The Curriculum

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General Education | Major Programs | Minor Programs | Electives | Other College Requirements | Physical Education

The University of Chicago College curriculum has three components: general education requirements, a major, and electives.

General education requirements, which are described below, consist of integrated, often interdisciplinary, sequences. They cannot be replaced by other courses (except in the sciences as indicated below) and they should be completed by the end of the second year. Please note that substitutes for general education courses are rarely approved (1) to accommodate a second major or a minor or (2) to avoid curricular and scheduling conflicts that result from postponing general education requirements until a student's third or fourth year.

Majors are described in detail in the Programs of Study section of the catalog.

Electives provide scope to a student's work in the College. Students choose electives to pursue interests, wherever they fall in the College catalog, that are not covered by their general education sequences or their major. Depending on other choices, electives comprise about one-third of the degree program.

Students choose courses across the curriculum in consultation with College advisers and faculty counselors. Credit for forty-two quarter courses is required for the undergraduate degree. Students may count each quarter course only once in the degree program of forty-two courses.

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General Education

Humanities, Civilization Studies, and the Arts (6 quarters)

An essential component of general education is learning how to appreciate and analyze texts intellectually, historically, and aesthetically. Through this general education requirement, students at Chicago learn how to interpret literary, philosophical, and historical texts in depth; how to identify significant intellectual problems posed by those texts; and how to discuss and write about them perceptively and persuasively. They also learn how to study a visual or performing art form. Finally, students learn how to study texts and art forms within a specific cultural and chronological frame. Students may choose from many options to meet these requirements.

Students take a total of six quarters in humanities and civilization studies, selecting one of the following three options. The letters in parentheses refer to the sections below.

1. A three-quarter humanities sequence (A); a two-quarter civilization studies sequence (C); and one course in the dramatic, musical, and visual arts (B).
2. A three-quarter civilization studies sequence (C); a two-quarter humanities sequence (A); and one course in the dramatic, musical, and visual arts (B).
3. A two-quarter humanities sequence (A); a two-quarter civilization studies sequence (C); and two quarter courses in the dramatic, musical, and visual arts (B).

A. Interpretation of Historical, Literary, and Philosophical Texts

All humanities courses that meet general education requirements engage students in the pleasure and challenge of humanistic works through the close reading of a broad range of literary, historical, and philosophical texts. These are not survey courses; rather, they work to establish methods for appreciating and analyzing the meaning and power of exemplary texts. In combination with these courses, students take HUMA 19100 Humanities Writing Seminars that introduce the analysis and practice of expert academic writing.

The humanities sequences give students the opportunity to focus on a range of issues and texts. All HUMA 10000-level sequences that meet general education requirements are available as either a two-quarter sequence (Autumn, Winter) or as a three-quarter sequence (Autumn, Winter, Spring). Once students begin a sequence, they are expected to remain in the same sequence.

A three-quarter sequence in humanities is recommended for students who are preparing for medical school or for law school. Students who are unable to complete a three-quarter sequence in their first year should plan to take a writing-intensive English course when their schedule allows. This English course, however, cannot be applied to the general education humanities requirement.

NOTE: Students registered in any of the sequences below must attend the first and second class sessions or their registration will be dropped.
 

HUMA 11000-11100-11200	Readings in World Literature I-II-III	300
HUMA 11500-11600-11700	Philosophical Perspectives I-II-III	300
HUMA 12000-12100-12200	Greek Thought and Literature I-II-III	300
HUMA 12300-12400-12500	Human Being and Citizen I-II-III	300
HUMA 13500-13600-13700	Introduction to the Humanities I-II-III	300
HUMA 14000-14100-14200	Reading Cultures: Collection, Travel, Exchange I-II-III	300
HUMA 16000-16100-16200	Media Aesthetics: Image, Text, Sound I-II-III	300
HUMA 17000-17100-17200	Language and the Human I-II-III	300

B. Dramatic, Musical, and Visual Arts

These courses provide an introduction to methods for analyzing, comprehending, and appreciating works of dramatic, musical, or visual art by examining their formal vocabularies and how these vocabularies are used to create meaning. This objective is met either by the intensive study of selected masterpieces or by producing original works of art, drama, music, or performance.

