College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Degree Requirements

Student Responsibility: Students are responsible for ensuring they understand and meet all major and college degree requirements. Any questions about these requirements should be raised with a department adviser (for major requirements) or college adviser (for college requirements).

Students must meet college progression standards each term. They are expected to keep the Office of the University Registrar informed of their accurate address and to read their GatorLink email. Students also are expected to review their degree audit on ISIS each term and to discuss any questions or discrepancies with an adviser.

Normal Course Loads: The normal load in this college is 12-15 credit hours, and all students are expected to carry a normal load. The associate dean in 100 AAC must approve loads above 18 hours. An exception may be made for final-term graduation candidates with a 2.8 or higher UF GPA.

Adding Courses: Students may add published courses any time during drop/add.

Dropping Courses: Students may drop courses during drop/add without penalty. After the drop/add period, a course may be dropped until the published drop deadline. The drop policy is explained in the Academic Regulations section. All such drops are subject to the following restrictions for students admitted Summer B 2002 or later:

Two unrestricted drops are permitted before attempting 60 hours at UF.
Two unrestricted drops are permitted for CLAS students after attempting 60 hours at UF.
Students wishing to drop courses beyond the two unrestricted drops may petition the CLAS Petitions Committee. The petition must include a personal statement explaining an extenuating circumstance that prevents completion of the course(s). Documentation supporting the personal statement must also be included. Please examine the general petition form in 100 AAC for guidelines and for documentation.
Students who wish to drop a course after the drop deadline can complete a college petition to do so until the last day of classes (fall and spring semesters only). Students must include substantial documentation of an extenuating circumstance (usually severe medical condition) that occurred after the drop deadline and that prevents completion of the course(s). Students should first discuss their options with the instructor of the class before submitting a petition.

Withdrawing: Students who want to drop all courses for any current term must contact the Office of the University Registrar in Criser Hall before the withdrawal deadline. Dropping the entire load constitutes withdrawal from the university and must be handled by the withdrawal procedures and deadlines established by the Office of the University Registrar.

Courses dropped by a full term withdrawal do not count toward the number of unrestricted drops students are permitted. Students must discuss with an academic adviser how a full term withdrawal will affect their academic standing and discuss with a financial aid adviser how it will affect their financial aid. Students wanting to withdraw from all courses after the withdrawal deadline can submit a college petition before the last day of classes consistent with the guidelines listed in the Dropping Courses section above.

Petitions: Students who feel they have an extenuating circumstance that prevents them from adhering to a college regulation may petition for a waiver. The CLAS Petitions Committee considers petitions weekly on a case-by-case basis. All petitions must include a statement explaining the hardship and documentation supporting the claim. Information is available at 100 AAC; instructions are on the general petition form.

Registration in Graduate Courses: Advanced undergraduate students with excellent academic records can register for graduate courses (5000 level and above) with permission of the departmental adviser. Refer to the information on combined bachelor’s/master’s programs.

Correspondence Work: Students wishing to take correspondence courses must complete the general college petition for such requests and obtain approval from the CLAS associate dean in 100 AAC. The student must have a cumulative 2.5 UF GPA and may apply only a limited number of semester hours toward any certificate or bachelor’s degree. CLAS students may register for only three hours of correspondence in a given semester. Please meet with an adviser in the AAC for additional information.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation Under a Particular Catalog: Students are placed into the catalog year for the academic year they entered UF unless they request to follow the academic requirements in effect when they initially enrolled in a Florida public community college or other Florida state institution. Such a request is possible only if they have maintained continuous enrollment, defined as registering for and completing at least one course for one term in each academic year. Students wanting to change catalog years should review a degree audit with an adviser in 100 AAC.

Applying for a Degree: Seniors must file a formal application for a degree in the Office of the University Registrar early in the term in which they expect to graduate. The academic calendar will provide the deadline for a current term degree application.

Students should review their degree audit with an adviser in the AAC before registering for the term in which they plan to graduate to determine the college requirements that still need to be fulfilled. Students should also meet with an adviser in the major department to verify completion of requirements for the major.

Additionally, seniors who plan to graduate should convert all I, N and H grades to letter grades no later than the fifth week of the final semester. Seniors are responsible for ensuring that all grade changes are submitted properly and are recorded in a timely fashion.

CLAS Degree Requirements — Structure of a CLAS Degree

The college has eight requirements to satisfy for award of a degree. These degree requirements are included in the 120 hours required for graduation.

