Requirements for a Bachelor's Degree
NOTE: The information below describes the academic requirements for students entering JHU as degree-seeking students in Fall 2025. Students who entered JHU as degree-seeking students prior to Fall 2025 should view the appropriate archived catalogue.
There are multiple categories of degree requirements that comprise an undergraduate degree at Hopkins.
- Total Degree Credit Requirement (KSAS and WSE students)
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 3-7 below. - Residency Requirement (KSAS and WSE students)
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. - Departmental Major Requirement and Minor Requirement (KSAS and WSE students)
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 Seminar or Design Cornerstone Requirement (WSE students)
Except for students transferring to Hopkins after their first year at another institution, all Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) students are required to complete a First-Year Seminar (FYS) or a Design Cornerstone course with a grade of S. - Foundational Abilities Requirements (WSE students)
Engineering students must complete requirements in six Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication, Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning, Creative Expression, Engagement with Society, Ethical Reflection, and Conceiving of and Realizing Projects. - First-Year Foundation Requirement (KSAS 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). - Foundational Abilities Requirements (KSAS students)
Arts and Sciences students must complete requirements in six Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication; Science and Data; Culture and Aesthetics; Citizens and Society; Ethics and Foundations; and Projects and Methods.
"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.
First-Year Seminar/ Design Cornerstone Requirement
Except for students transferring to Hopkins after their first year at another institution, all Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) students are required to complete a First-Year Seminar (FYS) or a Design Cornerstone course with a grade of S. These courses are designed to foster academic curiosity, build meaningful connections among peers and faculty, promote exchange of views across disciplines, and lay the foundation of critical thinking that students will build on throughout their time at Hopkins.
WSE students must complete an FYS or Design Cornerstone course during their first year of matriculation. Most students may select from the two available options described below; Biomedical Engineering majors must complete the Design Cornerstone course.
1. A 3-credit seminar designed around the unique interests of a faculty member:
Each seminar course provides a discussion-based inquiry into an academic discipline or debate. These courses are capped at 12 students and are graded S/U. They are offered only in the fall semester. Students may choose to take a seminar taught by faculty in WSE (EN.501.xxx), or in Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (AS.001.xxx).
2. A 2-credit Design Cornerstone course focused on multidisciplinary engineering design:
This hands-on course introduces students to approaches used in various disciplines to define design problems and contextualize user needs, plan and complete experiments, manage projects, and build prototypes. This courses is capped at 15 students per section and is graded S/U. It is offered in fall and spring semesters with the course number EN.501.124.
WSE students who receive a U grade in an FYS must enroll and satisfactorily complete a 2-credit Design Cornerstone course (described above) in their second year.
Students who change their primary major from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences to the Whiting School of Engineering may use the satisfactory completion of a KSAS FYS to meet the WSE FYS requirement.
WSE students who transfer to the university after their first year are not required to complete a first-year seminar and do not have an alternative requirement.
The Foundational Abilities in the Whiting School of Engineering
The six Foundational Abilities described below have been designed to ensure that a Hopkins engineering education provides breadth as well as depth. Students develop their Foundational Abilities through courses and proficiency assessment within their ePortfolios.
For students with a primary major in the Whiting School of Engineering, all approved credit earned through exams or at other colleges and universities may be used to meet foundational abilities requirements, engineering departmental major and minor requirements, and to satisfy course prerequisites.
The requirements for the following six Foundational Abilities are explained on this page. Use the links below to jump to a specific section.
FA2 Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning
FA6 Conceiving of and Realizing Projects
FA1: WRITING AND COMMUNICATION
Students should recognize the importance of language and have a command of it as readers, writers, and speakers.
Learning Objectives
- Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in different modes including, but not limited to, written and oral forms.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to adapt to varied audiences and purposes.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to understand and interpret the communications of others.
Course Requirements
To gain foundational skills in writing and communication (FA1), all WSE primary majors will be required to earn a letter grade of C- or better in both a three-credit course in written communication (FA1.1) and a three-credit course in oral communication (FA1.2).
