Substitutions for Perspectives
NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to Substitutions for Distribution Requirements. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.
Under limited circumstances, students may request to apply Northwestern courses not on the approved lists to fulfill Perspectives on Power, Justice and Equity or Foundational Discipline requirements. Please note that certain types of courses may not be used in such substitutions, including college seminars and first-year writing seminars, senior thesis seminars, independent study & research courses, and professional linkage seminars. Courses in a language other than English, in which the focus is primarily on basic language skills (speaking, writing, or grammar, for example) should also not be proposed for substitutions.
Read below for descriptions of the types of possible substitutions, using Northwestern courses, that may be requested using the Petition for Substitution.
Instructions
- Download the petition and fill out the form.
- Save the pdf named as: "<Your Last Name>_<Your Student ID>_Distro Substitution"
- Submit the completed petition and supporting documentation (see the petition for requirements) to: wcas-forms@northwestern.edu
See other parts of the Weinberg College webpage for information for transfer students, and information about transfer credit from study abroad.
courses approved for Perspectives or foundational discipline credit after they were completed (Retroactive)
Sometimes after a student completes a course, they learn that later it has been newly reviewed and approved by the College curriculum committee in Perspectives on Power, Justice and Equity and/or a Foundational Discipline requirement area. When that happens the student may make a petition for that completed unit be applied in the newly approved requirement area.
Combined sections
Sometimes two courses are taught in one combined class, and a course not formally approved for a requirement credit is co-listed with one that is. You will only automatically receive requirement credit associated with your course of enrollment. You must submit a request to receive the credit associated with the co-listed course. If the courses are approved in different Foundational areas, you may not apply that unit of credit to both Foundational areas at the same time.
School of Professional Studies courses
Sometimes students in Weinberg College receive permission to enroll in a course offered out of the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies (SPS). If the course is an exact equivalent to a course on the list of approved courses, you may submit a request to apply the SPS credit.
Substitutions due to extreme schedule constraints
The situations in which a substitution may be permitted based on schedule constraints are extremely limited. Any claim that you cannot fulfill the Foundational Disciplines or Perspectives in the usual way must be accompanied by evidence that other courses needed to meet BA degree requirements will fill all future spaces in your schedule.
Note:
- Courses that you are taking as electives, but not counting toward a specific requirement, do not count as required courses.
- Courses used to complete a second major, a minor, a certificate, or an elective internship are optional, so they are not considered required courses.
Interschool Exceptions
Policy guidance for students who may have completed inter-school transfer or who are in a dual-degree program is being revised.
NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to Substitutions for Distribution Requirements. The information above pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.