Some courses fulfill more than one general degree requirement simultaneously. Students are encouraged to fulfill the majority of these requirements during their first and second years. Often it is possible to take courses in an intended major area and have these courses satisfy both general degree requirements and major requirements. The Major T he major is a program of concentrated study in a chosen field of learning. It enables students to acquire an understanding of the content, concepts, and methods of inquiry essential to the field, and is designed to increase sophistication in the skills, values, and understanding to which a liberal education aims.
Students declare a major in the sophomore year.
Electives E lectives fulfill at least three curricular purposes. Second, electives can be used to develop greater sophistication in fundamental skills such as writing, public speaking, and foreign languages. Third, electives serve as a chance to experiment, to take courses of interest which are outside a student s prior academic experience. As schedule space is tight, electives are usually best reserved for later in the sophomore year or the junior and senior years.