FA1 Foundational Course Requirements
These are the courses which satisfy the writing course requirement, choose one:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AS.004.101 | Reintroduction to Writing | 3 |
| EN.661.110 | Professional Writing and Ethics | 3 |
This is the course which satisfies the oral communication course requirement:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EN.661.250 | Oral Presentations | 3 |
Students may complete the writing foundational course requirement, but not the oral communication foundational course, through a transfer course deemed equivalent by the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs upon assessment by the Center for Leadership Education. See the External Credit section for information about how to request evaluation of a writing transfer course for applicability to the Foundational Ability.
FA1 ePortfolio Assignment Requirements
All WSE primary majors must further demonstrate their capacity for writing and oral communication within an engineering discipline by completing at least one writing assignment (FA1.1eP) and one oral communication assignment (FA1.2eP) that have been assessed using the rubrics created and approved by the ePortfolio Board. This work may be completed as part of a student’s engineering (EN.XXX.XXX) coursework or through Customized Academic Learning (CAL) in an engineering discipline. Students must submit evidence of this work to their ePortfolio, and this work must be deemed to demonstrate proficiency using the approved rubrics by the course or CAL instructor.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses with at least one assignment applicable to the Written Communication ePortfolio assignment requirement will be tagged with the EN Foundational Ability tag FA1.1eP | ||
| Courses with at least one assignment applicable to the Oral Communication ePortfolio assignment requirement will be tagged with the EN Foundational Ability tag FA1.2eP | ||
FA2: Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning
Students should develop facility with scientific, numerical, and algorithmic reasoning and be able to use computational and analytical methods.
Learning Objectives
- Students will demonstrate the ability to reason scientifically and quantitatively.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to both construct and evaluate arguments and hypotheses as supported by data, sound theory, and evidence.
Course Requirements
All WSE primary majors enrolled in B.A. or B.S. programs are required to demonstrate their capacity for scientific and quantitative reasoning (FA2) by earning a letter grade of C- or better in the following courses or demonstrate proficiency in the subject areas covered in the course through transfer course equivalency, AP/IB credits, or course waivers.
As FA2 is an integral part of engineering, majors may specify one or more courses from the lists provided below that students must take in satisfaction of the above requirement. Please note that each major may include specific courses that must be completed in order to fulfill this foundational abilities requirement. Please review the appropriate major program page carefully.
Calculus I: Complete one of the courses below. AS.110.108 is preferred for engineering students.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AS.110.108 | Calculus I (Physical Sciences & Engineering) | 4 |
| AS.110.106 | Calculus I (Biology and Social Sciences) | 4 |
Calculus II: Complete one of the courses below. AS.110.109 is preferred for engineering students.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AS.110.109 | Calculus II (For Physical Sciences and Engineering) | 4 |
| AS.110.107 | Calculus II (For Biological and Social Science) | 4 |
Calculus I and II combined (Alternative): The following course will satisfy both the Calculus I and II requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AS.110.113 | Honors Single Variable Calculus | 4 |
Probability and Statistics: Probability and Statistics courses can be taken together or separately.
These courses cover both probability and statistics together. Complete one of the courses below.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EN.553.211 | Probability and Statistics for the Life Sciences | 4 |
| EN.553.311 | Intermediate Probability and Statistics | 4 |
| EN.553.433 | Monte Carlo Methods | 4 |
| EN.553.633 | Monte Carlo Methods | 4 |
| EN.540.382 | Statistical Modeling and Analysis with Python | 3 |
| EN.560.240 | Uncertainty, Reliability and Decision-making | 3 |
These courses cover only probability or only statistics. Complete one course from each group, A and B, to satisfy the probability/statistics requirement.
