English (BA)
College of Arts and Sciences
Program Description
The Department of Literatures in English fosters critical analysis and lucid writing. We teach students to think about the nature of language and to be alert to the rigors and pleasures of reading texts of diverse inspiration. Students taking courses in the department engage with British, American, and Anglophone literature of an astounding historical span and global variety, and are trained to respond to what they read in a rich and complex variety of ways—from expository essays and scholarly inquiries to class discussions and creative writing. Whether considering English as a major, a minor, or simply a field to explore, students are encouraged to consult with the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS).
The English major provides a foundation in reading, writing, research, and critical analysis preparing students for a range of intellectual and professional pursuits. Majors develop familiarity with innovative and traditional fields in literary studies, alongside a variety of theoretical approaches, emerging as deeper thinkers and stronger writers as a result.
Visit the English Majors Guide for the declaration form and more information.
Academic Standards
Planning a Program of Study
Few students know from the moment they decide to major in English exactly what they wish to study. Moreover, it is natural for interests to change over time. The requirements of the English major are designed to provide a flexible framework for learning.
Within that framework, the concentration and the Honors Program provide two further ways to shape the pursuit of the major. English is a flexible option for double majors, often completed alongside Biology, Computer Science, Government, and more.
English majors are expected to develop their own program of study in consultation with their major advisor, and to meet each semester to discuss enrollment and progress. The effort of creating or discovering a coherent pattern in the courses selected is itself a valuable part of a literary education, and the department expects students to choose courses with an eye to depth and variety as well as focus and coherence. Some focus on a particular historical period or literary genre, while others develop thematic interests or combine sustained work in creative writing with the study of literature.
First-Year Writing Seminars
First-year students interested in the English major are encouraged to enroll in a section of ENGL 1270 FWS: Writing About Literature, or a section of another ENGL FWS course instructed by an English faculty member, to begin to build connections in the department.
As part of the university-wide First-Year Writing Seminars program administered by the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines, the department offers a wide range of courses in literature, film, and media; nature, the environment, and climate change; culture, politics, and identity; and in community engagement—connecting students with local community partners. Students may apply any of these courses to their first-year writing seminar requirement. Detailed course descriptions may be found in the first-year writing seminar program listings, available through the Knight Institute.
Survey Courses
The department recommends that prospective English majors begin with at least one survey course. ENGL 2010 Literatures in English I: From Old English to the New World provides a survey of pre-1800 British and American writers. ENGL 2020 Literature in English II: 1750 to the Present broadens to include literatures from the late 18th-century until the present. Several other 2000-level courses are offered each semester which provide introductions to important aspects of literature, culture, and theory also covered in more advanced courses. These introductory courses concentrate on the skills basic to the English major and to other academic work—close reading and analytical writing.
Writing Workshop Courses
Students interested in developing their skills as writers can participate in workshop courses in expository, nonfiction, and creative writing. Due to the writing-intensive nature of these courses, the department discourages enrollment in more than one workshop course per semester. ENGL 2800 Creative Writing, and ENGL 2880 Expository Writing are also suitable preparations for the major.
Preparation for Graduate Study in English
Students intending to pursue graduate work in English should investigate the requirements of programs they might apply to. Faculty advisors and the DUS are available for consultation. Majors considering a Ph.D. in English should give special attention to language preparation in planning their undergraduate study; most graduate programs require reading knowledge of at least one foreign language (usually French or German), and sometimes two or more. Some programs require knowledge of Latin. A broad program of undergraduate study in English is advisable since most graduate programs in English require students to demonstrate a wide knowledge of the major authors and periods of British and American literature. Grounding in literary theory and some exposure to the critical tradition is also highly desirable.
Honors Program
Second-semester sophomores who have done superior work in English are encouraged to seek admission to the Honors Program. The program allows students to independently study a topic they choose and to write a researched, critical paper of at least 50 pages. A minimum English GPA of 3.7 is required to be eligible for the Honors Program.
The Honors Program is a three-course commitment in which students must complete:
-
Honors Seminar: any 4-credit 4000-level ENGL seminar course
-
The purpose of the honors seminar is to acquaint students with methods of study and research to help them write their thesis.
-
-
ENGL 4930 Honors Essay Tutorial I (Fall)
-
ENGL 4940 Honors Essay Tutorial II (Spring)
Students work one-on-one with their thesis advisor, meeting regularly on a mutually agreed upon schedule. Students will also attend larger meetings of all honors candidates held by the Director of Honors.
Visit the English Honors Program Guide for the application form and more information.
Successful completion of the program leads to the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English.
Program Information
- Program Mode of Delivery: In Person
- Program Location: Ithaca, NY
- Minimum Credits for Degree: 120
Program Requirements
A minimum of ten full-semester courses is required.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Major Distribution Courses 1 | 15-20 | |
Two courses on literatures in English before 1800 (ENGL-PRE) | ||
Two courses on literatures in English after 1800 (ENGL-PST) | ||
One course on literatures in English of the Global South (ENGL-GLS), i.e., African, African Diaspora, Asian Diaspora, South Asian, or Caribbean literature | ||
Two courses on literatures in English of the Americas (ENGL-LOA), including at least one course on American Indian or Indigenous, African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Latina/o literature | ||
| Two 4000-level Cornell ENGL seminars | 6-8 | |
| Three courses must be related in topic, theme, time period, genre, or approach to form a "concentration." 2 | 9-12 | |
- 1
A course may be used to fulfill a maximum of two major distribution categories. The major distribution requirements which a course can satisfy are designated in the Course Categories table below. Designation is typically granted to courses in which at least half of the material consists of literatures originally written in English and otherwise related to the distribution requirement.
