Requirements for a Bachelor's Degree
There are multiple categories of degree requirements that comprise an undergraduate degree at Hopkins. All approved credit earned through exams or at other colleges and universities may be used to meet: Distribution requirements, Writing-Intensive requirement, Departmental major and minor requirements, and to satisfy course prerequisites.
- Total Degree Credit Requirement
The total degree credit requirement is considered a distinct degree requirement, and ranges from 120-130 credits depending on the degree. It is not merely a cumulative tally of courses used to satisfy requirement areas 3-6. - Residency Requirement
Students are required to complete a minimum number of credits in residency at JHU, therefore a limit is imposed on how many exam and transfer credits can be counted towards the total degree credit requirement. - Distribution Requirement
Students must earn a minimum number of credits in academic areas outside of their primary major. The academic areas in the Hopkins curriculum are humanities (H), natural sciences (N), social and behavioral sciences (S), quantitative and mathematical sciences (Q), and engineering (E). - Writing-Intensive Requirement
To encourage excellence in writing across disciplines, the University requires all bachelor’s students to complete writing-intensive courses. These courses are identified by a “W” in the JHU course schedule, and an asterisk (*) on the unofficial transcript. - Departmental Major Requirement, and Minor Requirement
Every student who earns a bachelor’s degree must satisfy the requirements for each of their declared major(s), and minor(s). These requirements may include courses in other disciplines that provide skills and information of importance to professionals in the major field. - First-Year Foundations Requirement (Arts and Sciences students only)
Arts and Sciences first-year students must complete a two-course requirement of a First-Year Seminar and a Reintroduction to Writing course. Arts and Sciences transfer students must complete an approved seminar and the Reintroduction to Writing course (or an equivalent transferred course).
Please note that this requirement is not applicable to undergraduates whose primary major is in Engineering, even those Engineering students who have an additional major in Arts and Sciences.
"D" Grade Restriction
University policy allows no more than 18 credits from courses with grades of D or D+ to be counted toward the total degree credit requirement for graduation. Departments may set a lower limit on the number of permissible D or D+ grades for a specific major. Many departments do not accept any D or D+ credits for major requirements.
Ten-Year Degree Completion Limit
A student must fulfill all degree requirements for graduation within 10 academic years from the date of matriculation at the University.
Degree Credit Totals
The Bachelor of Arts degree requires 120 credits.
The Bachelor of Science degree, whether in Arts and Sciences or Engineering, requires from 120 to 130 credits, depending on the major.
No program may require more than 130 credits.
For a degree requiring 120 total credits, a maximum of 20 approved credits from other sources may be counted towards the total degree credit requirement, even if more than 20 credits from external sources have been used to satisfy degree requirement areas of: Distribution, Writing-Intensive, and Departmental Major and/or Minor.
All approved exam credits earned will be posted to the transcript. Up to 12 approved transfer credits will be posted to the transcript. See External Credits section for details.
Example:
A student has a total of 32 external credits posted to the transcript:
- 8 transfer credits from another university
- 24 credits from AP exams
All 32 of these credits may be applied to requirement areas of: Distribution, Writing-Intensive, and Departmental Major and/or Minor.
If the student’s total degree credit requirement is 120, only 20 of those 32 credits will count toward the 120 total degree credit requirement (120-100=20).
If the student changes to a degree program whose total degree credit requirement is 126, only 26 of those 32 credits will count toward the total degree credit requirement (126-100=26).
Residency Requirement for Freshmen
Students who enter the university from high school must complete at least 100 credits at JHU. This includes courses that are taken after matriculation as a degree-seeking student:
- in fall, intersession, spring, or summer at JHU
- in other divisions of the university
- through the Baltimore Student Exchange Program (BSEP) during the fall and spring semesters only
- through an approved study abroad program (up to 30 credits)
In addition, credits earned through JHU courses prior to matriculation as a degree-seeking student are applied to the 100-credit residency requirement.
All students must complete a minimum of four semesters in residence as a full-time student. Students must be in residence for at least two of the final four semesters, including the final semester prior to graduation.
Residency Requirement for Transfer Students
Students who enter the university as transfer students must complete at least 60 credits at JHU. This includes courses that are taken after matriculation as a degree-seeking student:
- in fall, intersession, spring, or summer at JHU
- in other divisions of the university
- through the Baltimore Student Exchange Program (BSEP) during the fall and spring semesters only
- through summer and intersession study abroad programs sponsored by Hopkins departments
In addition, all transfer students must complete at least four full-time semesters in residence at JHU. Study abroad programs offered during fall and spring semesters do not count towards this four-semester requirement. Transfer students must be in residence for at least two of their final four semesters, including the final semester prior to graduation.