GROUP A: Probability-only course
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EN.553.420 | Probability | 4 |
| EN.553.421 | Honors Probability | 4 |
GROUP B: Statistics-only courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EN.553.111 | Statistical Analysis I | 4 |
| EN.553.413 | Applied Statistics & Data Analysis I | 4 |
| EN.553.430 | Mathematical Statistics | 4 |
| EN.553.431 | Honors Mathematical Statistics | 4 |
| EN.553.613 | Applied Statistics & Data Analysis I | 4 |
Computing/Data Science: Complete one of the courses/course pairs below.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EN.500.112 | Gateway Computing: JAVA | 3 |
| EN.500.112 & EN.500.133 | Gateway Computing: JAVA and Bootcamp: Python | 4 |
| EN.500.113 | Gateway Computing: Python | 3 |
| EN.500.113 & EN.500.132 | Gateway Computing: Python and Bootcamp: Java | 4 |
| EN.500.215 | Principles of Data Science | 3 |
| EN.601.220 | Intermediate Programming | 4 |
| EN.601.226 | Data Structures | 4 |
Natural Science + Laboratory: One introductory-level physics, chemistry, or biology course with associated laboratory; complete one of the course pairs below.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AS.020.151 & AS.020.153 | General Biology I and General Biology Laboratory I | 4 |
| AS.020.152 & AS.020.154 | General Biology II and General Biology Lab II | 4 |
| AS.030.101 & AS.030.105 | Introductory Chemistry I and Introductory Chemistry Laboratory I | 4 |
| AS.030.102 & AS.030.106 | Introductory Chemistry II and Introductory Chemistry Laboratory II | 4 |
| AS.171.101 & AS.173.111 | General Physics: Physical Science Major I and General Physics Laboratory I | 5 |
| AS.171.102 & AS.173.112 | General Physics: Physical Science Major II and General Physics Laboratory II | 5 |
| AS.171.105 & AS.173.115 | Classical Mechanics I and Classical Mechanics Laboratory | 5 |
| AS.171.106 & AS.173.116 | Electricity and Magnetism I and Electricity and Magnetism Laboratory | 5 |
| AS.171.107 & AS.173.111 | General Physics for Physical Sciences Majors (AL) and General Physics Laboratory I | 5 |
| AS.171.108 & AS.173.112 | General Physics for Physical Science Majors (AL) and General Physics Laboratory II | 5 |
As FA2 is an integral part of engineering, majors may specify one or more courses from the lists provided above that students must take in satisfaction of the above requirement. Please note that each major may include specific courses that must be completed in order to fulfill this foundational abilities requirement. Please review the appropriate major program page carefully.
FA3: Creative Expression
Students should recognize the importance of complex creative expressions and cultivate their intellectual and emotional responses to aesthetic and cultural experiences.
Learning Objectives
- Students will demonstrate the ability to interpret complex creative expressions, in some cases by undertaking such endeavors themselves.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to articulate the cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts of these works along with their social and cultural implications.
Course Requirements
All WSE primary majors are required to earn a grade of C- or better in 12 credits of coursework and/or CAL in creative expression (FA3) or engagement with society (FA4). At least three of these credits must be earned in the areas of FA3 and at least three of these credits must be earned in the areas of FA4.
All WSE primary majors enrolled in B.A. programs must earn a grade of C- or better in at least one 3-credit 300-level course in an FA3 or FA4 area as part of their completion of the 12 credits earned toward this requirement.
WSE primary majors satisfying a portion of their FA3 or FA4 requirement through CAL must do so by undertaking work under a faculty member deemed to have demonstrated expertise in this area who assesses the work to demonstrate proficiency in FA3 and/or FA4. This option requires that the work assessed by the faculty instructor of the CAL be included in the student’s ePortfolio and assessed using the rubric(s) created and approved by the ePortfolio Board. For work in the fine or performing arts satisfying FA3, the faculty instructor may be from a suitable partner school such as the Peabody Conservatory of Music or Maryland Institute College of Art.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses applicable to this requirement will be tagged for the EN Foundational Ability Creative Expression (FA3) | ||
FA4: Engagement with Society
Students should engage effectively as citizens of a multifaceted world informed by an understanding of historical and social determinants.