- 2
Students may develop a concentration in consultation with their advisor during the final year based on the courses that form a cluster in their studies.
Notes on Credits
- Minimum Credits for Major: 30
- Cross-listed courses qualify for the major, even if not enrolled with the ENGL subject code.
- A minimum grade of C is required for a course to qualify for the major (no S/U grades).
- Courses must be 3 credits or higher to qualify for the major unless otherwise noted.
- First-Year Writing Seminars, ENGL 2800 Creative Writing and ENGL 2880 Expository Writing may not be applied toward the major.
- A maximum of two 1000-level courses may be applied to the major.
- ENGL 4930 Honors Essay Tutorial I and ENGL 4940 Honors Essay Tutorial II may be applied toward the required ten full-semester courses but may not be used to satisfy other categories of requirements.
- A maximum of three non-ENGL courses at the 2000-level or higher from other departments on subjects related to literary study, even if focused on literatures not originally in English, may be applied toward the required ten full-semester courses and the concentration with the approval of the major advisor. To qualify toward the major distribution requirements, a course must be approved by the DUS.
- Transfer and study abroad courses may be applied toward the required ten full-semester courses and the other requirement categories with the approval of the DUS. A maximum of two non-Cornell courses per semester may be applied to the major.
Course Categories
Pre 1800 (ENGL-PRE)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ASRC 3340 | Race, Class, Gender and Violence in the Enlightenment | 3 |
| ASRC 3507 | African American Literature Through the 1930's | 3 |
| COML 3240 | Blood Politics: Comparative Renaissance Drama | 3 |
| COML 3342 | Race, Class, Gender and Violence in the Enlightenment | 3 |
| COML 4002 | Versification: How Poetic Forms Are Made and Analyzed | 3 |
| ENGL 2010 | Literatures in English I: From Old English to the New World | 3-4 |
| ENGL 2080 | Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century | 3 |
| ENGL 2100 | Medieval Romance: Voyages to the Otherworld | 3 |
| ENGL 2240 | Comedy: Renaissance and Now | 3 |
| ENGL 2270 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| ENGL 3080 | Icelandic Family Sagas | 3 |
| ENGL 3110 | Old English | 4 |
| ENGL 3120 | Beowulf | 3 |
| ENGL 3165 | Medieval America | 3-4 |
| ENGL 3190 | Chaucer | 3 |
| ENGL 3230 | Renaissance Poetry | 3-4 |
| ENGL 3240 | Blood Politics: Comparative Renaissance Drama | 3 |
| ENGL 3245 | Evil: The Literary Question of the Human | 3 |
| ENGL 3255 | Revolution or Reform? | 3 |
| ENGL 3270 | Shakespeare: The Late Plays | 3 |
| ENGL 3280 | The Bible as Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3340 | Race, Class, Gender and Violence in the Enlightenment | 3 |
| ENGL 3507 | African American Literature Through the 1930's | 3 |
| ENGL 3901 | Utopia | 3-4 |
| ENGL 4002 | Versification: How Poetic Forms Are Made and Analyzed | 3 |
| ENGL 4116 | Inventing Women in the Middle Ages | 4 |
| ENGL 4133 | From the Conquest to Caxton: Middle English Language, Literatures, History | 4 |
| ENGL 4140 | Love and Ecstasy: Forms of Devotion in Medieval English Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 4170 | The Archaeology of the Text from Chaucer through the Renaissance | 4 |
| FGSS 4116 | Inventing Women in the Middle Ages | 4 |
| HIST 3255 | Revolution or Reform? | 3 |
| LING 4220 | From the Conquest to Caxton: Middle English Language, Literatures, History | 4 |
| MEDVL 2100 | Medieval Romance: Voyages to the Otherworld | 3 |
| MEDVL 3080 | Icelandic Family Sagas | 3 |
| MEDVL 3110 | Old English | 4 |
| MEDVL 3120 | Beowulf | 3 |
| MEDVL 3140 | Love and Ecstasy: Forms of Devotion in Medieval English Literature | 4 |
| MEDVL 3190 | Chaucer | 3 |
| MEDVL 3245 | Revolution or Reform? | 3 |
| MEDVL 4170 | The Archaeology of the Text from Chaucer through the Renaissance | 4 |
| PMA 2670 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| PMA 2681 | Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century | 3 |
| PMA 3770 | Shakespeare: The Late Plays | 3 |
| RELST 3281 | The Bible as Literature | 3 |
| SHUM 2080 | Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century | 3 |
Post 1800 (ENGL-PST)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AAS 2620 | Introduction to Asian American Literature | 3 |
| AAS 3674 | AAPI and Empire | 3 |
| AAS 4567 | Speculative East Asias | 4 |
| AIIS 2600 | Introduction to Native American Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2060 | The Great American Cornell Novel | 3 |
| AMST 2105 | The American Musical | 3 |
| AMST 2160 | Television | 3 |
| AMST 2330 | Literature and Medicine | 3 |
| AMST 2401 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2600 | Introduction to Native American Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2620 | Introduction to Asian American Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2635 | A Haunted House Divided: The American Gothic Tradition in Nineteenth-Century Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2650 | Introduction to African American Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2675 | Cultures of the Cold War | 3 |
| AMST 2690 | American Poetry Since 1850 | 3 |
