Number of Courses and Quarters: Weinberg College

Number of Courses and Quarters

University and College policies specify that you must spend a certain number quarters at the University and College, they identify the total amount of credit needed to graduate, and they set limits on non-Weinberg coursework.

NOTE: The information below pertains to students who start taking classes at Northwestern Spring Quarter 2023 or earlier. Other students should refer to the Degree Requirements page pertaining to students who start classes at Northwestern after Spring 2023.

Undergraduate Registration Requirement

All Northwestern undergraduates are subject to the university's Undergraduate Registration Requirement (URR). This requirement, revised in Spring 2019, specifies how many quarters must be spent at Northwestern and how many units of credit must be earned at Northwestern in order to graduate with a Northwestern degree. See the registrar's URR summary for details. The official statement on the URR is in the Undergraduate Catalog.

Weinberg credit and quarter requirements

All Weinberg College students must earn at least 45 units of credit in order to graduate. Almost all courses taught at Northwestern are worth one unit. Those worth more or less than one unit also contribute to the total. For example, two half-unit courses count as one full unit toward this requirement.
Exceptions: Special limits apply to ISP, HPME, and dual bachelor's degree program (BA/BMusic and BA/BS) students.
You must be in Weinberg College for the last three quarters before you complete your degree requirements. For example, if you start your Northwestern studies in the School of Communication, but plan to graduate with a Weinberg degree instead, you need to complete the paperwork for an Interschool Transfer in time to make sure that you are a Weinberg student for your last three quarters. (This requirement is occasionally waived for late interschool transfer students who have taken a majority of their classes in Weinberg College. Students who desire such a waiver should contact their College Adviser or the Assistant Dean for Academic Standing.)
No more than 6 units of internship credit may be counted toward the required 45 units of credit. Read more about for-credit internships. (For students graduating prior to Fall 2014, the limit was 5 units.)
Weinberg College students may take advantage of courses offered by Northwestern’s other schools, but a minimum of 34 units must be earned in Weinberg College disciplines. These include the following:
- Units of credit earned in Weinberg College academic areas of study, inclusive of all courses offered by the College as well as courses listed under the COMP_SCI and MAT_SCI subject codes.
- Units of credit transferred from other institutions or granted based on test scores in academic disciplines represented by Weinberg College academic areas of study. Transfer or test credits will count toward the 34 units if they appear on the Northwestern transcript with a designation corresponding to a Weinberg College area or as general credit (GEN_CRED).
- Approved School of Professional Studies courses in Weinberg College disciplines. Note that students must obtain the advance permission of the Office of Undergraduate Studies and Advising to register for courses in the School of Professional Studies.
Additional units beyond 34 can be in disciplines taught at Northwestern in schools other than Weinberg College and count towards the required 45 units for the degree, subject to certain limitations. No more than 3 units may be instruction in applied music (see list under Bienen School of Music policies) and no more than 4 units may come from the military studies programs. Certain School of Professional Studies courses are not eligible to count towards College degree requirements. Students can consult their College Adviser for more information.

If you take four 1-unit courses per quarter, three quarters per year, for four full years, then you will end up with a total of 48 units of credit. Only 45 units are required for graduation, so even if you enter with no AP, IB, or transfer credits, you can have three quarters with only three 1-unit courses (which also counts as a full load) and still graduate on time. This gives you some flexibility in planning your schedule, as well as the opportunity to very occasionally drop a course without falling behind.

NOTE: The information above pertains to students who start taking classes at Northwestern Spring Quarter 2023 or earlier. Other students should refer to the Degree Requirements page pertaining to students who start classes at Northwestern after Spring 2023.