Learning Objectives
- Students will demonstrate the ability to engage effectively and thoughtfully with societies in which they live and work and with people of different cultures, backgrounds, and values.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to understand how history and current events inform efforts to make societies humane and just.
Course Requirements
All WSE primary majors are required to earn a grade of C- or better in 12 credits of coursework and/or CAL in creative expression (FA3) or engagement with society (FA4). At least three of these credits must be earned in the areas of FA3 and at least three of these credits must be earned in the areas of FA4.
All WSE primary majors enrolled in B.A. programs must earn a grade of C- or better in at least one 3-credit 300-level course in an FA3 or FA4 area as part of their completion of the 12 credits earned toward this requirement.
WSE primary majors satisfying a portion of their FA3 or FA4 requirement through CAL must do so by undertaking work under a faculty member deemed to have demonstrated expertise in this area who assesses the work to demonstrate proficiency in FA3 and/or FA4. This option requires that the work assessed by the faculty instructor of the CAL be included in the student’s ePortfolio and assessed using the rubric(s) created and approved by the ePortfolio Board.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses applicable to this requirement will be tagged for the EN Foundational Ability Engagement with Society (FA4) | ||
FA5: Ethical Reflection
Students should be reflective, effective ethical agents.
Learning Objectives
- Students will demonstrate the ability to act with ethical agency in their personal and professional lives by exploring various perspectives along ethical, moral, and social dimensions and applying these considerations to their decision-making.
- Students will understand their obligations as engineers.
Course Requirements
All WSE primary majors must earn a grade of C- or better in a foundational course that introduces students to the practice of ethical reflection (FA5). This requirement may also be satisfied by an approved transfer course equivalency.
Courses satisfying this requirement must assess the following learning objectives:
a. Understand varied perspectives on real-world scenarios that feature ethical, moral, and social dimensions.
b. Apply ethical principles and reasoning frameworks to analyze such scenarios through debate and dialogue.
c. Reflect upon ethical considerations in their personal and professional lives, including their own values and biases.
d. Plan, compose, and revise written projects or oral presentations which evaluate the implications of ethical decisions on various stakeholders.
As FA5 is an integral part of engineering practice, majors may specify one or more courses students must take in satisfaction of the above requirement. Please note that each major may include specific courses that must be completed in order to fulfill this foundational abilities requirement. Please review the appropriate major program page carefully.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses applicable to this requirement will be tagged for the EN Foundational Ability Ethical Reflection (FA5) | ||
ePortfolio Assignment Requirements
All WSE primary majors must demonstrate their capacity for ethical reflection (FA5E) within their engineering coursework by completing at least one ethical reflection that has been independently assessed to demonstrate an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgements, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts. This work may be completed either as part of a student’s engineering coursework or through CAL in an engineering discipline. Students must submit evidence of this work to their ePortfolio that must be assessed using the rubric(s) created and approved by the ePortfolio Board and deemed to demonstrate proficiency by the course or CAL instructor.
FA6: Conceiving of and Realizing Projects
Students should be able to independently conceptualize and complete large-scale, consequential projects.
Learning Objective
- Students will demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, develop, and deliver consequential projects with ambitious scope, individually or in collaborative teams.
ePortfolio Assignment Requirements
All WSE primary majors must demonstrate a capacity for conceiving of and realizing projects (FA6E) by engaging in at least two approved projects. Each student’s ePortfolio must include relevant deliverables from assessed projects deemed to demonstrate the student’s abilities to conceptualize, develop, and reflect on such projects. This assessment will be performed be assessed using the rubric(s) created and approved by the ePortfolio Board by the instructor of the course within which the work was produced or by the CAL faculty instructor. This work may be performed within or outside of the student’s primary major.