The courses below are not specialized introductions to one single field or creative practice, but instead are expressly designed to broadly investigate the arts through study and practice. For that reason, only the courses on the list below can be used to satisfy the general education requirement in the dramatic, musical, or visual arts. NOTE: Substitutes will not be approved. Students with expertise in one particular area of the arts should pursue course work in a different area.
 

ARTH 10100	Introduction to Art	100
ARTH 14000 through 16999. Art Surveys
ARTH 17000 through 18999. Art in Context
ARTV 10100	Visual Language: On Images	100
ARTV 10200	Visual Language: On Objects	100
ARTV 10300	Visual Language: On Time and Space	100
CRWR 12100 through 12199. Introduction to Genres or Reading As a Writer
MUSI 10100	Introduction to Western Art Music	100
MUSI 10200	Introduction to World Music	100
MUSI 10300	Introduction to Music: Materials and Design	100
MUSI 10400	Introduction to Music: Analysis and Criticism	100
TAPS 10100	Drama: Embodiment and Transformation	100
TAPS 10200	Acting Fundamentals	100
TAPS 10300 through 10699. Text and Performance
TAPS 28400	History and Theory of Drama I	100
TAPS 28401	History and Theory of Drama II	100

C. Civilization Studies

Each sequence provides an in-depth examination of the development and accomplishments of one of the world's great civilizations through direct encounters with some of its most significant documents and monuments. Students who have completed (or plan to complete) three quarters of a humanities sequence and one quarter of the dramatic, musical, or visual arts and therefore need only two quarters of civilization studies, may take any of the three-quarter sequences as a two-quarter sequence. NOTE: Not all of the sequences that follow are offered every year; consult departmental course listings.
 

CRES 24001-24002-24003	Colonizations I-II-III	300
EALC 10800-10900-11000	Introduction to the Civilizations of East Asia I-II-III	300
GNSE 15002-15003	Gender and Sexuality in World Civilizations I-II	200
HIPS 17300-17400-17501-17502	Science, Culture, and Society in Western Civilization I-II-III-IV +	400
HIST 10101-10102	Introduction to African Civilization I-II	200
HIST 13001-13002-13003	History of European Civilization I-II-III +	300
HIST 13100-13200-13300	History of Western Civilization I-II-III	300
HIST 13500-13600-13700	America in World Civilization I-II-III	300
HIST 13900-14000	Introduction to Russian Civilization I-II	200
HIST 16700-16800-16900	Ancient Mediterranean World I-II-III	300
JWSC 20001-20002-20003	Jewish History and Society I-II-III	300
JWSC 20004-20005-20006	Jewish Thought and Literature I-II-III	300
LACS 16100-16200-16300	Introduction to Latin American Civilization I-II-III	300
MUSI 12100-12200	Music in Western Civilization I-II	200
NEHC 20001-20002-20003	Ancient Near Eastern History and Society I-II-III	300
NEHC 20004-20005-20006	Ancient Near Eastern Thought and Literature I-II-III	300
NEHC 20011-20012-20013	Ancient Empires I-II-III	300
NEHC 20416-20417-20418	Semitic Languages Cultures and Civilizations I-II-III	300
NEHC 20501-20502-20503	Islamic History and Society I-II-III	300
NEHC 20601-20602-20603	Islamic Thought and Literature I-II-III	300
SALC 20100-20200	Introduction to the Civilizations of South Asia I-II	200

 

+	This notation indicates sequences with optional courses, and/or those providing students a choice of courses that fulfill the sequence. Review the description for more detail about sequence options and requirements.

