General Education and Graduation Requirement Information
Graduation Requirements
One of the hallmarks of a liberal education is its combination of depth (with extended study in a chosen major) and breadth (with courses and co-curricular experiences beyond the major). It can often be useful to remind students who sometimes worry about all their courses "counting" that, while approximately 1/3 of a student's courses will be in a given major (usually between 9 and 18 units), another 1/3 will be in general education courses, and the last 1/3 in electives.
Summary of Degree Requirements
I. General Education Requirements
| Requirement | Credits | |
| First-Year Core Course Core Course | CORE 101 & CORE 102 | 2 units |
| Communication Skills Expository writing | COM1 | 1 unita |
| Second language | COM2 | up to 4 unitsa |
| Oral communication | non-creditb | |
| Fields of Study Historical studies | FSHT | 1 unit |
| Literary studies | FSLT | 1 unit |
| Natural science | FSNB/FSNC/FSNP | 1 unit |
| Social analysis | FSSA | 1 unit |
| Symbolic reasoning | FSSR | 1 unit |
| Visual and performing arts | FSVP | 1 unit |
| Total: | up to 13 units | |
a. May be satisfied by a demonstration of proficiency upon entrance to the University without carrying credit (language courses carry variable credit).
b. Described in the University of Richmond undergraduate catalog.
II. Wellness Requirement
In keeping with the University's objective of fostering knowledge and personal wellness, every undergraduate at the University of Richmond is required to complete a three-part series on wellness. The wellness series covers 1) an alcohol awareness program called URAWARE and 2) a choice of two mini-workshops on health and wellness related topics such as nutrition, sexual health, and fitness, called the Plus2 program. The URAWARE component, Wellness 085, is to be taken and satisfactorily completed in the first semester of matriculation. The Plus2 component, two Wellness 090 classes, is strongly urged to be satisfactorily completed before or during the third year.
- URAWARE (WELL 085) non-credit
- Plus2 (WELL 090, two topics of choice) non-credit
III. Library and Information Skills Workshops
Students must complete two Library and Information Skills Workshops, Library 100 and 101, during fall and spring of their first year. These are hand-on workshops in using the Richmond library catalog, indexes and other online resources, and the print collection. It is ESSENTIAL that advisors follow-up with their first-year advisees, ensuring they are registered for Lib 100 and Lib 101.
- LIB 100 non-credit
- LIB 101 non-credit
IV. Completion of a Major
All undergraduate degrees at the University of Richmond require satisfactory completion of one major. Multiple majors and/or minors also may be pursued, and upon completion will be recorded on the permanent academic record.
V. Curriculum and Achievement
Undergraduate degree candidates must earn a cumulative grade point average of not lessthan 2.00 on all coursework attempted.
Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Science in Business Administration must complete 35 units (students enrolled prior to fall 2008 must complete 34.29 units).
VI. Additional Degree Requirements
- 17.5 unit residency requirement
- Application for degree and attendance at Commencement
- Completion of financial and administrative obligations
The Language Requirement
To learn more about satisfying the COM2 language requirement or to schedule a placement test, contact the Multimedia Language Lab.