Additional Policies and Recommendations Regarding WSE Foundational Abilities
While major requirements may specify foundational courses to be taken in satisfaction of FA2 and FA5 within the above framework, they may not make any such designations for FA1, FA3, FA4, FA6 or first-year seminar fulfillment without permission of the vice dean for undergraduate education in WSE.
Each department will articulate which courses will include ePortfolio assignments that satisfy students' FA1.1eP, FA1.2eP, FA5eP, and FA6eP requirements. Students may satisfy their ePortfolio requirements via engineering courses within their major, engineering courses outside of their primary major, or CAL. Departments may not restrict students to satisfying their WSE school-level ePortfolio requirement in particular courses, although they may make recommendations of how students can satisfy these requirements via courses required for the major.
Because ePortfolio work done in a student's discipline is envisioned to primarily occur after their first year of undergraduate study, departments will be responsible for fully implementing ePortfolio offerings during the 2026-2027 academic year. There are a limited number of courses tagged for ePortfolio completion during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Transfer students entering JHU before Fall 2027 may petition the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs via their academic advisor to waive the requirements for ePortfolio work in FA1.1eP, FA1.2eP, FA5eP, and FA6eP described above. This waiver will be approved in cases where the department has not implemented opportunities for FA fulfillment in the applicable course(s) prior to the transfer student's graduation. This is expected to be a rare occurrence.
An ePortfolio assignment or CAL product that a faculty member designates to demonstrate learning outcomes relevant to multiple FAs may be assessed with respect to all applicable criteria and satisfy multiple FA requirements.
It is recommended, but not mandated, that courses that contain ePortfolio assignments designed to satisfy FA1 and FA5 be sequenced after the writing, oral communications, and ethics foundational courses, respectively.
Students are encouraged, but are not required, to demonstrate proficiency in scientific and quantitative Reasoning (FA2), creative expression (FA3), and engagement with society (FA4) by submitting artifacts to their ePortfolio.
Foundational Abilities Requirement
The Foundational Abilities requirement is designed to ensure that students earn a number of credits in academic areas outside of their primary major, developing breadth as well as depth. The Foundational Abilities curriculum builds tools not just for academic success, but for leadership, innovation, and adaptability. There are six Foundational Abilities.
Overview of the Foundational Abilities
Foundational Ability: Writing and Communication (FA1)
Students should develop a command of language as writers, readers, and speakers. They should be able to write about and respond to varied texts accurately and subtly; argue lucidly and effectively to diverse audiences in a variety of forms; and adapt their writing, reading, and speaking to new and complex contexts.
Foundational Ability: Science and Data (FA2)
Students should develop facility with scientific and quantitative reasoning and be able to apply computational and analytical methods to evaluate hypotheses about the natural world and in other contexts. They should be able to assess the degree to which arguments are supported by empirical evidence and sound reasoning as they arise in various contexts.
Foundational Ability: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3)
Students should recognize the importance of complex creative expression in literature, music, visual arts and other forms, including in other languages, and be able to interpret them. They should cultivate their analytical and emotional responses to aesthetic and cultural experiences, be able to situate various forms of creative expression in historical and contemporary contexts and identify their social and cultural meanings.
Foundation Ability: Citizens and Society (FA4)
Students should engage effectively and reflectively as citizens of a diverse world and understand the forces that shape civic life. They should develop historically informed, dynamic understanding of inequity and inequality, democracy and its institutions, and of local, national and global societies, including through the study of languages. They should demonstrate openness to the beliefs, practices and values of others and be able examine and articulate the evidence for their own beliefs, practices, and values.
Foundational Ability: Ethics and Foundations (FA5)
Students should be reflective, effective ethical agents in their personal and professional lives. To this end, they should explore various perspectives on ethical, moral, social, and political questions and their philosophical foundations. They should develop the capacity for critical reflection, reasoning, and judgment necessary for constructing and comparing complex positions on such matters and engage situations of ethical consequence across the curriculum.