Students may also complete their civilization studies requirement by participating in one of the College's study abroad programs listed below. For more information about these programs, see the Study Abroad section of this catalog or visit study-abroad.uchicago.edu . Eligible Study Abroad programs include:

Rome: Antiquity to Baroque I-II-III

Western Mediterranean Civilization I-II-III

African Civilizations in Paris I-II-III
     Offered alternate years

Paris Program: Colonizations I-II-III
     Offered alternate years

South Asian Civilizations in India I-II-III

China in East Asian Civilization I-II-III

Latin American Civilization in Oaxaca I-II-III

Vienna in Western Civilization I-II-III

European Civilization in Paris I-II-III

Civilisation Européenne I-II-III

Greek Antiquity and Its Legacy I-II-III

Jerusalem in Middle Eastern Civilizations I-II-III 

Middle Eastern Civilizations, Cairo I-II-III

Middle Eastern Civlizations in Istanbul I-II-III

La Civilization en el Mediterraneo Occidental I-II-III

 

Natural and Mathematical Sciences (6 quarters)

Courses and sequences in the natural sciences are designed to explore significant features of the natural universe and to examine the exciting process of scientific inquiry. These courses consider the powers and limitations of diverse forms of scientific observation, scientific reasoning, and natural laws.

The physical sciences sequences are intended to be taught with a high level of intellectual rigor but at a level accessible to students without prior exposure to the physical sciences or mathematics beyond algebra and geometry. A given course should meet at least some of the following goals:

1.  To gain an understanding of the intellectual beauty of the subject, that is, understanding why some people devote their life to the field;

2.  To instill the confidence to be a life-long learner in areas involving numbers, scientific concepts, and technology;

3.  To develop an ability to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of arguments based on the use of data, technical claims, and sientific theories encountered in the media;

4.  In some courses, to master at least one area in real depth.

Mathematical sciences courses may investigate a number of different lines of inquiry, including formal reasoning through use of precise artificial languages, methods for learning about the world using imperfect or incomplete data, and developing approaches to quantifying and characterizing natural processes.

Students take six quarter courses in the following areas: at least two quarters of physical sciences (see sections A and C); at least two in the biological sciences (see sections B and C); and at least one in the mathematical sciences (see section D).

Students may meet the natural sciences requirement with a two- or three-quarter sequence in the physical sciences and a two- or three-quarter sequence in the biological sciences, or with a four-quarter natural science sequence that integrates the physical and biological sciences requirements. Students meet the mathematical sciences requirement with one or two quarters of computer science, mathematics, or statistics. Students should choose among the following options based on their major and/or preparation for the health professions. General education courses in the sciences are sometimes available abroad. See study-abroad.uchicago.edu for details. 

 

A. Physical Sciences Sequences

1. Students majoring in physical sciences (except statistics majors), students majoring in biological sciences, and students preparing for the health professions must complete one of the sequences listed below. The third quarter of these yearlong sequences is applied to a student's major or electives.

CHEM 10100   &  10200   &  11300	Introductory General Chemistry I    and Introductory General Chemistry II    and Comprehensive General Chemistry III +	300
CHEM 11100-11200-11300	Comprehensive General Chemistry I-II-III +	300
CHEM 12100-12200-12300	Honors General Chemistry I-II-III *+	300
PHYS 12100-12200-12300	General Physics I-II-III +	300
PHYS 13100-13200-13300	Mechanics; Electricity and Magnetism; Waves, Optics, and Heat +	300
PHYS 14100-14200-14300	Honors Mechanics; Honors Electricity and Magnetism; Honors Waves, Optics, and Heat +	300

 

*	For information, see the Chemistry, Placement Tests, and Advanced Placement Credit sections elsewhere in this catalog.
+	This notation indicates sequences with optional courses, and/or those providing students a choice of courses that fulfill the sequence. Review the description for more detail about sequence options and requirements.

