The University confers the following degrees on candidates recommended by the faculty of the College of Arts and Science and approved by the trustees of New York University:
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
B.A. programs are offered by all departments of the College except that of neural science, which confers only the B.S. degree. However, please see additional information on engineering and global public health programs in the next section.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
B.S. programs are offered by the following departments of the College: chemistry (optional), neural science (no B.A. option), and physics (optional). They are also offered for the combined major in global public health and science with a concentration in either biology or chemistry (no B.A. option). For details, see the sections on these individual departments and majors in this Bulletin. The College also offers jointly with the NYU Tandon School of Engineering dual-degree, Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Science (B.S./B.S.) programs with biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics; see the engineering and relevant departmental sections in this Bulletin. (Pursuing dual degrees in engineering is the only way to earn a B.S. in biology, computer science, and mathematics, except for the global public health/science major with concentration in biology). Further information on engineering is available from the College Advising Center, 726 Broadway, 7th floor; 212-998-8130.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS (INCLUDING RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT)
The general degree requirements are the same for the B.A. and the B.S., with the exception of the engineering B.S./B.S.
To be eligible for the bachelor's degree, students must complete 128 points with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. Within these points, students must fulfill the requirements of both a major (also completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0) and the College Core Curriculum. A minor is optional, but if elected, must also be completed with a 2.0 minimum grade point average.
The degree requirements to be fulfilled are those in effect during the term of the student's first registration in the College. Registration in another division of New York University does not constitute a registration in the College of Arts and Science. Readmitted students must fulfill the requirements as listed in the College of Arts and Science Bulletin published during the year of their readmission, unless their readmission letter states otherwise.
In very exceptional cases, a student may petition the Committee on Undergraduate Academic Standards for approval of a change in the requirements as stated in the Bulletin. Petitions are filed through the Office of the Associate Dean for Students, 726 Broadway, 7th floor; 212-998-8140; http://cas.nyu.edu/academic-standards.
TIME LIMIT
All requirements for a degree in the College must be met within a period of eight years from the date of matriculation. For transfer students and for students who are readmitted to the College, the length of time is proportionately reduced. Transfer credit is not granted for courses taken more than 10 years before the student's matriculation in the College.
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT
Once a student enrolls in the College of Arts and Science (first year and/or transfer), all course work used to satisfy the 128-credit degree requirement must be completed at NYU. All students must complete a minimum of 64 points in College of Arts and Science coursework (-UA suffix). Courses taken in other NYU schools (i.e., without a -UA suffix) do not count toward the 64-credit minimum. Neither do NYU Abu Dhabi (-AD/UH) or NYU Shanghai (-SHU) courses. (However, -UA study away courses do count toward the 64 points.)
Students must complete their last 32 points while registered in the College. In addition, students must be registered in the College during the semester immediately prior to graduation, unless officially approved for a leave of absence in that semester.
One-half of the courses used to complete the major or the (optional) minor must be taken in the College. Any transfer courses to be applied toward major or minor requirements must be approved by the department.
CONFERRING OF DEGREES
Degrees are conferred in September, January, and May. The formal conferring of degrees by the president of the University takes place annually at Commencement in May.
THE MAJOR
Major requirements, varying from department to department, are specified in the sections of this Bulletin devoted to the course listings of individual departments and programs. Generally, a little more than one-third of the total points are earned in the major.
Every student must complete a major with a cumulative grade point average in the major of at least 2.0. At least one-half of the courses (and in some departments, at least one-half of the points) used to complete the major must be taken in the College of Arts and Science. A student may not register for courses in the major outside of NYU.
The student must be accepted as a major in the department and must review his or her program with a department adviser each term.
College of Arts and Science students may not major in other divisions of the University, with the exception of cinema studies (with Tisch School of the Arts), engineering (a dual-degree program with the Tandon School of Engineering), global public health (combined majors with the School of Global Public Health), and public policy (a joint major with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service).
Students in the NYU Tandon School of Engineering may not declare a major or minor in the College if the desired field of study is offered at Tandon.
Declaration of the Major
Students must visit the office of the department or program to declare a major and have it posted in the Student Information System (Albert). Students who have earned 64 or more points must declare a major. Those with fewer than 64 points are strongly encouraged to declare a major as early in their academic career as possible.
Double Majors and Policy on Double Counting of Courses
Students may take a double (second) major. The same requirements, including the maintenance of a minimum grade point average of 2.0, apply to the second major as to the first. The second major is declared in the same way as the first (see above).
In some cases, courses may be applicable to both majors if the academic departments consider this appropriate. Students must then obtain written approval for the shared course(s) from the directors of undergraduate studies of both departments. No student may double count more than two courses between two majors (or between a major and a minor, or between two minors); some departments have set more restrictive sharing rules (a limit of one shared course, or none at all) as indicated in their sections of this Bulletin. No course may ever be triple-counted among any combination of three majors and/or minors.
THE MINOR
The minor requirements are found in the departmental sections of the Bulletin. The (optional) minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
The minor is declared at the office of the sponsoring department or program. No more than one minor can be completed outside of the College in the other divisions of NYU, as the limit on non-CAS credits is set at 16 points.
REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO BOTH THE MAJOR AND MINOR
The major and minor requirements to be followed are those stated in the departmental sections of the Bulletin in effect during the semester of the student's first registration in the College. No credit toward the major or minor is granted for grades of C- or lower, although such grades will be computed into the grade point average of the major or the minor, as well as into the overall grade point average.
No course to be counted toward the major or minor may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis. (See "Pass/Fail option" under academic policies in this Bulletin.)
Transfer students from other colleges and universities must have the written approval of the director of undergraduate studies to count transfer courses toward the major or the minor. Once a student transfers to the College, all course work must be completed at NYU. (See also "transfer students," below.)
Note that in February 2020, the Faculty of Arts and Science approved this motion of the College’s Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum:
The committee recommends that for students who matriculate in the College as first-years (i.e. they are not transfer students) no more than two non-CAS NYU courses be counted toward a CAS major and no more than one non-CAS NYU course be counted toward a CAS minor. Ultimate decision making will still lie within the departments, spearheaded by the director of undergraduate studies. This recommended policy does not apply to joint degrees and other majors that have pre-approved arrangements.
TRANSFER STUDENTS
Transfer students, whether external or internal, must complete 64 points in College of Arts and Science coursework (-UA suffix) and must earn a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 overall, in the required major, and in the optional minor.
Courses taken in other NYU schools (i.e., without a -UA suffix) do not count toward the 64-credit minimum. Neither do NYU Abu Dhabi (-AD/UH) or NYU Shanghai (-SHU) courses. (However, -UA study away courses do count toward the 64 points.)
At least one-half of the courses used to complete the major and any minor must be courses offered by the College (-UA suffix). Any transfer courses to be applied toward major or minor requirements must be approved by the department and may not exceed one-half of the required coursework for the major or minor.
Courses in which a grade of C- or lower was earned are not transferable. Grades earned in external transfer courses are not calculated in the NYU grade point average.