Graduation Requirements: The Hamline Plan

Each student is personally responsible for following the procedures and meeting the requirements of the university as set forth in the Bulletin. Hamline University undergraduate students ordinarily fulfill the Bulletin requirements in effect at the time they first enter Hamline; however, they may choose to meet the requirements to any subsequent Bulletin during their enrollment. Students who interrupt enrollment for more than one academic year must fulfill the Bulletin requirements in effect at the time of reentry/readmission, or they may opt to fulfill the requirements in the last previous Bulletin. Only with the written approval of the appropriate department chairperson or pogrom director can students elect to fulfill the requirements of any previous Bulletin. The department chairperson or program director assists with this choice and ensures that such changes are officially recorded with Registration and Records. Students must choose major, minor, and certificate requirements from the same Bulletin (catalog year).

The following sections list the Hamline University undergraduate graduation requirements. Successful completion of these requirements results in a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or Bachelor of Science degree. Requirements for transfer students, if they are different, are noted within each section in italic print. Other than where specified, Hamline Plan requirements can be fulfilled by transfer coursework.

The Hamline Plan requirements do not constitute a set number of courses. Courses that fulfill Hamline Plan categories are designated with the appropriate Hamline Plan code letter(s) on class schedules, available online at www.hamline.edu/classschedules. Grades of D- or higher are required in order to receive Hamline Plan designations. All students are responsible for understanding the Hamline graduation requirements. Contact the Registration and Records office or Academic Advising for clarification on any of the graduation requirements.

All new first-year students 24 years of age or younger throughout the first term of attendance are required to take a First-year Seminar in the first semester. First-year students who transfer Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) work are not exempt from this requirement. Students may not drop or withdraw from the first-year seminar nor complete it on a Pass/No Pass grading basis.

Transfer students are exempt from this requirement unless special circumstances are determined in the admissions process.

This requirement is generally fulfilled by ENG 1110: Writing and Reading Texts, which must be completed during the first year at Hamline. Students who receive Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) English composition credit must still register for English 1110 or a writing-intensive FYSem. The AP or IB English credits count for credit toward the degree, but Hamline faculty members believe writing is an essential skill and thus require a first-year college-writing experience. Please note that Hamline University’s ENG 1110 also counts as a disciplinary breadth course in the Humanities (H).

If you are granted credit for a PSEO or College in the Schools (CIS) English composition course, this will generally satisfy your first-year writing requirement. However, you are encouraged to enroll in a writing-intensive FYSem to continue developing your college writing skills. If you have taken college courses through a PSEO program, you must have your transcript sent to Hamline to be evaluated for transferability. Do not register for Hamline courses that you will be transferring as a result of PSEO coursework. You will not receive credit for courses that are repeated.

Writing-intensive courses must be taken at Hamline, and a minimum of one writing-intensive course is required each year a student is in attendance. (Fall/spring is considered a year of attendance for students who begin at Hamline during the fall term; spring/fall is considered a year of attendance for students who begin at Hamline during the spring term.) For students who begin as first-year students at Hamline, ENG 1110 (E) is considered the writing-intensive course for the first year and one writing-intensive (W) course is required each subsequent year. Students who do not complete a writing-intensive course during a year must complete an extra writing-intensive course the following year; students who take two writing-intensive courses in one year may not apply one to a subsequent year.

One writing-intensive course is required within the major department; if double majors are declared, one writing-intensive course must be completed in each major department.

Exception: Students enrolled in a Hamline-approved off-campus program for a full year do not have to complete a writing-intensive course for that year.

Transfer students do not transfer writing-intensive courses to Hamline; however, one per year in attendance at Hamline is required. Transfer students needing six full-time (minimum of 12 credits) semesters to complete the Hamline degree must complete three writing-intensive courses in addition to satisfying the Expository Writing (E) requirement. Transfer students needing four or five full-time (minimum of 12 credits) semesters to complete the Hamline degree must complete two writing-intensive (W) courses in addition to satisfying the Expository Writing (E) requirement. Transfer students needing fewer than four full-time (minimum of 12 credits) semesters to complete the Hamline degree must complete one writing-intensive (W) course (and are encouraged to complete two) in addition to satisfying the Expository Writing (E) requirement. Transfer students who complete summer classes to accelerate graduation are not exempt from the above requirements.

Two speaking-intensive courses are required. These can be taken at any time and in any academic department.

Transfer students who transfer fewer than 64 semester credits are required to take two speaking-intensive courses. One speaking-intensive course can be transferred to Hamline; one must be taken at Hamline. Students transferring as juniors (64 or more semester credits) are required to take only one speaking-intensive course, but it must be taken at Hamline.

Students must complete both categories of Reasoning. This can be accomplished through one formal reasoning course and one quantitative reasoning course, or through one course that carries both the R and M designations.

