College of Arts and Sciences requirements

The student division of the dean's office is located in Room 010 Longmire Building, within a block of the Westcott administration building on the Florida State University campus, and students may "walk-in" at any time between 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and between 1 p.m.to4 p.m. on regular working days (generally M-F). Detailed information about academic requirements and other academic and university policies is included in the annual editions of the Florida State University General Bulletin.

Arts & Sciences graduation requirements
Completion of a major - Contact department advisor for details
Requirements - Each department sets the specific requirements for completion of the major(s) in that department. Students should meet with the department advisor in the intended major on a regular basis (e.g., once a semester) to lay out a plan of study. Since the required curriculum may change over time, it is important to refer to the appropriate edition of the General Bulletin (or contact the department advisor) to be aware of specific requirements.

Graduation check - Students must initiate an Arts and Sciences graduation check online (click here) AND in the office of the Registrar at least one semester prior to the term in which they plan to graduate. These two graduation checks are mandatory no later than the semester in which a student's total credits reach or exceed 110 semester hours. The results of this "check" will indicate to the student whether college and university requirements are completed (and, if not, what courses must yet be taken). In addition, the respective academic department will indicate what (if any) courses must be taken to complete requirements for the major.

Other - Students need to be aware that no more than 4 hours in courses counted toward the major can also count toward Liberal Studies credit. In addition, some majors may require more than the 120 total hours typically required for graduation.

Completion of a minor - Refer to "General Bulletin" for complete information
Requirements - In an attempt to insure that each student who graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences has a broad, liberal education, a concentration of courses in a department outside the major department is required. It is the responsibility of the student to meet the requirements for a minor based on information provided in the General Bulletin. While many minors require only twelve (12) semester hours, others may require as many as eighteen (18) semester hours. The minor department does not have to be in the College of Arts and Sciences. If you have questions about the availability of specific courses, the preferred sequences of courses, etc., please contact the academic advisor for the minor department.

Exceptions - Although most majors in the College of Arts and Sciences require selection and completion of a specific academic minor, this is not true for the following programs: Latin American and Caribbean studies/business; secondary science/math teaching; humanities; foreign language/business; English/business majors; and certain science majors that have a required collateral minor. In addition, students completing a double major do not have to complete a minor.

Other - No courses used in satisfying major, foreign language, or Liberal Studies requirements may also be counted toward the minor. Students pursuing two degrees must have a separate minor for each degree that is awarded by this college. If one of the degrees is to be awarded by another college in the University, the Dean's office of that college will specify whether minor requirements must be satisfied.

Language requirement
Graduation requirement - Florida State University requires study of a foreign language in high school as a condition for acceptance to the university (two years at the high school level). However, all students who intend to graduate with a bachelor's degree (either a B.A. or B.S.) from a department in the College of Arts and Sciences must show language proficiency beyond that required for university admission. Specifically, students must demonstrate proficiency equivalent to or beyond that attained upon completion of the intermediate level course (2000-level) in one language other than English.

Proficiency - Proficiency in a modern foreign language can be demonstrated by successful completion of enrollment in a 2000-level course in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Hebrew, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish. All course-work used to fulfill the language requirement must be completed with a grade of C- or better. Proficiency equivalent to completion of a 2000-level language course may be demonstrated through exemption or placement examinations (see below)

Level of enrollment - Students who have completed two years of a classical or modern foreign language study in high school (and who want to continue study of the same language) would typically be advised to enter the course sequence at the second level, continuing through completion of the appropriate 2000-level course. However, it is recommended that students contact the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics (369 Diffenbaugh, 644-2606 ) to receive specific information and advice about the appropriate enrollment level.

American Sign Language(ASL) - Students pursuing the Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Science degrees in the College of Arts & Sciences may substitute American Sign Language (ASL) for the foreign language requirement except where a particular foreign language(s) has been specified by a major or department. Those students choosing to use ASL to satisfy the College's foreign language requirement must complete up through the course ASL2160C. Even though Arts & Sciences will accept S/U grading for the foreign language requirement, the Department of Communication Disorders will only award letter grades; therefore, ASL2160C must be completed with a C- or better. Note that registration for ASL2160C is dependent on space availability. It may be difficult to complete this sequence because Communication Disorders majors have priority.

Exemption options - Proficiency (through the 2000-level) and/or college credit may be earned for language through the CLEP or the placement exams. The CLEP & Placement exams are scheduled throughout the academic year. These exams are not available to students with any prior college credit in the language. Contact Evaluation Services, 644-3017, 1200 Building C, University Center for additional details about testing dates.

Native speakers of another language - Native speakers of another language may be exempt from this requirement but only after demonstration of proficiency based either on performance on the CLEP or placement exams, or on coursework equivalent to that of the 2000-level course in the three-course sequence (e.g., SPN 3350: Spanish for Native Speakers). It is advised that such students contact the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics (369 Diffenbaugh, 644-2606) to receive specific information about exemption and enrollment options for native speakers of a language other than English.

Proficiency in a classical language - Students who wish to demonstrate proficiency in a classical language Biblical (Hebrew, Greek, or Latin) should contact the Department of Classical Languages, Literature, and Civilization -- 850.644.4259 -- for information about courses, exemption, etc. All coursework used to fulfill the language requirement must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

Special note to transfer students
Transfer students should see their academic advisor as soon as possible to have a transcript evaluation. While the Registrar's office will determine transfer equivalence in terms of hours and level, only the department will be able to determine which, if any, transfer courses are equivalent to specific courses required in the major. Initial transcript evaluation for the major typically occurs during the orientation advising session prior to the first enrollment. If a number of courses are involved, the student should make an appointment with the department advisor as soon as possible after classes have begun.

There is a distinction between a state of Florida AA degree and an AA degree earned out-of-state. Only in-state AA degrees are accepted as a "unit"; courses that are part of an out-of-state AA are evaluated for transfer equivalence on a course-by-course basis. Florida AA transfer students are automatically waived from Liberal Studies requirements but must meet all other college and university requirements for graduation.

Transfer students will be expected to satisfy all FSU Bulletin requirements corresponding to the academic year in which the student first enrolled at Florida State University. However, they may choose to "adopt" the requirements stated in the bulletin in effect for the academic year in which they enrolled at a Florida public community college. A request for a "change" in Bulletin may be initiated at the Registrar's office but it is suggested that the student contact his/her academic advisor before doing so.

Transfer students who have already taken at least 2 hours of PE cannot receive any additional credit toward graduation for additional PE courses taken at FSU. Students who transfer with fewer than 60 hours will be required to meet both the x ("cross-cultural studies") and y ("diversity in the western experience") multicultural course requirements. Transfer students with 60 or more hours will be required to satisfy either an x or y multicultural course requirement.

Other Arts and Sciences requirements
In order to reflect the broad, liberal arts foundation of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida State University, each student will be required to complete coursework in English, mathematics, history, humanities and natural science. In most cases, satisfaction of these college-wide requirements will occur through completion of the liberal studies program (or similar "general studies" programs at other institutions). However, each student should be certain that, prior to graduation, their transcript includes the following:

• English: At least 6 semester hours of English composition
• Mathematics: At least 3 semester hours of mathematics
• Humanities: At least 6 semester hours in humanities, history of ideas, literature, etc.
• Natural science: At least 6 semester hours in one or more natural science departments