A great deal of freedom in course selection and the availability of special options provide flexibility in putting together one's academic program. A.B. candidates Freshman and sophomores in the A.B. program complete four courses each term and 16 courses by the beginning of the junior year. In the spring of the sophomore year, students choose an area of concentration to pursue during their junior and senior years. They may concentrate in any one of 28 academic departments, including the School of Architecture and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and at the same time enroll in one or more of the 31 certificate programs. Demonstrate proficiency in English composition by taking a one-semester course that requires a significant amount of writing.
Students have a wide range of choices across many disciplines.
Demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language. Many students do this either by earning high scores on the College Board's SAT II or advanced placement tests or on the placement tests offered during orientation week. Students have a choice of more than 15 foreign languages, including Arabic, Chinese, German, Classical and Modern Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Persian, Romance languages, Slavic languages, and Turkish. Fulfill area distribution requirements. B.S.E. candidates Freshman and sophomores in the B.S.E. program complete nine courses by the end of the freshman year and 18 courses by the beginning of the junior year.