least
0-29 credits	9 distribution courses at UMass Boston
30-59 credits	6 distribution courses at UMass Boston
60-89 credits	3 distribution courses at UMass Boston
90 or more credits	0 distribution courses at UMass Boston

Table of Requirements, Distribution I and Distribution II

When you matriculated	Transfer credits you matriculated with		Your General Education Requirements
Before Fall 2000	Any number	•	Freshman writing. A year of Freshman English (ENGL 101/101E and 102/102E).
		•	Core.
		•	Distribution I.
			Writing Proficiency.
			Diversity.
Fall 2000	30 or more	•	Freshman Writing. A year of Freshman English (ENGL 101/101E and 102/102E).
Spring 2001
		•	Distribution I.
		•	Writing Proficiency.
		•	Diversity.
Fall 2000	0-29	•	Freshman Writing. ENGL 101/101E and 102/102E, or demonstrated proficiency equivalent to completion of ENGL 102/102E.
Spring 2001
Fall 2001			When to complete the requirement: within your first two semesters. Note: As a result of placement testing, you may be required to complete another course before beginning ENGL 101/101E.
Spring 2002
		•	First-Year Seminar (a G100-level course).
			When to complete the requirement: within your first two semesters.
		•	Intermediate Seminar (a G200-level course).
			When to complete the requirement: between 30 and 60 credits.
		•	Quantitative Reasoning. A “Q” course (MATH Q114, POLSCI Q221); or MATH 115, 124, 125, or higher; or placement into MATH 129 or higher. When to complete the requirement: by the time you have earned 45 credits.
		•	Distribution I.
		•	Writing Proficiency.
		•	Diversity.
Fall 2001	30-89	•	Freshman Writing. ENGL 101/101E and 102/102E, or demonstrated proficiency equivalent to completion of ENGL 102/102E.
Spring 2002
			When to complete the requirement: within your first two semesters. Note: As a result of placement testing, you may be required to complete another course before beginning ENGL 101/101E.
		•	Intermediate Seminar (a G200-level course).
			When to complete the requirement: during one of your first two semesters. Note: you are not required to take a First-Year Seminar.
		•	Quantitative Reasoning. A “Q” course (MATH Q114, POLSCI Q221); or MATH 115, 124, 125, or higher; or placement into MATH 129 or higher. When to complete the requirement: by the end of your first semester.
		•	Distribution I.
		•	Writing Proficiency. When to complete the requirement: by the time you have earned 68 credits.
		•	Diversity.
Fall 2001	90 or more	•	Quantitative Reasoning. A “Q” course (MATH Q114, POLSCI Q221); or MATH 115, 124, 125, or higher; or placement into MATH 129 or higher. When to complete the requirement: by the end of your first semester.
Spring 2002
		•	Distribution I.
		•	Writing Proficiency. When to complete the requirement: by the end of your first semester.
		•	Diversity. Note: You are exempt from the Freshman Writing, First-Year Seminar, and Intermediate Seminar Requirements.
Fall 2002	0-29	•	Freshman Writing. ENGL 101/101E and 102/102E, or demonstrated proficiency equivalent to completion of ENGL 102/102E.
			When to complete the requirement: within your first two semesters. Note: As a result of placement testing, you may be required to complete another course before beginning ENGL 101/101E.
		•	First-Year Seminar (a G100-level course).
			When to complete the requirement: within your first two semesters.
		•	Intermediate Seminar (a G200-level course).
			When to complete the requirement: between 30 ans 60 credits.
		•	Quantitative Reasoning. If you are seeking the BA degree: A “Q” course (MATH Q114, POLSCI Q221); or MATH 115; or placement into MATH 129 or higher (MATH 125 will exempt you from this requirement and count as a distribution course). If you are seeking the BS: MATH 135 or higher. When to complete the requirement: by the time you have earned 45 credits.
		•	Distribution II. Elementary foreign language proficiency is required for BA students.
		•	Writing Proficiency.
		•	Diversity.
Fall 2002	30-89	•	Freshman Writing. ENGL 101/101E and 102/102E, or demonstrated proficiency equivalent to completion of ENGL 102/102E.
and after
			When to complete the requirement: within your first two semesters. Note: As a result of placement testing, you may be required to complete another course before beginning ENGL 101/101E.
		•	Intermediate Seminar (a G200-level course).
			When to complete the requirement: within your first two semesters. Note: You are not required to take a First-Year Seminar.
		•	Quantitative Reasoning. If you are seeking the BA degree: A “Q” course (MATH Q114, POLSCI Q221); or MATH 115; or placement into MATH 129 or higher (MATH 125 will exempt you from this requirement and count as a distribution course). If you are seeking the BS: MATH 135 or higher.
			When to complete the requirement: by the end of your first semester.
		•	Distribution II. Elementary foreign language proficiency is required for BA students.
		•	Writing Proficiency. When to complete the requirement: by the time you have earned 68 credits.
		•	Diversity.
Fall 2002	90 or more	•	Quantitative Reasoning. If you are seeking the BA degree: A “Q” course (MATH Q114, POLSCI Q221); or MATH 115; or placement into MATH 129 or higher (MATH 125 will exempt you from this requirement and count as a distribution course). If you are seeking the BS: MATH 135 or higher.
			When to complete the requirement: by the end of your first semester.
		•	Distribution II. Elementary foreign language proficiency is required for BA students.
		•	Writing Proficiency. When to complete the requirement: by the end of your first semester.
		•	Diversity. Note: You are exempt from the Freshman Writing, First-Year Seminar, and Intermediate Seminar Requirements.

