Winter Term Requirement
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The purpose of this requirement is to provide students a semi-structured opportunity to pursue interests outside of regular course offerings through immersive learning experiences.
- Winter Term takes place in January of each academic year. In certain extreme cases, permission may be granted for a student to complete a Winter Term project outside of the scheduled Winter Term. Such exceptions are granted by petition to the Registrar’s Office.
- Winter Term projects can be completed on- or off-campus, independently or in groups, and carry either one half or one full Winter Term credit.
See more about Winter Term.
Curriculum Exploration Requirement
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There are two parts to this requirement:
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Students are required to complete two full academic courses or the equivalent in each of the three divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences–Arts and Humanities (ARHU), Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSMA), and Social Sciences (SSCI)–with courses in two different departments or programs within each division, as determined by the course prefix. Courses in the Conservatory of Music will count towards the arts and humanities division. One full academic course or the equivalent must be completed in each college division by the end of four semesters.
Transfer students may count towards this requirement up to one full academic course or the equivalent in each college division, from the courses they transfer to Oberlin. Transfer students must complete at least one full academic course or the equivalent in each college division while at Oberlin. The courses (Oberlin and/or transferred from another institution) counted towards this requirement must be in two different departments or programs within each division, as determined by the course prefix.
- Students are also required to complete two additional full academic courses or the equivalent outside their maximal division (the division in which the greatest number of courses is completed).
See a list of courses with the ARHU attribute.
See a list of courses with the NSMA attribute.
See a list of courses with the SSCI attribute.
Cultural Diversity Requirement
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The Committee on Diversity Studies administers this requirement.
Students must complete at least three full academic courses with the Cultural Diversity (CD) attribute. The three courses must be earned in at least two different departments or programs, as indicated by the course prefix. These courses must be completed at Oberlin. Students who study away in a full-semester, credit-bearing international program will receive CD credit equal to one course. Students who study away in a full-semester, credit-bearing U.S. program that directly addresses diversity may petition the Committee on Diversity Studies to receive CD credit equal to one course.
This requirement encourages students to understand cultural diversity in complex ways and in multiple contexts by taking courses that attend to questions of difference, imbalances in political and social power, diversity in cultures and the interactions among and between cultures, and methodological approaches to the study of diversity. In awarding CD credit for international study away programs and some U.S. study away programs, this requirement recognizes that study away is a profound pedagogical encounter with diversity that complements the engagement of diversity in courses across the Oberlin curriculum.
See a list of courses with the CD attribute.
Quantitative and Formal Reasoning Requirement
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The Committee on Quantitative and Formal Reasoning administers this requirement.
Students are required to complete two Quantitative and Formal Reasoning (QFR) courses, at least one of which must be completed by the end of the fourth semester. This requirement can only be satisfied with courses completed at Oberlin, with the exception that transfer students may petition to count one transferred course with a comparable focus on quantitative and formal reasoning toward this requirement.
This requirement is designed to empower students to be able to use quantitative and formal reasoning in their academic and professional work, as well as in their personal lives. Courses carrying the QFR attribute aim to help students develop the ability to use tools, algorithms, or strategies to solve problems, make decisions, or evaluate evidence, and to equip students with the ability to formally evaluate models or sets of evidence. QFR courses emphasize developing and evaluating assumptions, organizing and structuring data, and conducting analyses to make sound judgments and conclusions. QFR courses often focus on quantitative data, but the hallmark of QFR is the application of formal logic and explicit rules for decision-making.
See a list of courses with the QFR attribute.
Writing Requirement
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The Committee on Writing administers this requirement.
Students are required to complete two courses with either the Writing Intensive (WINT) or the Writing Advanced (WADV) attribute by the end of the second year of study if possible. A third course with the WADV attribute is strongly recommended. These courses must be completed at Oberlin, with the exception that transfer students may petition to count one transferred course with a comparable focus on writing toward this requirement.
The writing requirement is designed to help students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences develop the ability to do the following:
- communicate effectively in writing;
- understand writing as a process;
- engage in writing as a form of critical thinking;
- demonstrate rhetorical flexibility by addressing various audiences and purposes in their writing; and
- demonstrate awareness of the conventions and forms of writing in particular disciplines.
See a list of courses with the WINT attribute.
See a list of courses with the WADV attribute.
Residence Requirement
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Students must spend at least four semesters–completing no fewer than 16 full courses or the equivalent–in residence at Oberlin or enrolled in Oberlin programs. Work completed during an approved academic leave of absence counts toward the residence requirement. Ordinarily, the last semester (or four full courses) must be completed while in residence.
