Graduation Requirements
Policy
In order to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Trinity College, you must complete the following Trinity College Curriculum requirements:
1. The General Education Requirements
- Areas of Knowledge. To graduate you must successfully complete two courses in each of five Areas of Knowledge.
- Modes of Inquiry. To graduate you must successfully complete two courses (or 1-3 in a Foreign Language and 3 in Writing) in each of six Modes of Inquiry.
Courses are associated with the various Areas of Knowledge and Modes of Inquiry by virtue of the curriculum codes that they bear.
- Thirty-four course credit total. To graduate, you must successfully complete a total of at least 34 course credits (with at most two courses counting in which D grades were earned). There are restrictions on the number of certain types of half-credit courses, professional school courses, internships, and military science courses that count toward the degree. See Credit Limitations for more information.
- First-year writing. You must successfully complete Writing 20 in your first year of enrollment. Sections of Writing 20 are offered in the fall and the spring. Note: If you fail to successfully complete Writing 20 in your first two semesters, you will be required to enroll in Writing 20 during summer session II (if offered) or in the fall of the sophomore year. Failure to do so can result in academic withdrawal from Duke for two semesters.
- First-year seminar. Before you begin your third semester at Duke, you must successfully complete a seminar (a course usually designated with an "S" following the course number). Participation in the Focus Program or completing one of the seminars in the 49S-series (open to first-year students only) will fulfill this requirement. Additional seminars (including ones in the 20S-series) are offered in the fall and spring. Any seminar for which you are qualified and which yields 1 course credit can be taken in fulfillment of this requirement--half-credit courses may not be taken in fulfillment of this requirement. Note: If you fail to take a seminar in your first two semesters you will be required to enroll in a seminar during summer session I or II. Failure to do so can result in academic withdrawal from Duke for two semesters.
- Small Group Learning Experiences (SGLE). After your first year, you must complete two SGLEs. Seminars, tutorials, thesis courses, and independent study courses are considered SGLEs.
2. The Major
You need only one major for graduation. If you have a strong secondary interest in another discipline, you might consider a minor or certificate or even a second major. No more than two majors are allowed, and the combined number of majors, minors, and certificates that appear on your transcript cannot exceed three.
You can view lists of all majors, minors, and certificate programs offered in Trinity College. The specific requirements of the majors, minors, and certificate programs are defined in the departmental listings in the Bulletin of Undergraduate Instruction and generally also on departmental Web sites.
Who is subject to the requirements of the Curriculum?
All Trinity College students who matriculated during or after the Summer of 2000 are subject to the requirements of the Curriculum. This includes both incoming first-year and transfer students. Engineering students are not subject to the Trinity College Curriculum.
Is it difficult to complete the general education requirements and those for the major and still graduate in four years?
No, it will not be difficult. The general education and major requirements insure that your program of study will have both breadth and depth of exposure to the Curriculum and help you to develop competencies that will serve you well in the future, both at Duke and beyond. The fact that many courses bear multiple codes means that an individual course can contribute to more than one requirement. There is no need for you to be concerned that you cannot complete all graduation requirements in eight semesters. However, if you really want your course of study to reflect your interests and enable you to play to your strengths, you will need to develop plans that will give shape and direction to your studies. Such plans ought to be flexible and may need to be revised periodically, as you yourself develop and change your perspective.
Do Advanced Placement credits count as credit toward general education requirements?
Advanced Placement (AP) credits are of limited use to Trinity College students. They count in two ways: first, they can be used for placement purposes to enable you to begin your study of a subject at a higher level. Second, they count as elective credit toward the 34 credits needed to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree as follows:
- the first two AP credits you have can be counted at matriculation;
- any AP credits you may have in excess of two are recorded on your transcript but held in reserve as so-called "acceleration credits" that can only be used if you opt to graduate early (i.e., after seven or six consecutive semesters of enrollment). In this case, you can count up to two or six additional credits respectively.
AP credits do not count toward fulfillment of Areas of Knowledge and Modes of Inquiry.
See also: