As a Jesuit University, Boston College has as its heritage a 400-year tradition of concern for the integration of the intellectual, moral, and religious development of its students. The centerpiece of Jesuit education has always been a common curriculum that emphasizes the study of the defining works of the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
The University Core Curriculum consists of the following:
- 1 course in Arts (Fine Arts, Music, Theatre)
- 1 course in Cultural Diversity (The Cultural Diversity requirement may be fulfilled by an appropriate course taken to fulfill another core requirement, a major requirement, or an elective)
- 2 courses in History (Modern History)
- 1 course in Literature (Classics, English, Germanic Studies, Romance Language and Literatures, Slavic and Eastern Languages)
- 1 course in Mathematics
- 2 courses in Natural Science (Biology, Chemistry, Geology-Geophysics, Physics)
- 2 courses in Philosophy
- 2 courses in Social Science (Psychology in Education, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology)
- 2 courses in Theology
- 1 course in Writing
View a listing of courses that satisfy the University Core Curriculum requirements.
The University Language Requirement requires all students in the College of Arts & Sciences and the Carroll School of Management must demonstrate proficiency in a modern foreign language or in a classical language at the intermediate level.
- In the College of Arts and Sciences and the Carroll School of
Management, proficiency in French, German, or Spanish may be
demonstrated by a score of 3 or better on the A.P. exam or a score of
550 or better on the SAT II reading exam in French, German, Spanish,
or Italian. A proficiency examination in German is also available through
the department. Proficiency in Latin or Greek may be demonstrated by a
score of 4 or 5 on the AP exam or of 600 or better on the SAT II reading
exam. Students wishing to demonstrate proficiency in a language other
than those listed above, and those for whom English is not their first
language, should consult their class dean. Satisfaction of the requirement
through course work requires successful completion of the second
semester at the intermediate level or one semester above the
intermediate level.
- In the Carroll School of Management, language proficiency may also be demonstrated by passing four years of high school language study (which need not be the same language, e.g., two years of Latin and two years of French would fulfill the language requirement). Alternately, if a student enters Boston College with three years of a foreign language, she or he may fulfill the requirement by taking one year of a new language or by completing two semesters of an intermediate level language.
- The Lynch School of Education and the Connell School of Nursing do not have language requirements.
Language courses will count as Arts and Sciences electives. Students with documented learning disabilities may be exempt from the foreign language requirement and should consult with the Associate Dean. Fulfillment of the proficiency requirement by the examinations listed above does not confer course credit.