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Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements and special academic programs at DePauw University lead to the Bachelor of Arts degree and three degrees in the School of Music: Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Musical Arts, and Bachelor of Music Education.

This page contains an overview of graduation requirements. Complete information about the degree requirements can be found in the University Catalog and vary by the year a student entered DePauw.

College of Liberal Arts

The Bachelor's degree in the College of Liberal Arts consists of 31 credits and two extended studies experiences. Through those 31 credits, students will gain the breadth of the liberal arts, depth in a field of study, and competence in vital skills. Students begin with a first-year seminar that introduces them to the practices and expectations of college-level work.

Breadth - Distribution Requirements

To build a foundation for a liberal arts education at DePauw University, students complete two course credits in each of three distinct areas of study (Arts and Humanities, Science and Mathematics, and Social Sciences) and attain or demonstrate second-semester ability in a language other than English. Students entering DePauw in the fall of 2016 also complete one course credit that helps them explore topics related to Privilege, Power and Diversity. These students also complete a Global Learning requirement.

Each of the six course credits used to complete the Arts and Humanities, Science and Mathematics, and Social Science distribution requirements must be in a different academic department or program to ensure that students explore a broad spectrum of the liberal arts and are introduced to the ways these areas study and describe the world.

Privilege, Power and Diversity courses have, as a major component, the analysis of the interplay of power and privilege in human interactions. Such courses will frequently focus on the experience of non-dominant members of political or social groups. They might also emphasize the dynamics of inequality from a more theoretical perspective.

Global Learning is completed by earning one course credit through the study of a culture or cultures distinct from US culture. This credit may be earned in DePauw courses focusing on the politics, society, religion, history, or arts of a foreign culture or through a DePauw-approved study-abroad experience. International students fulfill this requirement through their study at DePauw.  

Depth - The Major

The depth of a DePauw education comes through focus and specialization in a major field of study.  A major consists of eight to 10 courses in an academic department or interdisciplinary program, including at least three courses at the 300-400 level. A senior capstone experience synthesizes and culminates the line of disciplinary inquiry.

Competence

Competence requirements represent a University-wide commitment to the basic areas essential to a liberal arts education: expository writing, quantitative reasoning, and oral communication.

Extended Studies

Students are required to complete two Extended Studies (ES) opportunities.  Visit the Extended Studies website to learn about the variety of options available.

School of Music

The School of Music offers three degrees: Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Musical Arts and Bachelor of Music Education.  Descriptions and requirements for these degrees can be found on the School of Music website.