Degree Options

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is UConn's most diverse academic community, giving you unparalleled flexibility to pursue your interests. No matter what major you pursue, your liberal arts education will challenge you intellectually and give you the skills you need for a successful life and career.

 

View Academic Resources for CLAS Students

View a full list of CLAS requirements in the UConn Course Catalog

Degree Requirements

Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and/or a Bachelor of Science (BS) in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students pursuing a BS must complete additional science and math sequences, as well as laboratory requirements specific to the major.

 
To earn a CLAS bachelor’s degree, students need a minimum of 120 total degree credits consisting of the following:

General Education Requirements

(35-60 credits)

Competencies:

  • 2nd Language Competency
  • Writing Competency
  • Quantitative Competency
  • Environmental Literacy
  • Computer Technology Competency
  • Information Literacy Competency

Content Areas:

  • Arts and Humanities
  • Social Sciences
  • Science and Technology
  • Diversity and Multiculturalism

Major Requirements

(36+ credits)

  • 36 or more 2000+ level credits including:
  • Core major courses with at least one approved W in the major
  • Elective major courses
  • 12 credits of related courses (if applicable)

45 Credit Requirement / Rule

Students must take at least 45 credits at the 2000+ level.  All 2000+ level courses taken toward the major, minor, elective credits, general education requirement, etc. count toward the 45 credit requirement.

Elective Requirements

Remaining credits (Usually ≤ 49 credits)

All other courses taken to complete 120 credits.

Optional Requirements

Minor Requirements:

(15-18 credits)

Requirements vary by minor; minors are optional.

Requirements for 2nd Major:

(36+ credits)

  • 36 or more 2000+ level credits including:
  • Core major courses with at least one approved W in the major
  • Elective major courses
  • 12 credits of related courses (if applicable)

Majors

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers more than 50 undergraduate majors. Students can choose to pursue one major, or they can add a double major or an additional degree.

 

View a full list of CLAS majors

Majors at the Storrs and Regional Campuses

Students at the Storrs campus can pursue all degree options in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students can complete the following degrees at UConn's regional campuses:

Avery Point
American Studies, English, Marine Sciences, Maritime Studies

Hartford
English, Human Development and Family Sciences, Individualized Major, Psychological Sciences, Urban and Community Studies

Stamford
American Studies, Communication, Economics, English, History, Human Development and Family Sciences, Political Science, Psychological Sciences

Waterbury
American Studies, English, Human Development and Family Sciences, Psychological Sciences, Urban and Community Studies

Major Requirements and Your Catalog Year

  • If a student declared their CLAS major upon applying to UConn, they will follow the undergraduate catalog rules for CLAS that were in effect when they first entered UConn.
  • If a student changed from one CLAS major to another, they will follow the catalog rules in effect when they first entered CLAS, as long as they did not change their school or college in between.
  • If a student changes from the Academic Center for Exploratory Students (ACES) or another program/school/college, they will follow the catalog rules in effect when they changed into CLAS.
  • In some circumstances, a student may wish to change their catalog year to a more current one. A student may do that by submitting a form to the Registrar’s Office.

Double Majors and Additional Degrees

To declare a double major or an additional degree, or to learn more about the differences between a double major and a dual degree, please make an appointment with the CLAS Academic Services Center.

Double Major

A double major allows students to complete majors in two different departments or plans in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Students fulfill the major requirements for both majors and earn the degree associated with their primary major. In cases where a student elects to earn a double major and one of the majors is a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree, the student is expected to meet the BS requirements of both majors unless the BS option is not offered in both majors.

Double Major Requirements

Students must complete:

  • A Double Major Declaration Form (see menu below for details).
  • All major requirements for both majors.
  • A minimum of 48 major credits at the 2000+ level without overlapping (The major consists of the 2000+ level coursework required to complete each program, for example 24 unique credits of SOCI + 24 unique credits of WGSS).

