Academic Programs Catalog

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College of Arts and Letters

Undergraduate Programs

Graduation Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in the College of Arts and Letters

The University requirements for bachelor's degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of the catalog.

The requirements of the College of Arts and Letters for the Bachelor of Arts degree that are listed below:

Courses used to satisfy the University Integrative Studies requirement cannot be counted in the fulfillment of any other requirement.

The specific requirements, including a capstone experience, of a major leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree in the college.

Second–year competency in a foreign language. This requirement may be satisfied by placing into a 300–level foreign language course based on a MSU placement test.

Cognate requirement:

(1)

Students must complete one cognate of 15 credits or an approved alternative noted below. The cognate and the related courses must be approved by the department of the student’s major.

(2)

The courses in the cognate shall be in a single discipline or thematic area. With departmental approval, a secondary or additional major or a minor may serve as an approved substitute for the cognate. Some majors have specific cognate requirements. Consult Academic Programs or the department advisor for current requirements.

(3)

For students who are seeking a teaching certificate, an approved teaching minor may be substituted for the two cognates with the approval of the student’s academic advisor.

(4)

One 300 or 400-level course of at least 3 credits must be included in one of the cognates or alternatives.

(5)

Courses at the 300 or 400-level in the same language used to satisfy the college’s foreign language requirement, or courses at the 100 or 200-level in another foreign language, may be counted toward the cognate requirement.

(6)

The cognate is not required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities, the Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities-Prelaw, the Bachelor of Arts degree in Experience Architecture or for Bachelor of Fine Arts majors.

Experiential Education requirement:

(1)

Students must earn a minimum of 3 credits in one of the following experiential education options through an associated course approved by the College. Students may complete the requirement in one course of 3 credits or can complete it in two or three courses of 1 or 2 credits.

(a)

Internships (Minimum of 3 credits) - The internship must include a minimum of 3 course credits as part of the experience in order to meet the requirements for the experiential education requirement. The internship may be offered by the College of Arts and Letters, another MSU College, or another university, if approved for transfer credit by MSU.

(b)

Education Abroad (Minimum of 3 credits) - MSU Education Abroad Programs, whether offered by the College of Arts and Letters, another MSU College, or another university, if approved for transfer credit by MSU, meets the experiential education requirement. This includes any MSU course section in the range of 750-769, which are designated for education abroad programs. See: https://msueducationabroad.via-trm.com/visitor-programs-v2

(c)

Study Away (Minimum of 3 credits) - MSU Study Away Programs (internships and courses that take place within the United States) whether offered by the College of Arts and Letters, another MSU College, or another university, if approved for transfer credit by MSU, meets the experiential education requirement. This includes any MSU course section in the range of 701-710, which are designated for study away programs. See: https://excelnetwork.cal.msu.edu/study-abroad/, or https://socialscience.msu.edu/undergraduate/experiential-learning/study-away.html.

(d)

Service/Community Engaged Learning Experiences (Minimum of 3 credits) - MSU Service/Community Engaged Learning Experiences whether offered by the College of Arts and Letters, another MSU College, or another university, if approved for transfer credit by MSU, meets the experiential education requirement. See: https://communityengagedlearning.msu.edu/students.

(e)

For Credit Research or Creative Projects (Minimum of 3 credits) - An approved undergraduate research or creative projects directed by a faculty member in the form of an independent study or portion of an approved course.

(f)

Department Courses (Minimum of 3 credits) - Courses in this list offer a significant experiential component of 50% or more and include experiences outside the traditional classroom environment. They have been approved through a review process by the College Curriculum Committee. See: https://excelnetwork.cal.msu.edu/experiential-education-requirement/.

For questions or to seek approval for a course or program, students should contact their academic advisor. For more information on Internships, Education Abroad, Study Away, and Service/Community Engaged Experiences, see https://excelnetwork.cal.msu.edu/.

Credit requirement:

(1)

No more than 9 credits that are used to satisfy the departmental or interdepartmental credit requirement for a primary major, second degree, or additional major in the College of Arts and Letters may also be used to satisfy the departmental or interdepartmental credit requirement for another primary major, second degree, or additional major in the College of Arts and Letters.

(2)

For students with a department major leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree:

(a)

At least 30 credits in courses at the 300 level and above.

(b)

At least 30, but not more than 40, credits in courses in the major that count toward the degree with the following exceptions. For example, a student with a major in German must earn at least 30, but not more than 40, credits in German courses.

(i)

A student with a Bachelor of Arts major in Theatre may earn a maximum of 50 credits in Theatre and Dance courses.

(ii)

A student with a major in a foreign language may earn a maximum of 40 credits in courses above the 100-level in that language.

(iii)

A student who combines a major in Japanese with a major in another field is required to earn a minimum of 28 credits in Japanese courses.

(iv)

A student who combines a major in Chinese with a major in another field is required to earn a minimum of 30 credits in Chinese courses.

(v)

A student who combines a major in German with a major in another field is required to earn a minimum of 28 credits in German courses.

(vi)

A student who combines a major in Russian with a major in another field is required to earn a minimum of 26 credits in Russian courses.

(vii)

A student who combines a major in Arabic with a major in another field is required to earn a minimum of 27 credits in Arabic courses.

(c)

A minimum grade–point average of 2.00 in courses in the major that count toward the degree. For example, a student with a major in German must earn a minimum grade–point average of 2.00 in the German courses that count toward the degree.

(3)

For students with an interdepartmental or interdisciplinary major leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree:

(a)

At least 30 credits in courses at the 300 level and above.

(b)

At least 50, but not more than 68, credits in courses in the major that count toward the degree. For example, a student with a major in Interdisciplinary Humanities must earn at least 50, but not more than 68, credits in courses related to Interdisciplinary Humanities.

(c)

A minimum grade–point average of 2.00 in courses in the major that count toward the degree. For example, a student with a major in Interdisciplinary Humanities must earn a minimum grade–point average of 2.00 in the courses related to Interdisciplinary Humanities that count toward the degree.