Degree Requirements: Core Curriculum

1.  Complete all Core Curriculum requirements as follows:

a.

Literature—one course from among specified courses in the Departments of Chinese, Classics, English, French, German/Russian, and Spanish.

b.

Fine Arts—one course from among specified courses in the Departments of Art, Music, and Theatre.

c.

History—one course from specified courses in the Department of History.

d.

Religion and Philosophy—two courses, at least one of which must be in Religion, from among specified courses in the Departments of Religion and Philosophy.

e.

Natural Science and Mathematics—three courses from among specified courses in the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics.  At least one of the three must be a course in Mathematics or Computer Science and at least one must be a science course with a laboratory.

f.

Social Sciences—two courses from among specified courses in the Departments of Anthropology, Economics, Education, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.

At least six of the ten core requirements must be completed for a student to enter the junior year.  It is strongly recommended that the student complete all ten core requirements before entering the senior year.

The four-course Humanities sequence (150, 151W, 250, 251) satisfies the composition requirement and core requirements as follows: Literature; History; Religion and Philosophy (two courses).  The two-course Humanities sequence (160-161W) satisfies the composition requirement and the core requirement in literature.  A student who withdraws from either Humanities sequence after one semester receives one credit toward graduation, but neither core nor composition credit.  A student who withdraws from the four-course sequence after the second semester receives credit only for HUM 151W, satisfying the composition requirement but no core requirement.

1.   Be of good character and conduct, as certified by the Dean of Students, and discharge all college financial obligations to the satisfaction of the Controller. 
2.   Complete satisfactorily 32 courses, one-half in residence at Davidson College. The period of residence must include the senior year (at least the final 7 courses).  Courses in off-campus programs officially sponsored by Davidson College are considered to be courses in residence.

Degree Requirements: Foreign Language

3.   Complete the foreign language requirement by successfully completing the third-semester level (201 or higher) of a Davidson foreign language course, by an approved transfer course at equivalent level, or by equivalent proficiency as determined and certified by the appropriate Davidson foreign language department.  Courses offered through the Self-Instructional Language Program do not satisfy the foreign language requirement.  A student who satisfactorily documents that English is not his or her first language satisfies the foreign language requirement through the requirement in composition.  It is strongly recommended that the student complete the foreign language requirement before entering the senior year.

Degree Requirements: Composition

4.   Complete the composition requirement by completing successfully by the end of the first year at Davidson College a course designated with a W.  Advanced Placement or other credits completed prior to college matriculation do not satisfy the composition requirement.

Degree Requirements: Major

5.   Complete all requirements for a major field of study, including an average of 2.0 on the courses counted toward the major.  For the computation of the major grade point average, when a course is repeated, only the most recent grade counts.  [NOTE: Descriptions of requirements for each major are detailed in the College Catalog and on the Web pages of departments offering majors.]

Degree Requirements: Cultural Diversity

6.  Complete a course designated as satisfying the Cultural Diversity Requirement.  Such courses deal principally with one or more cultures that differ from the majority cultures of the United States or Europe. [NOTE: the Committees on International Education and on Ethnic Studies publish annually a list of courses that will satisfy the requirement in Cultural Diversity.]

Course Satisfying More Than One Requirement;
    Transfer Credits and Graduation Requirements

7.   No single course satisfies more than one core requirement, but a course may satisfy a core requirement and other requirements such as composition, cultural diversity, major, minor, concentration, and (for courses above the 201 level) foreign language.

The Registrar may designate a transfer credit (including AP or other pre-college credit) as satisfying a foreign language, core, composition, or cultural diversity requirement following, as occasion demands, consultation with appropriate department or program chairs.

Degree Requirements: Physical Education

8.   Satisfy the requirements in Physical Education as follows:  PE 101; team sports (one unit); lifetime sports, fitness, special programs (one unit); and water related activities (one unit). A student may be excused from some or all of the Physical Education requirements for medical reasons as certified by a college physician.  PE 101 and at least two of the remaining three PE requirements must be completed before the junior year.
The Director of Physical Education certifies completion of requirements in Physical Education.  Except for PE 101, the academic transcript does not list separate Physical Education courses or activities. Upon completion of all Physical Education requirements, the following transcript notation is entered:  “PE Requirements (Lifetime, Water, Team) completed.”