Degrees
Undergraduate courses offered by Whittier College lead to the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Graduate instruction leads to the degree of Master of Arts.
The Bachelor of Arts degree at Whittier is built upon a pattern of general education requirements to develop breadth of knowledge and an understanding of the relationships among various disciplines. General education, known as the Liberal Education Program at Whittier, is complemented by a major, which may be in a single department or interdisciplinary program, and by electives, which offer students an opportunity to explore additional areas of academic interest. Within this basic structure, Whittier College’s curriculum is flexible, to allow for the individual needs, academic interests, and goals of its students. Through the Whittier Scholars Program, the College encourages students with a desire to design their own curricula to do so, in close consultation with a Scholars’ Council. Regardless of which curricular path or major a student chooses, Whittier College is committed to developing strong writing skills throughout the curriculum.
Liberal Education Program
Fritz Smith, Coordinator of the Liberal Education Program, Associate Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of Mathematics
Requirements for Graduation
In order to graduate through the Liberal Education Program students must:
- Complete the Liberal Education Program (General Education) requirements
- Complete the requirements for a Major.
- Complete 120 units of coursework (Major courses, core courses and elective courses).
Outline of the Liberal Education Program
At Whittier College, our transformative Liberal Education Program equips diverse students to thrive as lifelong learners, engaged citizens, and ethical professionals. In small, interactive classes led by accomplished faculty, students develop and refine their skills in communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking, preparing them to succeed in our complex, interconnected world.
Written Communication
Students are required to take three Written Communication courses:
- Written Communication 1: FWPB 100 First Year Writing & Project-Based Learning Seminar
- Written Communication 2: A Writing Intensive course in any discipline
- Written Communication 3: Senior Seminar in the major
Quantitative Reasoning
Students may satisfy their Quantitative Reasoning requirement in one of three ways:
- Three Quantitative Reasoning 1 courses
- One Quantitative Reasoning 1 course and one Quantitative Reasoning 2 course
- Two Quantitative Reasoning 2 courses
Breadth (Experiential Learning):
Students are required to take at least one course from each of the following categories:
- Natural Science Inquiry
- Creative Expression
- Culture and Language
- Historical Inquiry
- Engaging Diversity
Life Labs:
Students are required to take three Life Labs:
- Life Lab 1: FWPB 101 Your Whittier College Experience
- Any Life Lab 2 course
- Life Lab 3 in the major
- Courses satisfying these requirements must be at least three-credits, with the exception of the one-credit Life Lab 1 course.
- The Senior Seminar course must incorporate both the Written Communication 3 requirement and the Life Lab 3 requirement.
- A student cannot use a single course to satisfy two Breadth requirements.
Liberal Education Program Requirement Overview
Written Communication:
Students will learn to develop, express, and credibly support their ideas in writing, with a focus on feedback and revision as part of the writing process. They will apply their writing skills in various disciplinary contexts. While academic writing is integrated across the curriculum, it is explicitly taught and practiced in three core writing courses.
- Written Communication 1: FWPB 100 First-Year Writing & Project-Based Learning Seminar- In these courses, students build college-level writing skills and collaboratively develop solutions to real-world problems culminating in a public presentation. Required for all first-year students and those with fewer than 27 credits.
- Written Communication 2: Writing Intensive Course- These courses are offered across departments and divisions so that students are exposed to discipline-specific writing. Students must take at least one course with a Written Communication 2 designation.
- Written Communication 3: Senior Seminar- All senior seminar courses in the major satisfy this requirement, and students must take at least one course with a Written Communication 3 designation.
Quantitative Reasoning:
Quantitative Reasoning occurs in courses across a wide variety of disciplines. In these courses, students learn to evaluate, analyze, and interpret quantitative data, enabling them to make, support, and refute arguments in various fields of study. Students may satisfy the quantitative reasoning requirement in one of three ways: take three Quantitative Reasoning 1 courses, take two Quantitative Reasoning 2 courses or take one Quantitative Reasoning 1 course and one Quantitative Reasoning 2 course.
- Quantitative Reasoning 1-These courses include at least arithmetic, basic algebra, or basic statistics, and approximately 25% of course content will involve quantitative reasoning.
- Quantitative Reasoning 2-These courses include at least intermediate algebra or statistics, and more than 50% of course content will involve quantitative reasoning.