Two courses (typically four credits each) are required in each disciplinary breadth discipline below for a total of eight courses.

Fine Arts (F) Two fine arts four-credit courses are required. Music performance, ensemble, or music lessons fine arts courses that are fewer than four credits must be taken enough times to equal eight credits in order to fulfill the fine arts requirement. Fine arts courses can usually be found in Studio Art, Art History, Music, Theatre Arts, and Anthropology. Three-credit transfer courses may satisfy one fine arts requirement.

Humanities (H) Two humanities courses are required. Humanities courses can usually be found in English, Modern Languages, Philosophy, and Religion.

Natural Science (N) Two natural science courses that include labs are required. Courses in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics all have year-long introductory sequences for majors (see course descriptions for sequencing). These three departments, as well as Anthropology, offer science courses designed for non-science majors. Students who have had the appropriate science background in high school are eligible to take the science major courses.

Social Science (S) Two social science courses are required. Social Science courses can usually be found in Anthropology, Communication Studies, Education, History, Legal Studies, Management & Economics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.

There are three categories of cultural breadth:

• Gender, race, age, class, minority ethnic identity, ability, sexual orientation (G)
• International issues (I)
• Language and culture studies, sign language, study abroad (L)

Students must take a total of three separate cultural breadth courses, from at least two different cultural breadth categories. (Note: If one course covers two cultural breadth categories, it may only be used to satisfy one cultural breadth requirement.)

One individual ability in learning course is required. Courses designated with a Q can be used to fulfill this requirement. An independent study, honors project, advanced seminar, or collaborative research project may also be used. Although this requirement is typically fulfilled by one of the ways listed, it is possible for a student (with the written agreement of a faculty member) to attach this requirement to any course, project, or internship. Courses using the personalized system of instruction (PSI) do not fulfill this requirement.

Transfer students fulfill this requirement at Hamline under the direction of a Hamline faculty member.

One course or experience is required. Students are encouraged to participate in LEAP experiences in their majors and to engage in more than one LEAP experience during their Hamline career. LEAP experiences include LEAP (P) courses as well as faculty-advised internships, undergraduate research projects, apprentice teaching, and qualifying independent studies/projects.

Transfer students fulfill this requirement at Hamline under the direction of a Hamline faculty member.

A major is a field of concentration, ranging from 32-74 credits, depending on its requirements. At least 16 credits in a student’s major must be taken at Hamline. A major must be declared by the end of the sophomore year. Students must be aware of the requirements for their major as outlined in the Hamline Undergraduate Bulletin and are expected to meet the major requirements that are in effect at the time they declare. Grades of C- or higher are required for all major courses, and the GPA for all major courses together must average 2.0 or better. Undergraduate program sheets listing requirements for each major are available at www.hamline.edu/ugrequirements.

Transfer students must take at least 16 credits in their major at Hamline. Transfer students must meet with a faculty advisor upon arrival at Hamline to determine the transferability of their major courses. Written approval of major courses by the advisor is recommended as soon as possible after the first advising appointment. Advisors approving transfer work have the right to ask the student for course descriptions and have the option to defer the decision to the department chair.

Anthropology (BA)
Art (BA)
Art History (BA)
Biochemistry (BS)
Biology (BA or BS)
Business Administration (BBA)

Accounting
Business Analytics
Finance
General Business
Global Business with East Asian Studies
Global Business with German
International Business
Management
Marketing
Sport and Recreation Management
Sustainable Enterprise

Chemistry (BA or BS)
Communication Studies (BA)
Creative Writing (BFA)
Criminal Justice (BA)
Digital Media Arts (BA)
East Asian Studies (BA)
Economics (BA)
Education Co-Major (BA, may be declared only as a secondary major)
English (BA)
Environmental Studies (BA)
Exercise Science (BA)
German (BA)
Global Studies (BA)
History (BA)
Latin American Studies (BA)
Legal Studies (BA)
Mathematics (BA or BS)
Music (BA)
Philosophy (BA)
Physics (BA or BS)
Political Science (BA)
Psychology (BA)
Public Health Sciences (BA)
Religion (BA)
Social Justice (BA)
Social Studies (BA)
Sociology (BA)
Spanish (BA)
Theatre Arts (BA)
Women’s Studies (BA)

Individually designed majors can be developed by students who have other needs and goals, if the courses are available (see Flexible Curriculum Option). Hamline offers minors in most of the above categories as well as African-American Studies, Computer Science, Conflict Studies, and Middle East Studies. See www.hamline.edu/ugrequirements for a list of all majors and minors.

Certificate programs are available in Conflict Studies, Forensic Sciences, International Journalism, and Paralegal Studies.