| AMST 3360 | American Theatre Stage and Screen I | 3 |
| AMST 3370 | American Theatre on Stage and Screen II (1960-Present) | 3 |
| AMST 3442 | Merchants, Whalers, Pirates, Sailors: Early American Sea-Faring Literature | 3 |
| AMST 3503 | Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes | 3-4 |
| AMST 3508 | African American Literature: 1930s-present | 3 |
| AMST 3525 | Howls and Love Songs: Twentieth Century American Poetry | 3 |
| AMST 3625 | Frederick Douglass and Frances E.W. Harper: Major Writers Sounding Out Freedom | 3 |
| AMST 3679 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| AMST 3764 | Law and Literature | 3 |
| AMST 3820 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| AMST 4506 | The Harlem Renaissance, 1919-1937 | 4 |
| AMST 4519 | Toni Morrison's Novels | 3 |
| AMST 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| AMST 4612 | LA Stories: Literature, Film, and Music from Los Angeles | 4 |
| AMST 4619 | Writing on Tape in the 60s, 70s, 80s: Art and Politics of the Overdub | 4 |
| AMST 4675 | The Environmental Imagination in American Literature | 4 |
| ASRC 2680 | Introduction to African American Literature | 3 |
| ASRC 3440 | Merchants, Whalers, Pirates, Sailors: Early American Sea-Faring Literature | 3 |
| ASRC 3508 | African American Literature: 1930s-present | 3 |
| ASRC 3625 | Frederick Douglass and Frances E.W. Harper: Major Writers Sounding Out Freedom | 3 |
| ASRC 3705 | Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes | 3-4 |
| ASRC 4509 | Toni Morrison's Novels | 3 |
| ASRC 4512 | The Global South Novel and World Literature | 4 |
| ASRC 4526 | Black Feminism: Practice and Purpose | 4 |
| ASRC 4570 | Africa Writes Back: Colonizer and the Colonized | 4 |
| BSOC 2350 | Literature and Medicine | 3 |
| COML 2272 | Out of Line: Introduction to Narrative and Media | 3 |
| COML 2400 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| COML 2580 | Imagining the Holocaust | 3 |
| COML 3021 | Literary Theory on the Edge | 3 |
| COML 3541 | Introduction to Critical Theory | 3 |
| COML 3542 | Fables of Capitalism | 3 |
| COML 3550 | Decadence | 3 |
| COML 3800 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| COML 4225 | Arboreal Humanities: Ecology, Aesthetics, and Literature | 3 |
| COML 4281 | Human-Centered Design and Engaged Media | 4 |
| COML 4511 | The Global South Novel and World Literature | 4 |
| COML 4571 | Africa Writes Back: Colonizer and the Colonized | 4 |
| COML 4815 | Reading (with) Judith Butler | 3 |
| ENGL 1100 | How Reading Changes Your Life | 3 |
| ENGL 1102 | The Great American Cornell Novel | 3 |
| ENGL 2020 | Literature in English II: 1750 to the Present | 3-4 |
| ENGL 2150 | The American Musical | 3 |
| ENGL 2160 | Television | 3 |
| ENGL 2200 | The Idea of the Pet in Literature and History | 3 |
| ENGL 2272 | Out of Line: Introduction to Narrative and Media | 3 |
| ENGL 2350 | Literature and Medicine | 3 |
| ENGL 2400 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2435 | Science Fiction and the Victorian Novel | 3 |
| ENGL 2535 | Issues in Contemporary Fiction: Trans Utopias and Genderqueer Science Fiction | 3 |
| ENGL 2580 | Imagining the Holocaust | 3 |
| ENGL 2600 | Introduction to Native American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2604 | What is Decolonization? | 3 |
| ENGL 2620 | Introduction to Asian American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2635 | A Haunted House Divided: The American Gothic Tradition in Nineteenth-Century Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2650 | Introduction to African American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2675 | Cultures of the Cold War | 3 |
| ENGL 2690 | American Poetry Since 1850 | 3 |
| ENGL 2710 | Novel Technologies | 3 |
| ENGL 2715 | Memoir | 3 |
| ENGL 2765 | Watching Literature and Reading Film | 3 |
| ENGL 2783 | Writing Bodies and Minds: Disability and Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2785 | Comic Books and Graphic Novels | 3 |
| ENGL 3021 | Literary Theory on the Edge | 3 |
| ENGL 3360 | American Theatre Stage and Screen I | 3 |
| ENGL 3370 | American Theatre on Stage and Screen II (1960-Present) | 3 |
| ENGL 3390 | Jane Austen | 3 |
| ENGL 3440 | Merchants, Whalers, Pirates, Sailors: Early American Sea-Faring Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3460 | Nineteenth Century British and American Poetry: Wordsworth to Dickinson | 3 |
| ENGL 3470 | The Victorian Novel | 3 |
| ENGL 3490 | Curiosity: The Literature and Science of Knowing Too Much | 3 |
| ENGL 3505 | Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes | 3-4 |
| ENGL 3508 | African American Literature: 1930s-present | 3 |
| ENGL 3525 | Howls and Love Songs: Twentieth Century American Poetry | 3 |
| ENGL 3550 | Decadence | 3 |
| ENGL 3563 | American Writers, American Workers: Exploring Work and Labor through Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3571 | The Modern Irish Writers | 3 |
| ENGL 3610 | African Mythology: Historical and Speculative Worlds | 3 |
| ENGL 3625 | Frederick Douglass and Frances E.W. Harper: Major Writers Sounding Out Freedom | 3 |
| ENGL 3674 | AAPI and Empire | 3 |
| ENGL 3678 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| ENGL 3706 | Photo-Text | 3 |
| ENGL 3747 | The Trouble with Crime Fiction | 3 |