Major Requirement

Students must complete the requirements for one of the majors offered by the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Science and Mathematics, as described in the departmental listings in this publication; or they may choose an individual major. Information on the individual majors curriculum appears in the “Special Curricula and Programs of Study” section that follows below. Students who elect a double major shall complete all requirements of each major. No more than two courses at the 300 or higher level may be counted toward the fulfillment of both majors.

Total Credits and Grade Point Average

Students must acquire a total of 120 credits to graduate, of which at least 30 must be earned at UMass Boston. No credits earned in ESL courses, with the exception of ESL 100D, may count toward graduation. As of Fall 1998, MATHSK 097 and 098 do not count for graduation credit. As of Spring 1999, MATH 099 does not count for graduation credit. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in order to graduate. Individual departments may also have a GPA requirement for the major. For more complete information on retention standards, see the “Academic Regulations” section of this publication.

Bachelor of Science Degree

Students majoring in biochemistry, biology, biology and medical technology, and engineering physics earn a bachelor of science degree. Students majoring in chemistry, computer science, earth and geographic sciences, mathematics, physics, and psychology, have the option of earning a bachelor of science degree. Specific departmental requirements for this degree are listed in each department’s section of this publication; most of them require students to take six semester courses in science outside their major discipline, in addition to completing all of the graduation requirements listed above for the bachelor of arts degree.

Courses Involving More Than One Department

Cross-Listed Courses

A single course may appear in this publication in the course listings of two or more different departments or programs. Such a cross-listed course may be taken for credit toward the requirements of all its departments/programs, unless otherwise indicated. Cross-listed courses are designated by the prefix “L”. For example: HIST L160 (EASIAN L160), East Asian Civilizations I. This is an introductory-level course (160) and a cross-listed course (as indicated by the “L”) in history and East Asian studies—in the “East Asian Studies” section it will be listed as EASIAN L160 (HIST L160). A single cross-listed course may not be taken more than once; i.e., a student who takes HIST L160 may not subsequently take EASIAN L160.

Humanities Courses and Interdisciplinary Courses

Some courses, though taught by faculty of specific departments, have a broader focus. Others are taught by faculty from more than one department. All these courses are listed either under Humanities or under Interdisciplinary Courses, which are separate sections of this publication. The departments involved are listed in parentheses as a prefix to the course title.

Course Load for Full-time Students

Students may normally enroll for no more than five courses per semester. After a student’s first semester, the student may take one additional course per semester under the following conditions:

1. the student’s overall grade point average must be 3.0 (or above) or the student’s grade point average for the previous semester must be 3.5 (or above); and
2. written permission must be secured from the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education in the Office of Academic Support Programs