Hour: All CLAS students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 120 acceptable semester hours for the degree. Up to 30 hours earned in a UF overseas study or exchange program may be applied to this requirement. Students may petition to have more hours accepted.
Grade point average: Students must achieve a minimum overall average of C (2.0) in all work attempted at the university.
Residence: The last 30 hours applied to the degree must be completed in residence at the University of Florida. In extenuating circumstances, the last three hours may be waived by petition. Participation in a UF-approved study abroad or exchange program is not considered a break in residence. However, students must see an adviser to be sure the degree audit accurately reflects this.
Basic Distribution: To ensure that students gain a rich and varied general education, the college asks students to complete the following distribution requirements:

36 hours of a general education program: composition (3 credits); mathematical sciences (6 credits); humanities (9 credits); social and behavioral sciences (9 credits); physical or biological sciences (9 credits).

The same course may NOT be used to satisfy requirements in two different distribution areas (C, H, S, P/B). Six of the credits for humanities, social sciences or physical and biological sciences also must be designated I (international/diversity). The writing and math requirement must be met.
A grade of C or better is required for all courses fulfilling the general education requirement and the writing and math requirement (refer to the academic advising section).
Students who fulfill a general education program with fewer than nine credits in each of the three categories — humanities, social and behavioral science, and physical and biological sciences — must achieve a balanced spread of liberal arts and sciences by taking additional credits to total nine credits in each of these three categories.The S-U grade option is not acceptable for these credits.

An additional three hours in the physical or biological sciences (selected to provide a total of six hours in each of these areas). A grade of C or better is required for these additional three hours. The S-U grade option is not acceptable for these credits.
One hour of a science lab with a grade of C or better. Students can elect a laboratory course that is approved for the general education physical or biological sciences requirement, or they can choose from the following: any psychology laboratory or ANT 3514C. The S-U option is not acceptable. (Most labs cannot be taken without prerequisite or co-requisite courses.)
An additional composition (C) course (three hours) beyond the general education composition requirement with a grade of C or better. Any course coded C, and at any level, fulfills this requirement. However, students are encouraged to take the Writing in the Major course, usually ENC 3254, if available for their major (check with the undergraduate coordinator). The S-U option is not acceptable for this course.

Summary of CLAS Basic Distribution (includes General Education)

Composition	6 credits
Mathematical Sciences (including 3 credits with a math prefix)	6 credits
Humanities	9 credits *
Social and Behavioral Sciences	9 credits *
Physical Science	6 credits *
Biological Science	6 credits *
Science Laboratory	1 credit

* Must include six credits of international/ diversity studies in the 30 credits.

Elective: Electives are defined as courses taken outside the major or major department. The degree program must include 18 hours of electives at the 3000 level or above. Several 2000-level natural science or mathematical science courses (those beyond the entry course in a sequence) can contribute to the 18-hour requirement. Eligible courses are CHM 2211, 2211L; PHY 2049, 2049L, 2054, 2054L; MAC 2234, 2312, 2313, 2512; MAP 2302; and CGS 2532. Elective course selection will depend on goals and interests. Some students may choose to use electives to pursue a minor or a double major/dual degree.

Foreign Language: CLAS students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language. Foreign language is an important component of a liberal education. Study of foreign languages provides access to the cultural and intellectual heritage of cultures other than one’s own. Such study also provides a new perspective on the structure and complexity of the English language.

Students in this college have a unique opportunity to study the following languages at the university: Akan, American Sign Language, Amharic, Ancient Greek, Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Lingala, Modern Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Swahili, Vietnamese, Wolof, Yoruba and Xhosa.

Proficiency in a foreign language is considered to be the level of skill a student has upon completion of a beginning language sequence at UF. Students do not need to earn a certain number of hours to complete this requirement. It can be met in ONE of the following ways:
- A score of three or above in an Advanced Placement language exam.
- A score of four to seven on an International Baccalaureate language exam.
- A designated score on the SAT II subject area examinations in Spanish, French, German or Latin. Consult the individual departments or refer to the academic placement information for required scores for exemption from the CLAS language requirement.
- Satisfactory completion (minimum grade of C or S) of a terminal first-year course in one foreign language (normally at the end of 10 semester hours at UF). Students may take foreign language requirement courses on an S-U basis (where S = C or better).
- Students who have prior study of a foreign language but do not place out of the requirement may start with the second or third course in the beginning sequence. Such students will complete the requirement in fewer than 10 credit hours. SAT II subject exams, AP, IB or CLEP exams, or for some languages, a department placement test, will determine the point of entry.
The requirement for certain languages can be met by demonstrating minimum proficiency on an examination administered by the appropriate department.

Placement

Students who have studied French, Spanish, German or Latin in high school and wish to continue these languages should refer to the academic placement information or consult the department for information regarding placement into the appropriate language course.

Graduating with Honors