| ENGL 3753 | Mass Culture and the Avant-Garde | 3 |
| ENGL 3762 | Law and Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3781 | Human Rights in Law and Culture | 3 |
| ENGL 3795 | Communicating Climate Change | 3 |
| ENGL 3910 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| ENGL 3916 | Fables of Capitalism | 3 |
| ENGL 3920 | Introduction to Critical Theory | 3 |
| ENGL 4225 | Arboreal Humanities: Ecology, Aesthetics, and Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 4505 | The Harlem Renaissance, 1919-1937 | 4 |
| ENGL 4509 | Toni Morrison's Novels | 3 |
| ENGL 4511 | The Global South Novel and World Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 4526 | Black Feminism: Practice and Purpose | 4 |
| ENGL 4567 | Speculative East Asias | 4 |
| ENGL 4570 | Africa Writes Back: Colonizer and the Colonized | 4 |
| ENGL 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| ENGL 4612 | LA Stories: Literature, Film, and Music from Los Angeles | 4 |
| ENGL 4619 | Writing on Tape in the 60s, 70s, 80s: Art and Politics of the Overdub | 4 |
| ENGL 4675 | The Environmental Imagination in American Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 4700 | Reading Joyce's Ulysses | 4 |
| ENGL 4705 | Human-Centered Design and Engaged Media | 4 |
| ENGL 4706 | How to Make Queer Kin: Sustaining Bonds in LGBTQ Culture | 3 |
| ENGL 4765 | The Twenty-First Century Novel | 4 |
| ENGL 4795 | Climate Communications Capstone | 3 |
| ENGL 4815 | Reading (with) Judith Butler | 3 |
| ENVS 4795 | Climate Communications Capstone | 3 |
| FGSS 2160 | Television | 3 |
| FGSS 2350 | Literature and Medicine | 3 |
| FGSS 2535 | Issues in Contemporary Fiction: Trans Utopias and Genderqueer Science Fiction | 3 |
| FGSS 3550 | Decadence | 3 |
| FGSS 4509 | Toni Morrison's Novels | 3 |
| FGSS 4705 | How to Make Queer Kin: Sustaining Bonds in LGBTQ Culture | 3 |
| FGSS 4815 | Reading (with) Judith Butler | 3 |
| FREN 3921 | Literary Theory on the Edge | 3 |
| GERST 3610 | Fables of Capitalism | 3 |
| GERST 3620 | Introduction to Critical Theory | 3 |
| GERST 4225 | Arboreal Humanities: Ecology, Aesthetics, and Literature | 3 |
| GOVT 3606 | Fables of Capitalism | 3 |
| GOVT 3636 | Introduction to Critical Theory | 3 |
| GOVT 3781 | Human Rights in Law and Culture | 3 |
| JWST 2580 | Imagining the Holocaust | 3 |
| LATA 3800 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| LGBT 2350 | Literature and Medicine | 3 |
| LGBT 2535 | Issues in Contemporary Fiction: Trans Utopias and Genderqueer Science Fiction | 3 |
| LGBT 3550 | Decadence | 3 |
| LGBT 4705 | How to Make Queer Kin: Sustaining Bonds in LGBTQ Culture | 3 |
| LSP 2400 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| LSP 3678 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| LSP 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| LSP 4612 | LA Stories: Literature, Film, and Music from Los Angeles | 4 |
| MUSIC 2250 | The American Musical | 3 |
| MUSIC 4454 | Writing on Tape in the 60s, 70s, 80s: Art and Politics of the Overdub | 4 |
| PMA 2650 | The American Musical | 3 |
| PMA 2660 | Television | 3 |
| PMA 3421 | Literary Theory on the Edge | 3 |
| PMA 3757 | American Theatre Stage and Screen I | 3 |
| PMA 3758 | American Theatre on Stage and Screen II (1960-Present) | 3 |
| SHUM 2350 | Literature and Medicine | 3 |
| SHUM 2650 | Introduction to African American Literature | 3 |
| SHUM 2675 | Cultures of the Cold War | 3 |
| SHUM 3610 | Fables of Capitalism | 3 |
| SHUM 3636 | Introduction to Critical Theory | 3 |
| SHUM 4705 | How to Make Queer Kin: Sustaining Bonds in LGBTQ Culture | 3 |
| SPAN 3675 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| SPAN 3800 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| SPAN 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| VISST 2160 | Television | 3 |
| VISST 3706 | Photo-Text | 3 |
| VISST 4705 | How to Make Queer Kin: Sustaining Bonds in LGBTQ Culture | 3 |
Global South (ENGL-GLS)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AAS 3674 | AAPI and Empire | 3 |
| AAS 4567 | Speculative East Asias | 4 |
| AMST 2401 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| AMST 3679 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| AMST 3820 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| AMST 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| AMST 4612 | LA Stories: Literature, Film, and Music from Los Angeles | 4 |
| ASRC 2212 | Caribbean Worlds | 3 |
| ASRC 3340 | Race, Class, Gender and Violence in the Enlightenment | 3 |
| ASRC 3507 | African American Literature Through the 1930's | 3 |
| ASRC 4512 | The Global South Novel and World Literature | 4 |
| ASRC 4570 | Africa Writes Back: Colonizer and the Colonized | 4 |
| COML 2400 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| COML 3342 | Race, Class, Gender and Violence in the Enlightenment | 3 |
| COML 3800 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| COML 4511 | The Global South Novel and World Literature | 4 |
| COML 4571 | Africa Writes Back: Colonizer and the Colonized | 4 |
| ENGL 2400 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2512 | Caribbean Worlds | 3 |
| ENGL 2604 | What is Decolonization? | 3 |
| ENGL 3340 | Race, Class, Gender and Violence in the Enlightenment | 3 |
