Post-Spring 2023 Degree Requirements
NOTE: The information below pertains to students who start taking classes at Northwestern after Spring Quarter 2023. Other students should refer to the Degree Requirements page pertaining to students who began at Northwestern Spring 2023 or earlier.
College Learning Goals
The Weinberg College degree requirements are guided by a set of overarching imperatives that Weinberg students develop in their undergraduate studies and continuously throughout their lives - Observe, Critique, Reflect, and Express. Read more about the learning goals here.
Degree Requirements
To earn a degree from Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, you must complete certain requirements that support the degree learning goals. This section of the site describes how the requirements can be met.
- Foundational disciplines
You must take two courses in each of six intellectual areas; - Perspectives on power, justice and equity
A two-part requirement woven among the foundational disciplines and other courses that you may be applying to a major or minor. - College seminars
You must take one College seminar in fall of your first year. - Proficiency in a language other than English
You must demonstrate proficiency through Northwestern coursework, AP scores, or department testing. - Written and oral expression
You complete one first-year writing seminar, and a course that meets the objectives of the advanced expression requirement. - Major in a field of study
You must choose and complete a major. Minors, second majors, and adjunct majors are optional ways to concentrate on other fields.
The first four requirements ensure that you acquire important skills and gain a breadth of knowledge spanning multiple disciplines; the fifth guarantees depth of understanding through intensive study within one area.
Special policies and exceptions apply to students who transfer to Northwestern from another institution. See details on the Degree Requirement pages based on your time of matriculation.
Number of courses and quarters
Policies require a certain number of quarters and credits that must be earned at Northwestern and Weinberg College.
NOTE: The information above pertains to students who start taking classes at Northwestern after Spring Quarter 2023. Other students should refer to the Degree Requirements page pertaining to students who began at Northwestern Spring 2023 or earlier.