How to Declare a Double Major

Students must:

  • Fill out a Double Major Declaration Form.
  • Obtain approvals from the major advisor of both programs of study.
  • Return completed form to CLAS Academic Services Center for a signature from the dean's designee.

Additional Degree

An additional degree allows students to complete majors in two different schools or colleges.

Both degrees may be from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, but typically one may be from another school or college at UConn. Students can earn a second degree either concurrently or after earning their first degree. Students are required to earn at least 18-degree credits higher than the degree with the higher minimum-credit requirement and must meet all requirements for each degree.

Additional Degree Requirements

Students must:

  • Meet all requirements for both degrees.
  • Complete 18 unique additional credits more than the degree with higher minimum (e.g. School of Nursing and CLAS, CLAS requires 120 credits to graduate, 120 + 18 = 138 credits to graduate with both degrees); the only exception is for students in the Teacher Education Program offered through the Neag School of Education.
  • All 18 credits for the additional degree must be at the 2000 level or higher.

Additional Degree Requirements for Teacher Education Students

CLAS Majors

The University Senate modified the requirements for an additional degree for teacher education students. If qualified, students can pursue a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) in addition to the Bachelor of Science degree in Education. Students are eligible if they meet all general education AND subject area requirements. For CLAS students, in addition to the major requirements, all students must have 12 credits of 2000-level or higher related courses (subject to CLAS faculty advisor approval). The CLAS faculty advisor may count one or more Education courses toward the related requirement; they may also require students to take additional courses. For example, the mathematics department would like to see one or two 2000-level chemistry, physics or statistics courses.

Timeline

Students must complete all coursework for the additional degree by the end of the spring semester of the master’s year. Otherwise, this will delay the master’s year graduation and the processing of certification until late August.

Process

Students cannot apply for the Additional Degree for Teacher Education Students until after admission to the Neag School of Education. CLAS students who wish to receive pre-teaching advising, while maintaining their CLAS major and advisor, can do so through the ACES program. To designate your pre-teaching interest, please contact the ACES office. The “Pre-Teaching” major will be added to your record and you will be assigned an ACES advisor who will work with you while you pursue admission to the Neag School of Education.

Similarly, an ACES student who wishes to declare a major in CLAS and begin working with a CLAS major advisor can do so by contacting the appropriate CLAS department. The CLAS major and advisor will be added, along with the Pre-Teaching major and ACES advisor, to the student’s record. For more information about this option and its requirements please contact the Neag School of Education Office of Academic Advising.

How to Declare an Additional Degree

  • Acquire an Additional Degree Petition Form from the Registrar's Office.
  • Complete parts I and II on the form.
  • Bring form to the major department of the additional major that is being added to obtain an advisor’s signature.

Note: You will receive two degrees, one from each college and/or school.

Minors

Students can elect to complete one or more minors, though it is not required for graduation. You can choose one of the many minors offered through CLAS departments, or you can explore minor options offered through another school or college at UConn.

 

View a full list of UConn Minors

Rules for Minors

  • Minors consist of 15-18 credits and the requirements for each minor vary.
  • Requests for substitutions in a minor must meet certain conditions in CLAS and would need the approval of the Academic Dean's Office.
  • By rule, transfer credits cannot be applied to a minor without permission of the Academic Dean's Office.
  • Students MUST earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in each one of the courses required for the minor, unless a higher standard is noted in the specific minor program.
  • Some minors might have course overlap restrictions with courses for the major.

Declare Your Major and Minor

Students at the Storrs and regional campuses can declare or change their major online at the Program Plan Change (PPC) website.

This system allows you to:

  • Change from one CLAS major to a different CLAS major.
  • Change from another UConn school or college into most majors within CLAS.
  • Declare most minors.

Students who wish to change their major should also meet with their major advisor to develop a preliminary plan of study.

Visit the Program Plan Change Website

Regional campus students should refer to their campus student services office for information about changing their major.