Rules and Policies for Perspectives
NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to Rules and Policies for Distribution Requirements. The information below pertains to students who started at Northwestern after Spring 2023.
Foundational discipline and overlay requirements can be filled in any of the following ways. Jump to various guidelines for these options:
Approved Northwestern courses
The foundational discipline and overlay areas are defined by learning objectives, not by department or program discipline area. For example one department may offer some courses aligned with various foundational areas.
- You must choose your courses from a list approved by a Weinberg College faculty committee. Each year some courses are added to the list and others are deleted; only courses on the approved list for the year you take them satisfy the requirements. Review the lists of courses approved for each year.
- Most approved courses count toward just one foundational discipline. No course may be counted towards more than one foundational discipline at the same time, though any course approved for both a foundational discipline and an overlay may count towards both at the same time. Read about rules and limitations for courses approved in more than one foundational area.
Grades in foundational disciplines and overlay courses
Grade policies are under review. Updates may be posted here in 2023.
- You must earn a grade of at least D in all courses you use to fulfill the Weinberg College US and Global overlay requirements. Courses taken P/N may not be used to satisfy these requirements.
- Up to two units of Northwestern credit may be applied towards Foundational Discipline requirements with a grade of Pass, but these may not be in the same foundational area. Students must fulfill one of the two Foundational Discipline requirements in each of the six areas with a course taken at Northwestern for a quality grade (A,B,C,D). Note that there are additional restrictions on courses that may be completed under the P/N option, and that not all courses are offered with this grading option.
- Courses taken under "target grade" registration (currently available in the Schools of Education, Music, and Communication), even if they result in a regular letter grade, may also not be used to satisfy the Weinberg College requirements.
Courses taken at other colleges and universities
Courses taken at other colleges and universities cannot generally be used to fulfill foundational discipline and overlay requirements. This includes college-level courses you may have taken before you entered Northwestern as a first-year student. (See the guidelines for transfer credits for entering freshmen.)
However, there are two types of exceptions to this rule, and you can discuss these with your College Adviser.
Study abroad
Some Northwestern-run study abroad programs offer courses with Northwestern course numbers. See if such courses count toward foundational discipline and overlay requirements by reviewing the lists of Northwestern courses approved for credit.
If you study abroad with College approval but are not taking Northwestern courses, you may be able to count a limited number of your study abroad courses toward your foundational discipline and overlay requirements. Students can receive a maximum of one unit of foundational discipline credit for each study abroad term, up to a maximum of two units. The two units must be in different foundational areas. Policy on overlay requirements is under development and will be posted in 2023.
Read about applying study abroad credits toward these requirements.
Transfer students
If you transferred to Northwestern from another college or university, some of your transferred courses may count toward foundational discipline and overlay requirements. See Transfer Student Credit Evaluation.
test-based credit
Advanced Placement (AP) & HL International Baccalaureate (IB)
A maximum of two of the 12 courses you count toward your foundational discipline requirements can be credits you earned either through College Board AP or higher-level IB testing. Each of these must be in a different foundational area. There are other ways AP and IB credits may be applied towards degree progress - your adviser will be able to help you think about how your test-based credits can shape your academic plan.
CAESAR does not automatically slot test credits in for foundational discipline areas. You can do this yourself through the main menu options on CAESAR. Review qualifying AP and IB scores for your entering class.
- If you earn sufficiently high scores on exams and have your scores sent to Northwestern, then your credits should be posted to your record during the summer before your first year. You will be able to access this information through CAESAR, the on-line course information and registration system.
- If your credits have not posted on your transcript before you arrive on campus, consult with your adviser.
Other Exams
If you have taken an exam other than AP or IB (for example British A-Levels) you can request review for credit by submitting (1) the International Test Credit Evaluation Request form and (2) a copy of your score report to: wcas-forms@northwestern.edu.
Foundational discipline policy for credits based on exams other than AP or IB are under review. Updates may be posted here in 2023.
NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to Rules and Policies for Distribution Requirements. The information above pertains to students who started at Northwestern after Spring 2023.
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