Breadth (Experiential Learning)
The Breadth category of requirements is designed to ensure that students receive a broad education in the liberal arts. Each breadth course incorporates experiential learning activities. Students are required to take at least one course from each of the following categories:
- Natural Science Inquiry
- Creative Expression
- Culture and Language
- Historical Inquiry
- Engaging Diversity
Life Labs
To prepare students for academic success, graduate study and careers, students will take at least three Life Labs. The goal of Life Lab 1 is to build community while familiarizing students with the college and its many resources. In Life Lab 2 courses, students will explore career, internship, research, and post-graduate opportunities specific to their discipline. Students interested in learning about different career paths might opt to take a number of Life Lab 2 courses. In Life Lab 3, students will work with faculty in their major to build resumes and/or portfolios specific to their post graduate interests.
-
Life Lab 1: FWPB 101 Your Whittier College Experience-This is a one-unit course linked to the First year Writing and Project Based Learning Seminar intended to familiarize students with college resources.
-
Any Life Lab 2 course-Students are required to take at least one Life Lab 2 course. Life Lab 2 courses address career and educational opportunities specific to a given discipline.
-
Life Lab 3-Life Lab 3 is intended to help prepare students for careers and/or post graduate studies.
Graduation Requirements for Students with Transfer Credits
All requirements for graduation apply, as stipulated above, with the exceptions indicated below. The Registrar of Whittier College will determine which credits transferred from another institution may be used to satisfy each requirement. Adjustments of the Graduation Requirements (based on Undergraduate Standing at entrance): Liberal Education Requirements. Transfer students without credit for a college-level writing course must enroll in FWPB 100. At least twelve credits in the major must be taken at Whittier College.
Requirements For Graduation
All undergraduate students entering Whittier College follow one of two paths to a Whittier degree: the Liberal Education Program or the Whittier Scholars Program. The completion of all requirements for a degree is the student’s responsibility. A student has the option of completing graduation requirements prevailing at the time of admission or readmission, at the time of graduation, or any intervening year of continuous full-time enrollment. Graduation requirements cannot be selected from two or more catalogs.
Students must monitor their own progress through frequent reference to the appropriate catalog, and their online degree audit. Consultation with faculty advisors as well as with the Registrar is suggested to assure satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree.
High school deficiencies may be met by enrolling in appropriate Whittier College courses, through a local high school or community college, through extended education or summer school courses, or by some other acceptable alternative. Students with high school foreign language deficiencies must take six credits of a single foreign language.
Both degree paths require a minimum of 120 credits for graduation, satisfaction of the College Writing Requirement (see College Writing Programs ), and completion of a minimum of 30 credits at Whittier College. Further, minimum overall grade point averages of 2.0 in Whittier College courses and in courses taken in the major discipline(s) are required in order for a student to be eligible for graduation. Note: some major disciplines require a grade point average higher than 2.0 for graduation.
Requirements For the Major
Each student must declare a major and select an appropriate advisor by the spring registration period of their sophomore year when registering for junior year courses. To declare a major, students must file a Declaration of Major form with the Office of the Registrar and do so by this registration period or else there will be a hold on their registration for junior year courses. Students who transfer in with 45 credits or more must declare a major upon entrance.
A maximum of 48 credits in a single discipline may be counted toward the 120 credits needed for graduation. At least 72 units must be completed outside of the major discipline. Up to six units from courses cross-listed with the major discipline may be used toward the 72-unit requirement. In a department housing two or more recognized disciplines, a maximum of 60 credits may be counted from the department.
At least twelve credits in the major must be taken at Whittier College. A minimum grade point average of 2.0 is required in the courses taken from the major department. Note: some majors require a grade point average higher than 2.0 for graduation.
Requirements For a Minor
Minors may be earned as part of a student’s academic achievement but are not required for graduation. Students considering a minor should contact the faculty advisor for minors in their department of interest early in their academic career.
A minimum of 16 credits is required for a minor, and specific requirements are defined in this catalog for each department.
Graduation Requirements For Transfer Students
All Requirements for Graduation apply, as stipulated in the previous pages, with the exceptions indicated below.
The Registrar of Whittier College will determine which credits transferred from another institution may be used to satisfy each requirement.
|