Residency Requirement for Peabody Double Degree Students
Students earning a double-degree at Peabody must complete at least 48 credits in either the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences or the Whiting School of Engineering.
Writing Designation Requirements
To encourage excellence in writing, across disciplines, the university requires all undergraduates to take a number of writing-intensive courses. A writing-intensive (W) course is one in which students complete at least 20 pages of finished writing, distributed over multiple assignments, usually 3 or 4 papers, throughout the semester. Instructors respond to students’ work in written comments or in conference, or both; and students have at least one opportunity to receive their instructor’s feedback on a draft and then revise. A writing-intensive course guides students’ practice in writing and makes writing an integral part of the course. The writing-intensive requirement is administered by the University Writing Program.
Writing-intensive courses are indicated by a “W” in the JHU course schedule and an asterisk (*) on a student’s unofficial transcript. Courses taken to satisfy the writing requirement must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a grade of C- or better. Writing-intensive courses taken to satisfy major, minor, or distribution requirements may also count toward the writing requirement. All course registrations at the 500 level, which is by definition independent academic work, except for courses that are Honors Thesis and the Senior Essay in English, are not allowed to be writing-intensive.
KSAS Students:
Effective Fall 2022, all students earning a degree from the School of Arts and Sciences must complete Reintroduction to Writing in their first year at Hopkins plus an additional 12 credits in writing-intensive courses through their undergraduate experience for a minimum of 15 writing-intensive credits. Arts and Sciences transfer students will be required to complete the Reintroduction to Writing course in their first year at JHU and encouraged to take it in the first semester. Transfer students who wish to have a similar writing course from a prior institution reviewed to serve as a substitution for this course should speak to the University Writing Program. To ensure seat availability in the course, students should request this review prior to transfer student registration day in the summer.
WSE Students:
Candidates for a B.A. degree in the School of Engineering must complete 12 credits (four courses at least 3 credits each) in writing-intensive courses, while candidates for a B.S. degree in Engineering must complete 6 credits (two courses at least 3 credits each) in writing-intensive courses. Please note, this requirement is based upon a student's degree; students are not required to complete a separate writing requirement for any additional majors.
For information about transferring writing-intensive credits to JHU, please see the External Credits section of Academic Policies.
Academic Area Designation Requirements
The distribution requirement stipulates that students must earn a minimum number of credits in academic areas outside of their primary major. Area designators represent an association between the course and an academic area. Courses with area designators are expected to do more than employ basic techniques, they are to advance knowledge and increase a student’s understanding of the theory. Courses that are teaching a basic skill, and therefore do not expose the student to modes of analysis and scholarship that represent the essence of a given discipline, will not be assigned an area designator. If taught within a Homewood academic department, the department is responsible for assigning area designators to their courses. Courses not offered through Homewood academic departments will be reviewed for proposed area designators by the appropriate dean's office.
The academic areas in the Hopkins curriculum are: humanities (H), natural sciences (N), social and behavioral sciences (S), quantitative and mathematical sciences (Q), and engineering (E).
The area designations of courses (H, S, N, Q, and E) are included in the course information in the departmental pages of the catalogue and in the online schedule of classes. The area designation also appears beside the course title on a student’s unofficial transcript. When a course has more than one area designation (HS, EN, EQ, etc.), students may use only one of the designations to satisfy the distribution requirement.
Only courses or other credit-bearing opportunities with area designations may be used to satisfy the distribution requirement. Area designators are not assigned to the following:
- Independent study
- Research
- Internships
- Music performance (unless taken as part of a music minor, in which case the course will be designated H)
- Dance performance
- Foreign language elements courses (see additional foreign language rules)
- Medical tutorials
Area designations can be assigned to courses taken elsewhere, to courses taken in other divisions of the university, or to graduate courses taken by undergraduates. These assignments are made by the appropriate dean's office based on the course content and the recommendations of the faculty. The most useful criteria for determining an appropriate area designator will be the course description and a similar JHU departmental offering.
