Program I and Program II Requirements

Within Trinity College, two options exist for completing the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree: Program I and Program II. You will complete Program I if you declare one of the officially recognized majors offered in Trinity College. Program II offers you the option to design your own curriculum. 

Program I

Program I requirements have as their goal to insure that each student who graduates with a bachelor's degree from Trinity College experiences a program of study that is both broad and deep. The general education requirements provide breadth, while the major ensures depth of engagement with a particular field of academic study. In addition, the requirements of Program I ensure that students take course work in a variety of Areas of Knowledge and are exposed to various Modes of Inquiry.

Graduation Requirements of Program I:

• A total of at least 34.0 course credits
• General education requirements
  • Two courses in each of five Areas of Knowledge (1)
  • Two courses in each of the following four Modes of Inquiry:
 Cross-Cultural Inquiry, Ethical Inquiry, Research (2), and
 Science, Technology, and Society
  • In the other two Modes of Inquiry:
Three courses in Writing (includes Writing 101, below) and 
one to three courses in Foreign Language, depending on level of proficiency.
  • Writing 101 in the first year
  • One seminar (coded "S") in the first year
  • Two Small-Group Learning Experiences (seminars, tutorials, thesis course, or independent study) completed after the first year of enrollment
•  One major

(1) If you matriculated before May 2004 you must either satisfy the QID Mode requirement (including one M-coded course) or the QS Area of Knowledge, as students do who matriculated after May 2004. If you choose the second option, you may only use QS-coded courses you take after May 2004 to fulfill the QS requirement. 


(2) If you matriculated in Fall 2001, you must complete only one Research course.

Program II

Program II is an individualized program of study designed by students themselves to meet their unique academic and intellectual goals. You propose an individualized degree program that will allow you to examine and explore a specific topic, question, or theme. You select a faculty advisor and, in consultation with that advisor, plan and submit an online application to the sponsoring department or program and to the Committee on Program II of the Arts & Sciences Council, which must approve your program of study. You do not follow the requirements and options of Program I, including the requirement for a major and the options of multiple majors and minors.    

You may apply to Program II no earlier than the end of your second semester at Duke and no later than the end of your fifth semester.  

Graduation Requirements of Program II:

• A total of at least 34.0 course credits
• General Education requirements – the same as those of Program I
• Specific requirements of the approved Program II, which include 15-18 courses, including two Senior Capstone Project courses.

If you are interested in Program II, you should attend one of the information sessions offered during the academic year, confer with faculty and/or the director(s) of undergraduate studies in the department(s) closest to your interest, and meet with Dean Rachael Murphey (rachael.murphey@duke.edu), who oversees Program II.  

See the Program II website for additional information.

See also:

• First-Year Requirements
• Degree Requirements for Graduation (Program I)
• Majors, Minors & Certificates (Program I)
• Trinity Curriculum  (Program I)
• Program II