| ENGL 3507 | African American Literature Through the 1930's | 3 |
| ENGL 3610 | African Mythology: Historical and Speculative Worlds | 3 |
| ENGL 3674 | AAPI and Empire | 3 |
| ENGL 3678 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| ENGL 3781 | Human Rights in Law and Culture | 3 |
| ENGL 3910 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| ENGL 4511 | The Global South Novel and World Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 4567 | Speculative East Asias | 4 |
| ENGL 4570 | Africa Writes Back: Colonizer and the Colonized | 4 |
| ENGL 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| ENGL 4612 | LA Stories: Literature, Film, and Music from Los Angeles | 4 |
| GOVT 3781 | Human Rights in Law and Culture | 3 |
| LATA 3800 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| LSP 2212 | Caribbean Worlds | 3 |
| LSP 2400 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| LSP 3678 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| LSP 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| LSP 4612 | LA Stories: Literature, Film, and Music from Los Angeles | 4 |
| SPAN 3675 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| SPAN 3800 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| SPAN 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
English of the Americas (ENGL-LOA)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AAS 2620 | Introduction to Asian American Literature | 3 |
| AAS 3674 | AAPI and Empire | 3 |
| AAS 4567 | Speculative East Asias | 4 |
| AIIS 2600 | Introduction to Native American Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2060 | The Great American Cornell Novel | 3 |
| AMST 2105 | The American Musical | 3 |
| AMST 2160 | Television | 3 |
| AMST 2401 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2600 | Introduction to Native American Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2620 | Introduction to Asian American Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2635 | A Haunted House Divided: The American Gothic Tradition in Nineteenth-Century Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2650 | Introduction to African American Literature | 3 |
| AMST 2675 | Cultures of the Cold War | 3 |
| AMST 2690 | American Poetry Since 1850 | 3 |
| AMST 2735 | Children's Literature | 3 |
| AMST 3360 | American Theatre Stage and Screen I | 3 |
| AMST 3370 | American Theatre on Stage and Screen II (1960-Present) | 3 |
| AMST 3442 | Merchants, Whalers, Pirates, Sailors: Early American Sea-Faring Literature | 3 |
| AMST 3503 | Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes | 3-4 |
| AMST 3508 | African American Literature: 1930s-present | 3 |
| AMST 3525 | Howls and Love Songs: Twentieth Century American Poetry | 3 |
| AMST 3625 | Frederick Douglass and Frances E.W. Harper: Major Writers Sounding Out Freedom | 3 |
| AMST 3679 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| AMST 3820 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| AMST 4506 | The Harlem Renaissance, 1919-1937 | 4 |
| AMST 4519 | Toni Morrison's Novels | 3 |
| AMST 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| AMST 4612 | LA Stories: Literature, Film, and Music from Los Angeles | 4 |
| AMST 4675 | The Environmental Imagination in American Literature | 4 |
| ASRC 2212 | Caribbean Worlds | 3 |
| ASRC 2680 | Introduction to African American Literature | 3 |
| ASRC 3440 | Merchants, Whalers, Pirates, Sailors: Early American Sea-Faring Literature | 3 |
| ASRC 3507 | African American Literature Through the 1930's | 3 |
| ASRC 3508 | African American Literature: 1930s-present | 3 |
| ASRC 3625 | Frederick Douglass and Frances E.W. Harper: Major Writers Sounding Out Freedom | 3 |
| ASRC 3705 | Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes | 3-4 |
| ASRC 4509 | Toni Morrison's Novels | 3 |
| ASRC 4526 | Black Feminism: Practice and Purpose | 4 |
| COML 2400 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| COML 3800 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| COML 4815 | Reading (with) Judith Butler | 3 |
| ENGL 1100 | How Reading Changes Your Life | 3 |
| ENGL 1102 | The Great American Cornell Novel | 3 |
| ENGL 2150 | The American Musical | 3 |
| ENGL 2160 | Television | 3 |
| ENGL 2400 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2512 | Caribbean Worlds | 3 |
| ENGL 2535 | Issues in Contemporary Fiction: Trans Utopias and Genderqueer Science Fiction | 3 |
| ENGL 2600 | Introduction to Native American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2620 | Introduction to Asian American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2635 | A Haunted House Divided: The American Gothic Tradition in Nineteenth-Century Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2650 | Introduction to African American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2675 | Cultures of the Cold War | 3 |
| ENGL 2690 | American Poetry Since 1850 | 3 |
| ENGL 2707 | Let Me Count the Ways: Poetry and Mathematics | 4 |
| ENGL 2710 | Novel Technologies | 3 |
| ENGL 2730 | Children's Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2783 | Writing Bodies and Minds: Disability and Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2785 | Comic Books and Graphic Novels | 3 |
| ENGL 3165 | Medieval America | 3-4 |
| ENGL 3360 | American Theatre Stage and Screen I | 3 |
