College of Liberal Arts Baccalaureate (B.A.) Degree Requirements
Credit Hour Requirements
Bachelor of Arts degrees in the College of Liberal Arts require a minimum of 123 credits, distributed according to the university and college policy outlined below, with at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). A minimum 2.0 GPA must also be maintained in College of Liberal Arts and College of Science and Technology (hereafter "CLA/CST") coursework and in the major.
To earn a CLA baccalaureate degree, a student must complete a minimum of 123 credits, including: 90 credits in CLA/CST courses, 45 credits of which must be at the upper level (numbered 2000-4999). Of that, 6 credits must be outside the student's major division (e.g. Social Sciences or Humanities).
A maximum of 9 credits of Independent Study can be applied to the Bachelor's degree. This does not include internship, externship, or research credits.
Degree Eligibility
The College of Liberal Arts does not award baccalaureate degrees to students who have already completed an accredited first Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. degree, regardless of when the degree was completed.
University Requirements
All students must complete the General Education (Gen Ed) or University Core program.
All students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple University as designated by their major requirements. The specific writing-intensive courses required for each major are listed on the individual program pages:
Major / Minor Requirements
Foreign Language/Global Studies Requirement for Bachelor of Arts Students
- All B.A. students complete the second level of a foreign language;
- All B.A. students must complete at least one course from the GenEd World Society category; and
- All B.A. students must complete one of the following options:
- Third level of a foreign language;
- Demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language;
- A second General Education World Society course;
- Study Abroad at an approved program; or
- Take one Global Studies course from the following list:
- Asian Studies 2021: Japanese Literature in Film
- Asian Studies 2501: Introduction to East Asia: China
- Asian Studies 2502: Introduction to East Asia: Japan
- History 1501: Third World History
- History 1702: World History Modern
- Japanese 2021: Japanese Literature in Film
- Japanese 2096: Japanese Popular Culture and Literature
- Political Science 1201: Foreign Governments and Politics
- Political Science 1301: International Politics
Major
Students must also complete the requirements of a major. The minimum acceptable grade in a course taken to fulfill major requirements is a "C-," though students need a 2.0 GPA overall in major coursework in order to graduate. At least half of the coursework required for a major must be taken at Temple University.
Students are permitted to double-major (both inside CLA and across schools and colleges) but Temple University does not permit transcription of a third major.
Students are encouraged to declare their major as soon as possible, and university policy requires that a major must be declared by the time a student has earned 60 credits.
Major requirements are determined by the effective semester of their declaration. The Academic Advising Center is responsible for making this assignment and informs the student via e-mail.
Students who wish to declare or change their major or minor should consult the Academic Advising Center on the 1st floor of Azabu Hall.
College of Liberal Arts Humanities and Social Science Divisions
- Humanities: English, French, German, Greek and Roman Classics, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Philosophy, Religion, Russian, and Spanish
- Social Sciences: African American Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Asian Studies, Criminal Justice, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography and Urban Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Latin American Studies, Mathematical Economics, Neuroscience: Systems, Behavior and Plasticity, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Women's Studies
Upper-level distribution requirements
All B.A. students in the College of Liberal Arts must complete upper-level distribution requirements by taking two upper-level (numbered 2000-4999) CLA courses outside the curriculum division of the major (or upper-level College of Science and Technology courses) as stated above. Students who have double majors in two different divisions automatically satisfy the distribution requirement.
Note: The Humanities Division has been expanded to include upper-level courses in Art History.
Military Science Courses
Undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts whose degree programs allow for free electives may apply up to 12 credits of military science courses at the 3000 and 4000 levels in Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC), Military Science (Army ROTC), and Naval Science (Navy ROTC).
Courses Inapplicable to Graduation
Students will not receive credits for lower-level courses after successful completion of higher-level courses in sequenced courses of study. This only applies to the First Year Writing sequence in English (0701-0802), and all courses in Mathematics and Foreign Languages. For example, after passing Japanese 1002, a student will not receive a credit for Japanese 1001.
Credit/No Credit
During the junior and senior years, any College of Liberal Arts student who is in good standing and taking a minimum of 12 semester hours may elect to take one course each semester on a Credit/No Credit basis, except for courses that count toward major, minor, GenEd, or distributional requirements. Application must be made at the Academic Advising Center during the first two weeks of the each semester including Summer.
Credit Hour Requirements