The following courses at the Peabody Conservatory have H designations:
Area Designator | Code | Title |
---|---|---|
H | 530.411 | Keyboard Literature 1 |
H | 530.412 | Keyboard Literature 2 |
H | 530.413 | Keyboard Literature 3 |
H | 530.414 | Keyboard Literature 4 |
H | 530.569 | Jazz Analysis/History |
H | 530.570 | Constructive Listening & Analysis/ Jazz History |
H | 610.321 | History of Music 1 |
H | 610.322 | History of Music 2 |
H | 610.323 | History of Music 3 |
H | 260.115 | Core 1 |
H | 260.116 | Core 2 |
Distribution Requirement for Arts & Sciences Students
Students must earn:
- At least 9 credits in humanities
- At least 9 credits in social sciences
- At least 9 credits in natural sciences, quantitative, or engineering
These credits fulfilling the distribution requirement may overlap with major or minor requirements and the writing-intensive requirement.
In Arts and Sciences, courses taken for the distribution requirement may be taken for a letter grade or for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Courses passed with a letter grade of D or better, or passed with a Satisfactory grade, will fulfill the distribution requirement. Students who entered JHU prior to Fall 2014 should view the appropriate archived catalogue.
Distribution Requirement for Engineering Students
Students earning a degree in the School of Engineering must complete the following distribution requirement:
18 credits (6 courses at least 3 credits each) designated H and/or S. Although language elements and first-year language courses do not carry an area designator, engineering students may use these courses as substitutes for humanities courses in meeting the distribution requirement.
In Engineering, each department determines whether or not the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading option will be permitted for courses used to satisfy the distribution requirement.
Completing a Major and Minimum Grade Point Average
Every student who earns a bachelor’s degree must satisfy the requirements of a major. A major is a structured curriculum, usually within the confines of a particular academic field. Generally, the requirements for a major provide a student with a broad overview of the field through introductory courses, followed by more specialized courses tailored to meet the student’s interests in the field. The requirements for the major may also include courses in other disciplines that provide skills and information of importance to professionals in the major field.
Courses that are used to satisfy major requirements must be taken for a letter grade, unless the course is only offered using the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading system (i.e., there is no option for a letter grade). Students must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 in the letter graded courses used to satisfy major requirements. Many majors require a grade of C- or better in required courses.
Departmental Directors of Undergraduate Studies
For every major and minor that is offered at Johns Hopkins, there is a faculty member, or their designee, who serves as the program’s Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). They are available to answer questions about their major(s) and/or minor(s). The directors also assign faculty advisors to students who declare a major or minor.
Information about KSAS DUS is located at https://advising.jhu.edu/completing-your-degree/directors-of-undergraduate-studies/.
Information about WSE DUS is located at https://engineering.jhu.edu/advising/directors-of-undergraduate-studies/.
Declaring a Major in Arts and Sciences
Students who enter the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences from high school are classified as pre-majors during their freshman year. In April, freshmen in Arts and Sciences will meet with an academic advisor to declare their primary major in Arts and Sciences. To declare a major at a later time, see Changing Majors or Advisors section below. Students must declare a major by April 15th of their sophomore year in order to assure that they will complete requirements for graduation in four years.
Arts and Sciences freshmen may declare second majors and minors offered through the School of Engineering beginning their freshman year until April 15th of their junior year.
Declaring a Major in Engineering
Students who enter the Whiting School of Engineering declare a specific engineering major on their application for admission. A student must take direct action to change the major. To change a major, see Changing Majors or Advisors section below.
Students cannot change their major into Biomedical Engineering. Students must be accepted into the program at the time of admission to the University.
It is recommended that undecided engineering students select a specific major no later than the end of freshman year.
Engineering students may declare a second major or minor offered through either the School of Engineering or the School of Arts and Sciences beginning their freshmen year until April 15th of their junior year.
Changing Majors or Advisors
Once students have declared a major, they may change their major or their faculty advisor by completing the online Program of Study form in SIS. Students cannot change their major into Biomedical Engineering.
Declaring Additional Majors (Optional)
Students who wish to complete the requirements of more than one major are expected to declare the additional major(s) by April 15th of their junior year. Students may add an additional major by completing the online Program of Study form.
A student with a double major receives the degree (B.A./B.S.) associated with the student's primary major. Completing a second major does not entitle the student to a second degree. The completion of additional majors is recorded on the transcript and diploma. When completing a double major, students need only satisfy the distribution requirement affiliated with the school of their primary major.
