|
|
[DRAFT] Course Catalog 2026-2027 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Fine Arts Dual Degree Program Degree Requirements
|
|
|
Summary of Degree Requirements
Detailed Degree Requirements
Minimum Course Requirement
Return to the summary of degree requirements. - Students must successfully complete a minimum of 40 full courses or the equivalent, of which at least 38 must be academic full courses (two academic half courses will count as the equivalent of one academic full course ).
- Up to two of the required 40 full courses may be fulfilled by a combination of co-curricular courses .
- This minimum course requirement is subject to the requirements and limits below.
Major Study Requirement
Return to the summary of degree requirements. For the major attached to the Bachelor of Arts degree: - Students must, before completion of 16 full courses or the equivalent, elect a department or program in which to major.
- Those who have not declared a major after completing 16 full courses or the equivalent will be allowed to enroll only with the permission of the Academic Advising Resource Center.
- A student may subsequently elect a different major and drop the previously declared major with the consent of the heads of the departments or programs involved.
- Students are not required to major in a practicing arts discipline, and may pursue any Arts and Sciences major.
- Students may pursue a major in more than one department or program.
For the major in integrated arts : - All coursework for the integrated arts major is completed in the fifth year at Park Arts.
- Upon admission to the BA/BFA, the Office of the Registrar will mark students’ records as pre-integrated arts majors.
- Once students are cleared to advance to the fifth year at Park Arts, the Office of the Registrar will add the integrated arts major to students’ records.
Winter Term Requirement
Return to the summary of degree requirements. 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 Office of the Registrar.
- Winter Term projects can be completed on- or off-campus, independently or in groups.
- Students are expected to complete their Winter Term projects before advancing to the fifth year at Park Arts.
 See more about Winter Term.
General Course Requirements
Return to the summary of degree requirements. - The following requirements must be satisfied with courses successfully completed at Oberlin College and Conservatory.
- For the purposes of these requirements, London Program and other academic courses taught by Oberlin faculty at an off-campus location will be considered courses completed at Oberlin.
- Exceptions may be made for transfer students (students who matriculate at another institution and then transfer to Oberlin) as noted below.
- Individual courses may be counted simultaneously toward more than one general course requirement providing they carry the appropriate attributes.
- Courses that are considered individual or one-on-one arrangements, such as private readings, individual research, and honors courses, do not carry degree attributes (CD, PRAX, QFR, WINT, WADV).
Curriculum Exploration Requirement
Return to the top of the general course requirements. The Arts and Sciences curriculum exploration requirement supports breadth by introducing students to a range of scholarly approaches in different subject areas within the three divisions of the College: the arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and mathematics. There are two parts to this requirement: - 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 toward 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 toward 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 toward 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
Return to the top of the general course requirements. The Committee on Diversity Studies administers this requirement. 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 Cultural Diversity (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. - The required three full courses with the CD attribute must be completed in at least two different departments or programs, as indicated by the course prefix.
- These courses must be completed at Oberlin College.
- 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.
See a list of courses with the CD attribute. Quantitative and Formal Reasoning Requirement
Return to the top of the general course requirements. The Committee on Quantitative and Formal Reasoning administers 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 Quantitative and Formal Reasoning (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. - At least one of the required two QFR courses must be completed by the end of the fourth semester.
- These courses must be completed at Oberlin College.
- Courses completed during study away may not usually fulfill this requirement.
- Transfer students may petition to count one transferred course with a comparable focus on quantitative and formal reasoning toward this requirement.
See a list of courses with the QFR attribute. Writing Requirement
Return to the top of the general course requirements. The Committee on Writing administers 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.
- It is strongly recommended that both of the required Writing Intensive (WINT) / Writing Advanced (WADV) courses be completed by the end of the fourth semester of study.
- A third course with the WADV attribute is highly advised.
- These courses must be completed at Oberlin College.
- Courses completed during study away may not usually fulfill this requirement.
- Transfer students may petition to count one transferred course with a comparable focus on writing toward this requirement.
See a list of courses with the WINT attribute. See a list of courses with the WADV attribute. Practicing Arts Course Requirements
Return to the summary of degree requirements. The flexibility of the practicing arts course requirements allows students to pursue depth and breadth across disciplines in their first four years before transitioning to the integrated arts major in their final year. - 10 full practice/skill-based courses must be completed in the first four years.
- This includes PRAX 300 - Integrated Arts Workshop in the junior year.
- The additional nine courses can be drawn from courses in the Arts and Sciences fields of cinema and media (CIME), creative writing (CRWR), dance (DANC), studio art (ARST), and/or theater (THEA) that are designated with the PRAX attribute.
- Select courses in the Conservatory of Music may also count toward this requirement. Up to four credits of lessons and up to four credits of ensembles may count toward the requirement.
- Individual courses may apply to major, minor, or integrative concentration requirements and to general course requirements.
- For students who matriculate at Oberlin as first-year students, a maximum of three courses taken at other institutions may, with approval of the integrated arts program director, apply to this requirement.
- A transfer student who enters as a first- or second-year may petition to count a maximum of three transferred courses with a comparable practice/skill-based focus toward this requirement; a transfer student who enters as a third-year may petition to count a maximum of four courses.
- Courses that are considered individual or one-on-one arrangements, such as private readings, individual research, and honors courses, do not carry the PRAX attribute. Individual research and honors courses may count toward this requirement by approval.
- Eight full courses in integrated arts must be completed in the fifth year.
See a list of courses with the PRAX attribute. Residence Requirement
Return to the summary of degree requirements. Students must spend at least six semesters in residence at Oberlin or enrolled in Oberlin programs before advancing to spend at least two semesters in residence at Park Arts. Years One Through Four (Oberlin College)
- Work completed during an approved academic leave of absence counts toward the Oberlin residence requirement.
- Students must spend one semester of their junior year in residence at Oberlin.
- Students are expected to spend the last semester of their fourth year in residence at Oberlin.
- For more information on housing requirements while in residence at Oberlin, see the “Residence Life” subsection of the Student Affairs section of this catalog.
Year Five (Park Arts)
- Students must spend the fall and spring of their final year in residence at Park Arts.
- Academic leaves of absence are not permitted in this year.
Advancement to the Fifth Year at Park Arts Requirement
Return to the summary of degree requirements. Students are expected to complete the following requirements before advancing to the fifth year at Park Arts: - 32 Full Courses
- Minimum of 30 Full Academic Courses
- All General Course Requirements
- 10 Full Practicing Arts Courses, including PRAX 300
- One Bachelor of Arts Major
- Three Full Winter Term Projects
- Minimum GPA of 2.00
- Minimum Six Semesters in Residence at Oberlin
- Participation in Park Arts orientation program
The students’ records will be reviewed at the start of their fourth year to ensure timely completion of these requirements. The Office of the Registrar and the BA/BFA Program Director will clear students to transition to their fifth year. A student who has met the residence requirement may request permission to finish away a maximum of two full courses/eight credits after the end of the fifth year at Park Arts, so long as all other requirements have been met and the courses/credits to be completed at another institution for transfer to Oberlin are within the post-matriculation transfer-of-credit limit. |
|
|