The conferral of degree will occur once all graduation requirements have been satisfied and the degree has been cleared by Registration & Records. Once the degree has been conferred no changes will be made to the academic record, this includes, but is not limited to the following: grades, GPA, major(s) and/or minor(s), degree type, etc. The academic record is considered sealed at the time of conferral and no changes will be made. Once a degree is conferred, a student may not return to add a major, minor, or concentration to that degree.

The double degree is the concurrent awarding of two different baccalaureate degree types (e.g., B.A. and B.S.). If a student completes two majors within one degree type, he/she will be awarded a double major (one degree with two majors), not two degrees regardless of the number of credits earned. (See Double Majors below.) A double degree may not be earned with the same major (e.g., a B.A. and B.S. in Physics). Following the conferral of both degrees, the student will receive two diplomas.

A Hamline University student may earn two different degrees if the following criteria are met:

• Degree types must be different
• At least 140 credits must be completed
• Both sets of degree requirements must be fulfilled before either degree is awarded

Some students decide to return to their studies after they have received their first baccalaureate degree. A subsequent degree is the awarding of a baccalaureate degree different from the first degree awarded. A student may not earn multiple degrees of the same type. A student returning to Hamline University to complete a second baccalaureate degree must apply for admission and meet admission criteria for that degree.

To receive a second baccalaureate degree, a student must complete (1) all degree requirements not satisfied by the previous degree and (2) a minimum of 12 additional credits taken in residence at Hamline University. Coursework seven or more years old approved by the academic department might apply toward the second baccalaureate degree. A student returning to complete a second baccalaureate degree is not eligible to participate in commencement. Once a degree is conferred, a student may not return to add a major, minor, or concentration to that degree.

A double major is the awarding of one degree with two majors. A student must declare both majors and fulfill all requirements of each in addition to satisfying all university requirements. Double majors must be within the same degree (e.g., both must be either a B.A. or B.S.). Following the conferral of the degree, the student transcript will note one baccalaureate degree with two majors.

Students pursuing two majors must:

• Complete a writing-intensive (W) course in both major departments
• Have at least four unique courses in both majors or four unique courses in the concentration if one or both of the majors are interdisciplinary
• Complete 76 credits outside both major departments–in these cases, each major will usually count outside the other

A major that Hamline does not offer may be completed at any of the other four ACTC colleges if it is obviously within the liberal arts tradition (examples are classics at the University of St. Thomas or geology at Macalester College). Additionally, a major of up to eight specialized courses with a specific career orientation may be completed at one of the other ACTC colleges provided the student also has an appropriate liberal arts major at Hamline. Students who wish to complete a major at another ACTC college must submit a flexible curriculum major proposal to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. The form is available at www.hamline.edu/registrar/forms.

The flexible curriculum option is offered for students who wish to develop a major or minor that is unique to their needs, but which satisfies the spirit and intent of Hamline’s graduation requirements. Such a major or minor might involve a coherent interdepartmental sequence of courses that addresses a particular topic or theme.

The flexible curriculum option requires the approval of an appropriate Hamline faculty advisor and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. Students should be prepared to state why their proposal is important to their program or educational intellectual development. Flexible curriculum proposal forms can be obtained in the Registration and Records office or at www.hamline.edu/registrar/forms and must be approved no later than the end of the junior year.

A minor is not required to graduate from Hamline although many students take advantage of the opportunity to complete minors. Most minors require five or six courses. Students completing a minor that is similar to their major must have at least three unique courses in the minor that are not used in the major or interdisciplinary major concentration. Multiple minors with overlapping coursework must also have three unique courses in each minor. Grades of C- or higher are required for all minor courses, and the GPA for all minor courses together must average 2.0 or better.

Transfer students must seek approval from their minor department chair for transfer work to apply toward a Hamline minor.

Students must complete a total of 76 credits outside of their major department. These credits can come from any course that does not have the designation of their major department.

Majors that require supporting courses from other departments may count those courses toward the breadth of study requirement. Interdisciplinary majors usually have an area of concentration. The concentration courses and any courses that have the designation of the major department are counted as inside the major; supporting courses from other departments count as outside the major for the purposes of the breadth of study requirement. When completing an interdisciplinary major that does not have a concentration, all courses not from the major department and all courses not specified as required will count toward breadth of study.

If students choose to take courses that are within their major department but are not going to use them toward their major, these will not count toward the breadth of study requirement. Students completing multiple majors must have 76 credits outside each major department. In these cases, each major will usually count outside the other.

All Hamline students are required to complete a minimum of 128 credits to graduate and obtain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0. 

Twenty-eight of the last 32 credits-and at least 56 total credits-must be completed in residence at Hamline or within the ACTC exchange, Hamline approved off-campus programs, or HECUA. Sixty residency credits graded A-F are required to be eligible for Latin honors at graduation.