Declaring a Minor (Optional)
Students who wish to complete the requirements for a minor(s) are expected to declare the minor(s) by April 15th of their junior year. Students may add a minor by completing the online Program of Study Form. The completion of a minor is recorded on the transcript, but the minor does not appear on the diploma.
Official recognition with notation on the academic record is not given for completion of majors or minors at other divisions of the university or at other colleges.
Restrictions Applying to Double Majors and Minors
Within the Hopkins curriculum, requirements for the completion of undergraduate majors and minors are established by academic departments and approved by the Homewood Academic Council, acting on recommendations from the Curriculum Committees of the Krieger and Whiting Schools. Students who fulfill the necessary prerequisites and satisfy the specified course requirements for a major/minor will be certified as having completed that major/minor. While departments are free to designate the range of courses that may satisfy major/minor requirements for their own academic programs, they may not prohibit the use of course work presented for their department's major/minor from being used to satisfy the requirements of other majors or minors. In other words, students may "double count" coursework that independently meets the requirements of more than one major/minor.
Students are encouraged to choose additional areas of study to complement their major. However, students may not choose a minor with an identical name to their major. For example, a student majoring in Africana Studies may not declare a minor in Africana Studies.
Other prohibited combinations include:
- Students may not major in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Biology.
- Students majoring in the Natural Sciences Area may only double major or minor in a program outside of the natural sciences
- Students majoring in Medicine, Science and the Humanities may not double major in Natural Sciences Area.
- Students majoring in Romance Languages may not major or minor in one of the individual Romance Languages (except for the Spanish for the Professions minor).
- Students majoring in Spanish may not minor in the Spanish for the Professions minor.
Closely-related majors and minors that are allowed include:
- Economics majors may complete a Financial Economics minor.
- Romance Languages majors may complete the Spanish for the Professions minor.
- Computer Science majors may complete a Computer Integrated Surgery minor.
- Cognitive Science majors may complete the Linguistics minor.
- Students majoring in Environmental Engineering may major in any major offered through the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
The examples provided above may not be an exhaustive list and students who have questions about combinations of related programs should consult an advisor in their respective advising office.
First Year Foundations
Arts and Sciences students are required to complete two foundational courses: (1) a First-Year Seminar (AS.001.xxx) and (2) Reintroduction to Writing (AS.004.101).
First-Year Students:
All KSAS students who enter Hopkins must take a First-Year Seminar (FYS) in the fall of their first year. Each FYS will be unique based on the interest of the faculty teaching the course, but all of the 12-person seminars are intended to help new students cultivate intellectual curiosity, develop critical thinking skills, encourage meaningful civil exchange among students across disciplinary interests, and foster faculty-student interaction.
FYS courses, numbered AS.001.xxx, are graded S/U and may also count towards a University distribution requirement assuming the course carries an area designator. They are not designated writing intensive. After enrolling in an FYS, students may not drop their FYS without adding a different one. Students who earn a U grade in their FYS or switch to AS from EN after the add period ends in the fall of their first-year must take a 19-person or small seminar in a later semester. These courses must be offered by KSAS and carry an area designator of H or S.
The second foundation requirement is the completion of Reintroduction to Writing (AS.004.101). This introductory level writing course is designed to help students with a foundation of academic writing, as well as to provide a rhetorical framework for adapting their writing skills to future contexts, audiences, and genres. The courses will share certain features, but each section will have its own distinct theme and assignments. This course must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a C- or higher.
Transfer Students:
All KSAS transfer students will be required to take at JHU a 19-person or smaller seminar in lieu of a FYS. These courses must be offered by KSAS and carry an area designator of H or S and can be identified in one of two ways:
1) A course that has only one section and the seat limit is 19 or less.
2) A course that has multiple sections, each section seat limit is 19 or less, and the sections never meet combined into a larger lecture course.
Students may take the seminar either for a letter grade or graded S/U. The course additionally may fulfill a writing, distribution, or major or minor requirements. Reintroduction to Writing may not count as the seminar course. If also intended to be used to fulfill a writing requirement, the seminar must be taken for a letter grade.
Like first-year students, transfer students must complete a Retrointroduction to Writing (AS.004.101) course and they are strongly encouraged to complete this requirement in their first semester at JHU. This course must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a C- or higher. Transfer students who wish to have a similar writing course from a prior institution reviewed to serve as a substitution for this course should speak to the University Writing Program. To ensure remaining seat availability in the course at JHU, students must request this review prior to transfer student registration day in the summer.