| ENGL 3370 | American Theatre on Stage and Screen II (1960-Present) | 3 |
| ENGL 3440 | Merchants, Whalers, Pirates, Sailors: Early American Sea-Faring Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3460 | Nineteenth Century British and American Poetry: Wordsworth to Dickinson | 3 |
| ENGL 3505 | Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes | 3-4 |
| ENGL 3507 | African American Literature Through the 1930's | 3 |
| ENGL 3508 | African American Literature: 1930s-present | 3 |
| ENGL 3525 | Howls and Love Songs: Twentieth Century American Poetry | 3 |
| ENGL 3563 | American Writers, American Workers: Exploring Work and Labor through Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3610 | African Mythology: Historical and Speculative Worlds | 3 |
| ENGL 3625 | Frederick Douglass and Frances E.W. Harper: Major Writers Sounding Out Freedom | 3 |
| ENGL 3674 | AAPI and Empire | 3 |
| ENGL 3678 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| ENGL 3781 | Human Rights in Law and Culture | 3 |
| ENGL 3795 | Communicating Climate Change | 3 |
| ENGL 3910 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| ENGL 4505 | The Harlem Renaissance, 1919-1937 | 4 |
| ENGL 4509 | Toni Morrison's Novels | 3 |
| ENGL 4526 | Black Feminism: Practice and Purpose | 4 |
| ENGL 4567 | Speculative East Asias | 4 |
| ENGL 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| ENGL 4612 | LA Stories: Literature, Film, and Music from Los Angeles | 4 |
| ENGL 4675 | The Environmental Imagination in American Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 4815 | Reading (with) Judith Butler | 3 |
| FGSS 2160 | Television | 3 |
| FGSS 2535 | Issues in Contemporary Fiction: Trans Utopias and Genderqueer Science Fiction | 3 |
| FGSS 4509 | Toni Morrison's Novels | 3 |
| FGSS 4815 | Reading (with) Judith Butler | 3 |
| GOVT 3781 | Human Rights in Law and Culture | 3 |
| LATA 3800 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| LGBT 2535 | Issues in Contemporary Fiction: Trans Utopias and Genderqueer Science Fiction | 3 |
| LSP 2212 | Caribbean Worlds | 3 |
| LSP 2400 | Introduction to U.S. Latinx Literature | 3 |
| LSP 3678 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| LSP 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| LSP 4612 | LA Stories: Literature, Film, and Music from Los Angeles | 4 |
| MUSIC 2250 | The American Musical | 3 |
| PMA 2650 | The American Musical | 3 |
| PMA 2660 | Television | 3 |
| PMA 3757 | American Theatre Stage and Screen I | 3 |
| PMA 3758 | American Theatre on Stage and Screen II (1960-Present) | 3 |
| SHUM 2650 | Introduction to African American Literature | 3 |
| SHUM 2675 | Cultures of the Cold War | 3 |
| SPAN 3675 | Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries | 3 |
| SPAN 3800 | Poetry and Poetics of the Americas | 3 |
| SPAN 4577 | Desbordando: Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies | 4 |
| VISST 2160 | Television | 3 |
University Graduation Requirements
Requirements for All Students
In order to receive a Cornell degree, a student must satisfy academic and non-academic requirements.
Academic Requirements
A student’s college determines degree requirements such as residency, number of credits, distribution of credits, and grade averages. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the specific major, degree, distribution, college, and graduation requirements for completing their chosen program of study. See the individual requirements listed by each college or school or contact the college registrar’s office for more information.
Non-academic Requirements
Conduct Matters. Students must satisfy any outstanding sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed or agreed to under the Student Code of Conduct (Code) or Policy 6.4. Where a formal complaint under the Code or Policy 6.4 is pending, the University will withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the adjudication process set forth in those procedures is complete, including the satisfaction of any sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed.
Financial Obligations. Outstanding financial obligations will not impact the awarding of a degree otherwise earned or a student’s ability to access their official transcript. However, the University may withhold issuing a diploma until any outstanding financial obligations owing to the University are satisfied.
Additional Requirements for Undergraduate Students
The University has two requirements for graduation that must be fulfilled by all undergraduate students: the swim requirement, and completion of two physical education courses. For additional information about fulfilling University Graduation Requirements, see the Physical Education website.
Physical Education
All undergraduate students are required to take two credits (two courses) of Physical Education prior to graduation. It is recommended they complete the two courses during their first year at Cornell. Credit in Physical Education may be earned by participating in courses offered by the Department of Athletics and Physical Education and Cornell Outdoor Education, by being a registered participant on a varsity athletic team, or performing in the marching band.
Students with medical concerns should contact the Office of Student Disability Services.