Foundational Ability: Projects and Methods (FA6)
Students should be able to conceptualize, develop, and deliver projects of consequence. They should learn about and harness relevant methods and means of inquiry for the creation of new knowledge, sustain work independently or collaboratively, and articulate the goals, results, and importance of their projects to broad audiences.
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.
Credit Requirements
Students must earn a minimum number of credits for each foundational ability:
• FA#1: Writing and Communication (15 credits)
• FA#2: Science and Data (15 credits)
• FA#3: Culture and Aesthetics (15 credits)
• FA#4: Citizens and Society (15 credits), including 3 credits of coursework that explores democracy and civics
• FA#5: Ethics and Foundations (15 credits)
• FA#6: Projects and Methods (6 credits)
These credits may overlap with major or minor requirements. When a course has more than one Foundational Ability identifier, students may use only one of the designations to satisfy the requirement, unless the additional tag is either Writing and Communication or Projects and Methods. For the rare course that is designated Writing and Communications, Projects and Methods, and a third Foundational Ability, the student may apply the course towards all three requirements.
Courses taken for the Foundational Ability of Writing and Communication must be taken for a letter grade and a grade of C- or better is required for the course to apply towards the requirement. The other Foundational Ability course requirements may be taken for a letter grade or for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Courses completed with a letter grade of D or better, or passed with a Satisfactory grade, will fulfill the requirement.
Writing and Communication in the Major
Students must complete at least 6 credits of Writing and Communication foundational ability coursework in one Arts and Sciences major. This could be in either the student's primary major or an additional major. These courses overlap with the 15 credits required of Writing and Communication courses and requirements of the major itself (they may double count).
Note for Peabody Double Degree Students
Students participating in the Peabody double degree program will have the Foundational Ability of Culture and Aesthetics waived.
Restrictions
Only credit-bearing courses may be used to fulfill the Foundational Ability requirements. The following courses are not assigned a Foundational Ability:
- Credits earned by exam, such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or GCE.
- Music performance (Unless taken as part of a Music minor. Students completing a Music minor may request those credit-bearing experiences, such as music lesson at Peabody, be designated as Culture and Aesthetics.)
- Dance performance
- Medical tutorials
- First-Year Seminars
-
Courses offered by WSE, with the exception of the many designated with the Foundational Ability of Science and Data and select Center for Leadership Education courses.
Assignment of Foundational Abilities to Courses
If taught within a Homewood academic department, the department is responsible for assigning the appropriate Foundational Ability(ies) to their courses. Courses may be assigned two Foundational Abilities; however, a third Foundational Ability may be assigned only if one of the abilities is Writing and Communication or Projects and Methods.
Foundational Abilities 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. The most useful criteria for determining the appropriate Foundational Ability will be the course description and a similar JHU departmental offering. While transfer courses may be articulated as directly equivalent to a JHU course, the Foundational Ability tags of Writing and Communication and Projects and Methods will not automatically apply to those courses. Students should speak to their academic advisor about how to have transfer courses apply to these two Foundational Abilities.
First Year Foundation
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:
To welcome students into the intellectual life of the university, all KSAS students who enter Hopkins must take a First-Year Seminar (FYS) in the fall of their first year. FYS offerings in KSAS range across the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Each FYS is unique and based on the interest of the faculty teaching the course, but all share common goals to: (1) Cultivate intellectual curiosity and community, (2) Establish foundational critical thinking skills and habits of mind, (3) Foster academic belonging while encouraging meaningful civil discourse across disciplinary interests, and (4) Promote faculty-student interaction and mentorship.
FYS courses, numbered AS.001.xxx, are graded S/U. 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 the course may apply to additional degree requirements.
The second foundation requirement, also required in a student's first year, is the completion of AS.004.101 Reintroduction to Writing . This course must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a C- or higher. This course does not fulfill the Writing and Communication requirement but may fulfill other Foundational Abilities.
