Major Field of Study

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Students must choose a major field of study for a bachelor’s degree at Hunter College (a major for a BA usually consists of 24 to 30 credits, a major for a BS is approximately 60 credits). See Programs of Study  for a list of all academic programs/majors at Hunter College.

Elective Courses

Elective courses are courses chosen by the student, provided the prerequisites are met, to complete the total credits required for the degree. See Elective (or Optional) Credits below.

Major Field of Study (Major and Minor) 

The total number of credits for the bachelor’s degree is 120. In order to earn a bachelor’s degree at Hunter College, a student must fulfill not only General Education Requirements (GER) but also must select a major field of study (major). A major is a concentration of courses in a particularsubject area. A major for a BA usually consists of 24 to 30 credits, a major for a BS is approximately 60 credits. 

Requirements for a Major

All matriculated students must declare a major no later than the semester in which the combination of credits earned and credits for which they are currently registered totals 60 or greater. Transfer students entering with 60 credits or more must declare their major before the end of their first semester of attendance at Hunter. Students may find that some courses and career opportunities are available to them only if they have declared a major. In addition, under New York State guidelines, students who have not yet declared a major by the 60-credit point, or changed their major/program, by the end of the drop/add period of the semester are ineligible for TAP financial aid. To declare or change a major, a student should get a major declaration form from the OASIS, Room 217 Hunter North and confer with an adviser in the major department. 

For students who are nearing the 60-credit point and remain undecided about their choice of major, there are a number of avenues of assistance. Designated faculty in each academic department advise prospective majors about the undergraduate programs and related career possibilities. Also, the counselors in the Office of Student Services and Career Development Services offer assistance in choosing a major. The college is concerned that students select their major with careful consideration and with good knowledge of the range of options. 

To earn a Hunter degree, students must complete at least half of their major credits at Hunter.  

Double Major 

It is possible to have a double major in the BA degree. The student must complete all of the General Education Requirement, satisfy the sequence of study for both majors and file a major declaration form for each approved major. The double major must consist of courses taken in liberal arts departments or programs. 

The Minor 

A minor is a secondary concentration usually related to the student’s educational or career goals. A minor program consists of a set of courses that are defined as a minor by an academic department or program. A minor encompasses at least 12 and at most 18 credits. Fulfilling the requirements for a minor is an option for students who want to document abilities in an academic field in addition to their major. It is left to the decision of individual departments or programs whether they offer a set of courses leading to a minor. Interdisciplinary minors may be established between two or more departments. A student has the option of declaring up to two minors. To declare or change a minor, a student should get a minor form from the OASIS, Room 217 Hunter North, and confer with an adviser in the minor department. In order to graduate with a minor in a specific field, a student must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.0 in the courses taken in that field. Minors require that at least one half of the credits be taken at Hunter College; there may be exceptions to this within specific departments; please refer to departmental guidelines. Courses from the minor can be used without limit to satisfy Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the Core, the Writing requirement and the Pluralism & Diversity Requirement. Although this does not lessen the number of credits required for the degree, it frees those credits to be used in an elective area. 

Adolescent Education

Students who want to become teachers in secondary schools must complete the adolescent education sequence of 23 credits and may also have to take some liberal arts courses beyond those required for the General Education Requirement. In order to be admitted to this program, students must apply to the School of Education. See School of Education  for the admission process.  The adolescent education program leads to initial NYS certification.

The Major and the GER

Students may apply up to two courses from their major to satisfy Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Core; only one of these is permitted to fulfill a Stage 1 requirement and only one a Stage 2 requirement. 

Note: Students who have declared two or more majors can use up to two courses from one of those majors to satisfy Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Core. Only one of these is permitted to fulfill a Stage 1 requirement and only one a Stage 2 requirement. Courses from the minors and any additional majors can be used without limit to satisfy Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the Core, the Writing Requirement and the Pluralism & Diversity Requirement. 

Departmental Majors 

BA Degree These are majors concentrated within one department. The major for a BA usually consists of 24 to 30 credits. In order to graduate, a student must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the courses designated for the major. Major departments may have higher requirements. Each student should consult the major department for details and also check the department’s description of the major in the catalog.

The following are departments and/or programs that offer majors leading to the BA degree. 

 Interdepartmental Majors 

BA Degree The following programs leading to the BA degree involve courses in more than one department. For details and names of advisers, see the listing in the departmental section of this catalog. In addition to the interdepartmental fields of study, the college also offers individual interdisciplinary courses in the humanities, social sciences, sciences and mathematics and health sciences.

Fields of Specialization or Professional Studies

 BS, BFA and BMus Degrees These programs, each requiring approximately 60 credits in the area of specialization, lead to the BS, BFA or BMus degree. No minor is required for these programs. The following programs are available. For details and names of advisers, see the listing in the departmental section of this catalog.

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees

These programs enable highly qualified students to earn the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a shorter period of time than is required for taking the degrees separately. The following programs are available. 

Departmental Advising 

Each department has advisers to help students with such matters as course content, when a course is expected to be given, how a course is conducted (lecture, discussion) and the textbook(s) to be used. Students may want to discuss majoring in a subject before they make their official decision or to inquire about graduate schools. Majors should see the department advisers frequently to discuss their interests. 

Elective (or Optional) Credits

These are credits needed to complete the degree beyond those taken to fulfill the General Education Requirement and the major and minor. Students may choose as electives any courses for which they have the necessary prerequisites. They may take more courses in their major or minor, study another foreign language they will need for graduate work or explore new horizons. The choice is the student’s. No course may be repeated unless it is so stated in the course description in the catalog.

Undergraduates Taking Graduate Courses

Upon the recommendation of the student’s undergraduate major or program adviser and with the approval of the adviser of the graduate program offering the course, highly qualified undergraduate degree students may take graduate courses for credit toward the bachelor’s degree. Both the undergraduate and graduate degree adviser must sign the approval form, which may be obtained by the student at the OASIS. If it is determined that the courses were not used for the bachelor’s degree and the graduate transfer is acceptable, then the student will be charged the difference between the undergraduate and graduate tuition rates at the time the student took the course. No course may be applied to both the undergraduate degree and the graduate degree.