2. Students who do not plan to major in the physical or biological sciences may choose from the sequences listed below (but nonmajors also have the option to register for the sequences designed for majors). Enrollment in sequences with an asterisk (*) is limited to first- and second-year students and entering transfer students. In addition to the sequences identified below, any combination of two courses selected from PHSC 10900 Ice-Age Earth, PHSC 11000 Environmental History of the Earth, PHSC 13400 Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast, PHSC 13500 Chemistry and the Atmosphere, and PHSC 13600 Natural Hazards will satisfy the physical sciences requirement, where registration is restricted to first- and second-year students and entering transfer students.

PHSC 10900   &  11000	Ice-Age Earth    and Environmental History of the Earth *	200
PHSC 10900   &  13400	Ice-Age Earth    and Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast *	200
PHSC 11000   &  11200	Environmental History of the Earth    and Foundations of Modern Physics II	200
PHSC 11100-11300	Foundations of Modern Physics I; Everyday Physics	200
PHSC 11400-11500	Development of Life on Earth; Extraterrestrial Life	200
PHSC 11900-12000	Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics; The Origin of the Universe and How We Know	200
PHSC 13400   &  13500	Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast    and Chemistry and the Atmosphere *	200
PHSC 13400   &  13600	Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast    and Natural Hazards *	200
PHSC 13500   &  11000	Chemistry and the Atmosphere    and Environmental History of the Earth *	200

3. A non-science student who wants to satisfy the physical sciences requirement by taking three physical sciences courses can use the following combinations:

• PHSC 11100-11300 plus any one of PHSC 10900, 11000, 13400, 13500, or 13600
• PHSC 11900-12000 plus any one of PHSC 10900, 11000, 13400, 13500, or 13600
• PHSC 11900-12000 plus PHSC 12800
• Any three of PHSC 10900, 11000, 13400, 13500, 13600
• Students who complete any 10000-level two-course sequences in the physical sciences can use any of the following as a third course to satisfy the requirement: PHSC 18100 The Milky Way, PHSC 18200 The Origin and Evolution of the Universe, PHSC 18300 Searching Between the Stars. If a student wishes to satisfy the physical sciences requirement using only two courses, then PHSC 18100, 18200, or 18300 are not acceptable as one or both of these. 

Students who seek to deviate from the combinations identified here should submit a petition to the master of the Physical Sciences Collegiate Division, Harper Memorial Library 235.

 

B. Biological Sciences Sequences

Detailed course and sequence descriptions may be found in the Biological Sciences section of Programs of Study. The requirement should be completed by the end of the second year.

Students choose one of the following options to meet the general education requirement for the biological sciences:

1. For nonmajors: A two-quarter general education sequence. Students may choose to take BIOS 10130 Core Biology as their first course. For their second quarter, students choose from a menu of topics courses (BIOS 11000–19999) that are comprehensive reviews of specialized topics in the biological sciences. Nonmajors are encouraged to enroll in additional biological sciences courses that cover topics of interest to them.

Multiple sections of BIOS 10130 Core Biology are taught throughout the year. Sections are taught from a different perspective based upon the specialty of the instructor. The student should register for the section that best suits his or her interests based upon the descriptions in the Biological Sciences section.

2. For nonmajors preparing for the health professions: A Fundamentals Sequence described in the Biological Sciences section.

3. For students majoring in the Biological Sciences: BIOS 20150 A Serious Introduction to Biology for Majors: From LUCA to the University of Chicago and BIOS 20151 Introduction to Quantitative Modeling in Biology (Basic) or BIOS 20152 Introduction to Quantitative Modeling in Biology (Advanced).

 

C. Natural Sciences Sequence

NTSC 10100-10200-10300-10400 Evolution of the Natural World I-II-III; Environmental Ecology is a four-quarter sequence that students in the humanities and social sciences can choose to meet the general education requirements in the physical and biological sciences. (These requirements can be met separately, of course.) This sequence is open only to first- and second-year students and to entering transfer students, with preference given to first-year students. Courses must be taken in sequence. If this sequence is chosen, students must also register for two appropriate courses in the mathematical sciences.