Swim Requirement
The Faculty Advisory Committee on Athletics and Physical Education has established a basic swimming and water safety competency requirement for all undergraduate students. Normally, the requirement is taken during the Fall Orientation process at Helen Newman Hall or Teagle Hall pools. The requirement consists of the following: jump or step feet-first into the deep end of the pool, float or tread for one minute, turn around in a full circle, swim 25 yards using any stroke(s) of choice without touching the bottom or holding on to the sides (there is no time limit) and exit from the water. Students who do not complete the swim requirement during their first year, during a PE swim class or during orientation in subsequent years, will have to pay a $100 fee. Any student who cannot meet this requirement must register for PE 1100 Beginning Swimming as their physical education course before electives can be chosen.
If a student does not pass the swim requirement in their first Beginning Swimming PE class, then the student must take a second Beginning Swimming PE class (PE 1100 or PE 1101). Successful completion of two Beginning Swimming classes (based on attendance requirements) with the instructor's recommendation will fulfill the University's swim requirement.
Students unable to meet the swim requirement because of medical reasons should contact the Office of Student Disability Services. When a waiver is granted by the Faculty Committee on Physical Education, an alternate requirement is imposed. The alternate requirement substitute is set by the Director of Physical Education.
College of Arts and Sciences Graduation Requirements
Undergraduate Degrees
Graduation Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree
Credit Requirement
120 academic credits are required, 100 of which must be taken in the College of Arts & Sciences. 100 credits in Arts & Sciences is a minimum number, as is the 120 credit total. A minimum of 80 credits must be in courses for which a letter grade was received. AP, IB, CASE and A-Level credits count toward the 120 total credits but not toward the 100 A&S credits. Transfer credits for non-transfer students cannot count towards the 100 A&S credits. (See list of courses that do not count as academic credit.)
Residency Requirement
Eight full-time semesters in residence (in person) are expected to complete degree requirements with a minimum of six full-time semesters being required. External transfer students must complete a minimum of four full-time residence semesters.
First-year Writing Seminar (FWS) Requirement
Two courses are required. A 5 on either the AP English Composition or Literature exam, or a 7 on the IB HL English Literature or Language exam will count towards one of these seminars. First-year students should take an FWS during their first semester at Cornell and are required to complete two by the end of their sophomore year.
Foreign Language Requirement
A student must either pass an intermediate Cornell language course at the 2000-level or above (Option 1) or complete at least 11 credits in a single foreign language at Cornell (Option 2). AP and IB credits cannot complete this requirement, but usually indicate that a student can place into a higher level course. Note: Native speakers of a foreign language may be exempted from this requirement. For a list of language offerings and placement, see Language Study at Cornell.
Distribution Requirement
Must take a minimum of 8 courses of at least 3 credits to fulfill 10 distribution categories. How an individual course is categorized is indicated with the appropriate abbreviation in its course description. It is important to recognize that only courses with the proper designation in the catalog can be used toward fulfilling the distribution requirements in Arts and Sciences. Unless otherwise specified, variable credit courses, including independent study courses, may not be used for distribution credit.
Arts & Sciences Distribution Requirement Categories:
- Arts, Literature, and Culture (ALC-AS)
- Biological Sciences (BIO-AS)
- Ethics and the Mind (ETM-AS)
- Global Citizenship (GLC-AS)
- Historical Analysis (HST-AS)
- Physical Sciences (PHS-AS)
- Social Difference (SCD-AS)
- Social Sciences (SSC-AS)
- Statistics and Data Science (SDS-AS)
- Symbolic and Mathematical Reasoning (SMR-AS)
To review distribution requirement definitions and course lists, please visit the College of Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirement List section of this catalog.
Major Requirement
Students must complete the requirements for at least one major in A&S. See individual major listings for major requirements.
Policies on Applying Cornell and Non-Cornell Courses and Credits to Distribution Requirements
Restrictions on Applying AP/Test Credit and Courses from Other Institutions to the Distribution Requirements
- Students may not apply AP/test credit or transfer credit from another institution to the distribution requirements.
- Students who transfer to the college from another institution are under the above rules for advanced placement credit, but are eligible to have credit for post–high school course work taken during regular full-time semesters (not summer terms) at their previous institution count toward all distribution requirements. Transfer students receive a detailed credit evaluation when they are accepted for admission.
Restrictions on Applying Cornell Courses to the Distribution Requirements
- First-year writing seminars and ENGL 2860 Creative, Lyric, and Expository Writing or ENGL 2880 Expository Writing taken to satisfy a first-year writing seminar requirement may not count toward any other college or major requirement.
- Only courses with the proper designation in the Courses of Study can be used toward fulfilling the distribution requirements in Arts and Sciences.
- Students may not petition to change the category of any given course, nor may any faculty member change the category of a course for an individual student. Faculty members wishing to change the category for a course in which they are the primary instructor must petition the Educational Policy Committee for a change in category. If granted, the new category must be applied to the course as a whole and not for an individual student.
Courses That May Fulfill More Than One Requirement
- A course may fulfill more than one college requirement in any of the following situations:
- A course may be used to fulfill distribution and a major requirement (except if prohibited by one of the restrictions noted on applying AP/test credit, transfer credit, and Cornell courses to distribution requirements).
- A course may satisfy a maximum of two distribution categories. Students can only double-count distribution requirements on a maximum of two courses.
- A one-semester course in foreign literature (not language) or culture that is acceptable for certifying Option 1 in that language may also be applied to the relevant distribution requirement.