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 with the following specifications:
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.
3) Reintroduction to Writing (AS.004.101) may not count as the seminar course.
Transfer students may take the seminar either for a letter grade or graded S/U. The course additionally may fulfill a foundational ability or a major or minor requirement (or both).
Like first-year students, transfer students must complete an AS.004.101 Reintroduction to Writing course and transfer students 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.
School Affiliation (KSAS or WSE)
Your school affiliation and degree are determined by your primary major. Each school has unique degree requirements that students must satisfy. Your school affiliation determines your school-specific requirements and students will change their school affiliation if they change their primary major to one offered in the other school.
Academic Advising and Faculty Mentoring
Each KSAS and WSE undergraduate student is assigned a professional academic advisor during the summer preceding their first semester of attendance. It is the intention that students will remain assigned to the same professional academic advisor until graduation if the student remains in the same school. The professional academic advisor is a professional staff member dedicated to each advisees' academic success. Faculty members in both schools provide faculty mentoring to students based on the model adopted by the student's program of study(ies). If students change their school affiliation, their professional academic advisor and faculty mentors will adjust.
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. In some programs, courses only offered using the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading system (i.e., there is no option for a letter grade) may apply towards specific requirements. 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).
Information about KSAS DUS is located here.
Information about WSE DUS is located here.
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 students may declare second majors and minors offered through the School of Engineering beginning their freshman year. It is strongly recommended students declare by the spring registration date of their Junior year to ensure timely graduation.
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 the Changing Primary Major section below.
For students with a primary major in the Whiting School of Engineering, all approved credit earned through exams or at other colleges and universities may be used to meet foundational abilities, engineering departmental major and minor requirements, and to satisfy course prerequisites.
Students cannot change their major into Biomedical Engineering. Students must be accepted into the program at the time of admission to the University.
Undecided engineering students must select a primary major no later than the end of freshman year.
Engineering students may declare additional majors and minors offered through the School of Arts and Sciences beginning their freshman year. It is strongly recommended students declare by the spring registration date of their Junior year to ensure timely graduation.
Changing Primary Major
In order to change a primary major within a student's current school, students complete the online Program of Study change form. In Engineering, students will receive a new faculty mentor based on this new primary major. In Arts and Sciences, faculty mentoring relationships will be adjusted per mentoring model being used by the major. In both schools, the student's professional academic advisor will not change.
When students change their primary major to a major in the other school, after initiation of the Program of Study change form, students are required to meet with a professional academic advisor in the new school. Students are required to fulfill the school-specific degree requirements of their new school. The purpose of the meeting is to communicate what school-specific requirements they need to meet and how this change may impact their time to graduation. If, after the meeting, the student wishes to continue with the primary major change, the major change will be processed. Students are then assigned a professional academic advisor in their new school and faculty mentoring will adjust per the mentoring model used by the new program of study.
Students cannot change their major into Biomedical Engineering.
The Moral and Political Economy major has a required application. Students can not change their major to Moral and Political Economy via the Program of Study form. Students should access this link for information regarding the application process.
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 school degree requirements affiliated with the school of their primary major. When adding an additional major outside of the school of their primary major, students are not required to meet with an academic advisor before the request is processed. KSAS students who declare an additional major in WSE will be assigned another professional academic advisor in WSE, who advises them on their WSE major only.
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 schools within the university, except for the Business minor offered through the Carey Business School, 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 coursework 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 free to choose additional areas of study to complement their major and explore the curriculum. 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 (see Major Requirements for a complete listing of disallowed double majors).
- 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.
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
- credits earned through an approved Hopkins Semester experience
- 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
- credits earned through an approved Hopkins Semester experience
- 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.
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 other requirements.
All approved exam credits earned will be posted to the transcript. For students entering from high school, up to 12 approved transfer credits will be posted to the transcript. See the 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 other requirements as permitted by their school-specific requirements. See the External Credits section for details.
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).