 

D. Mathematical Sciences Courses and Sequences

These courses develop the powers of formal reasoning through use of precise artificial languages found in mathematics, computer science, statistics, or formal logic. They present broadly applicable techniques for formulating, analyzing, and solving problems, and for evaluating proposed solutions.

Only courses beyond the level of precalculus may be used to meet the mathematical sciences requirement. Students must first register for MATH 10500 Fundamental Mathematics I, or place into MATH 13100 Elementary Functions and Calculus I, MATH 15100 Calculus I, MATH 16100 Honors Calculus I, or MATH 11200 Studies in Mathematics I, before taking any of the courses below.

Students must meet this requirement with the first two quarters of a calculus sequence if they are preparing for the health professions or if they anticipate majors in the physical or biological sciences, economics, psychology, or public policy studies. Other restrictions may apply. Students should consult their College adviser or departmental counselor about course choices.

CMSC 10200	Introduction to Programming for the World Wide Web II	100
CMSC 10500-10600	Fundamentals of Computer Programming I-II	200
CMSC 11000-11100	Multimedia Programming as an Interdisciplinary Art I-II	200
CMSC 12100-12200	Computer Science with Applications I-II	200
CMSC 15100-15200	Introduction to Computer Science I-II	200
CMSC 16100-16200	Honors Introduction to Computer Science I-II	200
MATH 11200-11300	Studies in Mathematics I-II	200
MATH 13100-13200	Elementary Functions and Calculus I-II	200
MATH 15100-15200	Calculus I-II	200
MATH 16100-16200	Honors Calculus I-II	200
STAT 20000	Elementary Statistics	100
Statistics AP credit (score of 4 or 5)
Calculus BC AP credit (score of 5); or placement into MATH 15300 through placement test
Calculus BC AP credit (score of 4); or placement into MATH 15200 through placement test*
Calculus AB AP credit (score of 5); or placement into MATH 15200 through placement test*

 * MATH 13100 Elementary Functions and Calculus I, MATH 15100 Calculus I, and MATH 16100 Honors Calculus I may be used to meet the mathematical sciences requirement only if MATH 13200 Elementary Functions and Calculus II, MATH 15200 Calculus II, or MATH 16200 Honors Calculus II is also taken. Statistics AP credit may not be used in combination with a calculus course, with STAT 20000 Elementary Statistics, or with STAT 22000 Statistical Methods and Applications.

Social Sciences (3 quarters)

These sequences cultivate an understanding of fundamental concepts, theories, and philosophies in the social sciences and demonstrate how the social sciences formulate basic questions and inquire about the nature of social life through acts of imagination as well as through systematic analysis. All of the sequences present some of the main ideas, theories, and inquiries of the social sciences and show how they enhance our understanding of central issues facing the world. Classical social-scientific texts and methodologies are given close attention in discussion and lecture settings. Courses must be taken in sequence.

NOTE: Students registered in any of the sequences below must attend the first and second class sessions or their registration will be dropped.

"Power, Identity, and Resistance" concentrates on various aspects of power, from the roles of markets and states to the social structures that determine individual, class, and gender inequalities.

"Self, Culture, and Society" studies problems basic to human existence. The sequence starts with the conceptual foundations of political economy as well as theories of capitalism and modern society. Students then consider the relation of culture, society, and lived experience. Finally, students consider the social and cultural constitution of the person, with examination of race, gender, and sexuality.

"Social Science Inquiry" explores classic and contemporary points of view about ways of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information about public policy issues. The course aims to provide the student with an introduction to the philosophy of social science inquiry, a sense of how that inquiry is conducted, and an understanding of how policy implications can be drawn responsibly from evidence provided by empirical social science. The course's objective is to convey both the promise and the pitfalls of social science and a sense of its uses and abuses.

"Mind" explores subjective experience and behavior through the lens of underlying mental processes, biological mechanisms, and social context. Drawing from research in the social sciences and beyond, the course broadly considers how empirical approaches can shape our understanding of long-standing questions about human experience.

