Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences include a required core, intensive work in a major field, and electives selected from personal areas of interest. Students are required to take 38 Boston College courses in order to graduate; 32 courses must be taken in A&S.
In the tradition of the Jesuit ratio studiorum, the core curriculum provides philosophical and theological reasoning, as well as exposure to the disciplines that define a liberally educated individual in today’s world. All A&S students must complete the University core requirements.
Students in A&S are required to take a minimum of ten courses in their chosen major; the College offers 31 major fields. Majors are not necessarily related to career choices but are meant to develop critical and analytical thinking, professional and presentational skills, and an appreciation for the complexity of each area of study.
Electives offer students the opportunity to individualize their undergraduate programs. This challenges students to define their personal educational goals and create an academic program to achieve them. Electives may be used to develop interdisciplinary minors to pursue pre-professional interests in the Schools of Education, Management, or Nursing, or to explore personal, intellectual, and artistic interests.