"Classics of Social and Political Thought" reads classic texts to investigate criteria for understanding and judging political, social, and economic institutions.

 

SOSC 11100-11200-11300	Power, Identity, and Resistance I-II-III	300
SOSC 12100-12200-12300	Self, Culture, and Society I-II-III	300
SOSC 13100-13200-13300	Social Science Inquiry I-II-III	300
SOSC 14100-14200-14300	Mind I-II-III	300
SOSC 15100-15200-15300	Classics of Social and Political Thought I-II-III	300

 

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Major Programs

(9 to 19 quarter courses)

Majors complement the breadth of the Chicago general education requirements with an opportunity to come to grips with the depth of knowledge and the complexities of developing knowledge in a particular area of inquiry. More than a set of course credits, a sound major is an effort to understand the methods and experience of a discipline or interdisciplinary field. Majors range from nine to thirteen courses, and in special cases up to nineteen courses.

The number of courses required for a major determines the number of electives; together they total twenty-seven courses. Programs that specify thirteen courses require fourteen electives; programs that specify twelve courses require fifteen electives, and so on.

More than half of the requirements for a major must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers. Courses used to meet general education requirements cannot also be counted toward a major. Students declare a major by meeting with their College adviser and with the director of undergraduate studies in the department. Unless otherwise specified by the department, the deadline for declaring a major is Spring Quarter of a student's third year.

The following major programs are available:

In the Biological Sciences Collegiate Division (BSCD)

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences with Specialization in Cancer Biology

Biological Sciences with Specialization in Cellular and Molecular Biology

Biological Sciences with Specialization in Ecology and Evolution

Biological Sciences with Specialization in Endocrinology

Biological Sciences with Specialization in Genetics

Biological Sciences with Specialization in Immunology

Biological Sciences with Specialization in Microbiology

Biological Sciences with Specialization in Neuroscience

 

In the Humanities Collegiate Division (HCD)

Art History

Cinema and Media Studies

Classical Studies

Comparative Literature

Early Christian Literature

East Asian Languages and Civilzations

English Language and Literature

Gender and Sexuality Studies

Germanic Studies

Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Jewish Studies

Linguistics

Medieval Studies

Music

Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy and Allied Fields

Religion and the Humanities

Romance Languages and Literatures

Slavic Languages and Literatures

South Asian Languages and Civilizations

Theater and Performance Studies

Visual Arts

 

In the New Collegiate Division (NCD)

Fundamentals: Issues and Texts

Law, Letters, and Society

Religious Studies

Tutorial Studies

 

In the Physical Sciences Collegiate Division (PSCD)

Biological Chemistry

Chemistry

Computer Science

Environmental Science

Geophysical Sciences

Mathematics

Applied Mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics with Specialization in Economics

Physics

Physics

Physics with Specialization in Astrophysics

Statistics

 

In the Social Sciences Collegiate Division (SSCD)

Anthropology

Comparative Human Development

Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies

Economics

Environmental Studies

Geographical Studies

History

History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science and Medicine

International Studies

Latin American Studies

Political Science

Psychology

Public Policy Studies

Russian Studies

Sociology

 

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Minor Programs

Some majors offer minors to students in other fields of study. For requirements, see descriptions elsewhere in this catalog of programs listed below. A minor requires five to seven courses. Courses in a minor cannot be (1) double counted with the student's major(s) or with other minors or (2) counted toward general education requirements. Courses in a minor must be taken for quality grades, and more than half of the requirements for a minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers. Courses taken to complete a minor are counted toward electives. Students declare a minor by meeting with their College adviser and with the director of undergraduate studies in the department. Students submit to their College adviser the director's approval for the minor on a form obtained from the adviser. The deadline for declaring a minor is Spring Quarter of a student's third year.

Minor programs are offered in the following areas:

Art History

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Computational Neuroscience

Cinema and Media Studies

Classical Studies

Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies

Computer Science

East Asian Languages and Civilizations

English and Creative Writing

Environmental Studies

Gender and Sexuality Studies

Germanic Studies

History

History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science and Medicine

Human Rights

Jewish Studies

Latin American Studies

Linguistics

Mathematics

Medieval Studies

Music

Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Norwegian Studies

Philosophy

Physics

Religious Studies

Romance Languages and Literatures

Slavic Languages and Literatures

South Asian Languages and Civilizations

Statistics

Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS)

Visual Arts

 

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Electives

(8 to 18 quarter courses)

Elective courses may be taken in any subject matter or discipline, including the same discipline as the student's major. They provide each student the opportunity to shape their studies toward their distinctive curiosities and interests. At their broadest, they provide an opportunity to explore freely across the richness of opportunities for learning at Chicago.

Courses taken in exploration of alternative majors and in study abroad programs, as well as course requirements completed by examination, are often included in electives. Some students also choose to use groups of electives to create minors or second majors. These options, though suitable ways to formalize students' interests outside their major, should not be undertaken in the mistaken belief that they necessarily enhance a student's transcript. Courses taken as electives should not displace courses in, and should not displace attention to, the student's general education program and major.

Language credit, whether it is earned by course registration or petition, is usually counted toward electives, unless a major requires or permits language courses or credit as part of the major. Courses taken to complete a minor are counted toward electives.

Up to six credits earned by examination (Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programme tests taken in high school, and placement tests taken during Orientation) may be used as electives. For more information, see the Examination Credit and Transfer Credit section elsewhere in this catalog.

 

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Other College Requirements

Language Competence

Students in the College are required to possess understanding of more than one culture and to demonstrate competence in a language other than English. The language competence requirement must be met by demonstrating reading, writing, and (where appropriate) listening and speaking skills equivalent to one year of college-level study. For information about which languages are currently being taught and which may be used to meet the language competence requirement, visit timeschedules.uchicago.edu .

Students who matriculate in or after September 2009 may meet the language competence requirement in one of the following ways:

• passing a College-administered competency examination;

• completing (with a quality grade) a first-year language sequence or higher-level course offered at the University of Chicago;

• receiving a score of 3 or higher on an AP examination in French, German, Italian, Latin, or Spanish; or receiving a score of 4 or higher on an AP examination in Japanese. (To meet the language competence requirement using IB test scores, students should consult with their advisers or with the assessment director regarding individual languages.);

• placing into the second year or higher in a foreign language offered at the University of Chicago, then participating in one of the College's Civilization Studies Abroad programs (visit study-abroad.uchicago.edu for more information) where that language is spoken, and completing (with a quality grade) the language course offered in the program; or

• participating in a College-approved one-quarter foreign language study abroad program and completing all required courses with a quality grade (visit study-abroad.uchicago.edu for more information).

Students who are foreign nationals may meet the language competence requirement if their formal schooling experience in a country other than the United States enables them to demonstrate the criteria of cultural understanding and language competence described above. They must submit a petition to Catherine Baumann (C 502, 702.8008, ccbauman@uchicago.edu ). Supporting documentation must also be provided.

Students fulfill requirements that are in place when they enter the College. For more information on the requirements for students who entered the College between 1999 and 2010, refer to the appropriate archived editions of Courses & Programs of Study (collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/archives ).

NOTE: Students are strongly urged to complete the language competence requirement in their first two years in the College.

After meeting the language competence requirement, students may work toward an Advanced Foreign Language Proficiency Certificate. For more information, visit college.uchicago.edu/academics-advising/academic-opportunities/advanced-language-proficiency.

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Physical Education

Physical education is not required for an undergraduate degree. However, students are encouraged to pursue physical fitness as part of their College experience. For course descriptions and further information on the physical education program, visit athletics.uchicago.edu .

Physical education courses are not included among the forty-two academic courses counted toward a degree, and they are not counted toward the number of courses that determine full- or part-time status.