- Courses may count toward any other requirement except first-year writing seminars.
Credit Requirement
Credits and Courses
Students must earn a minimum of 120 academic credits (which may include AP/test credits). Of the 120, a minimum of 100 must be from courses taken in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell.
Courses that do not count toward the 120 credits required for the degree
The College of Arts and Sciences does not grant credit toward the degree for every course offered by the university. Courses in service as a teaching assistant, physical education, remedial or developmental training, precalculus mathematics, supplemental science and mathematics, offered by the Learning Strategies Center, and English as a second language are among those for which degree credit is not awarded. Students can view the list of courses that do not count for academic credit here.
Other cases in which a course may not receive credit include the following:
- A course identified as a prerequisite for a subsequent course may not be taken for credit once a student completes that subsequent course.
- A repeated course. (For more information, see "Repeating courses," below.)
- A "forbidden overlap," that is, a course with material that significantly overlaps with material in a course a student has already taken. Students should consult the list of Forbidden Overlaps for more information.
Courses that count toward the 100 required Arts and Sciences credits
May include liberal arts courses approved for study abroad during a semester or academic year of full-time study (not summer abroad study), courses taken in certain off-campus Cornell residential programs, and a maximum of three courses that majors may accept from other colleges at Cornell as fulfilling major requirements. A&S courses taken in Cornell's summer session may count towards the 100 A&S credits.
Courses that do not count toward the 100 required Arts and Sciences credits
Include credits earned in other colleges at Cornell (except in the cases specifically noted in this section), transfer credits earned in any subject at institutions other than Cornell, and advanced placement/test credits. AP/test credits count as part of the 120 credits required for the degree but not as part of the 100 Arts and Sciences credits and may not be applied to distribution requirements. AP credits are posted on the transcript. If, subsequently, a student takes the course out of which they had placed, the AP credit will be removed because of the overlap in content. Students may use up to 12 credits of college approved ROTC courses as electives counting towards the 120 degree credits.
Repeating Courses
Students occasionally need to repeat courses. Some courses, such as independent study, some music and performance courses, and specific topical seminars, in which content is significantly different, do grant credit when the course is taken more than once. For all repeated courses, both grades appear on the transcript and are included in both the term and cumulative GPA. For repeated courses that do not grant credit more than once, only one instance counts toward degree credits and requirements.
Residency Requirement
The College of Arts & Sciences is a residential community and students typically spend eight semesters of full-time study in residence to earn the B.A. degree.
The completion of a fall or spring term as a full-time registered student at Cornell counts as a semester in residence. Summer and winter terms at Cornell, study in Cornell's School of Continuing Education and at other institutions do not count as semesters of residence.
The residency requirement has two components: a minimum number of semesters in residence and a requirement to spend the last full-time semester of study in residence.
Students matriculating into the College of Arts & Sciences as first-year students must have a minimum of six semesters in residence before graduating. First-year matriculants into A&S can count up to two semesters in an approved off-campus program as semesters in residence. Approved off-campus programs include A&S approved study abroad programs, Cornell in Washington, Cornell in Rome, Cornell in Los Angeles, and the Cornell-China & Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) Program.
Students who transfer into the College of Arts & Sciences after matriculating in their first-year in another Cornell college (internal transfers) must have a minimum of six semesters in residence, and a minimum of two semesters in the College of Arts and Sciences before graduating. Internal transfers can count up to two semesters in an approved off-campus program as semesters in residence.
Students who transfer into Cornell from another institution (external transfers) must have a minimum of four semesters in residence, and a minimum of two semesters in the College of Arts & Sciences, before graduating. External transfers can count up to one semester in an approved off-campus program as a semester in residence.
In addition to the minimum number of semesters in residence, all students must complete their final full-time semester of study (i.e., the last semester in which at least 9 academic credits are needed to meet graduation requirements) in residence. Students who have fewer than 9 credits to complete degree requirements, and have met the minimum number of semesters residency requirement, may elect to complete their degree requirements during Cornell summer and winter terms registered as an A&S student or at another institution with approved transfer credit. Students cannot meet final degree requirements registered as an extramural student at Cornell.
Exceptions to the residence requirement are not petitionable.
Foreign Language Requirement
The faculty considers competence in a foreign language essential for an educated person. Studying a language other than one's own helps students understand the dynamics of language, our fundamental intellectual tool, and enables students to understand another culture. The sooner a student acquires this competence, the sooner it will be useful. Hence, work toward the foreign language requirement should be undertaken in the first two years. Students postponing the language requirement for junior and senior years risk not graduating on time. Courses in foreign languages and/or literature are taught in the College of Arts and Sciences by the following departments: Africana Studies and Research Center, Asian Studies, Classics, Comparative Literature, German Studies, Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies, and Romance Studies. For a list of languages and placement see Language Study at Cornell.
The language requirement may be satisfied in one of the following ways:
Option 1 (FLOPI-AS)
Passing (a) a non-introductory foreign language course of 3 or more credits at Cornell at the 2000-level or above or (b) any other non-introductory course at the 2000-level or above conducted in a foreign language at Cornell. These courses are labeled in the roster with the distribution code FLOPI-AS (Foreign Language Option 1).
OR
Option 2
Passing at least 11 credits of study in a single foreign language (taken in the appropriate sequence) at Cornell.
Any exceptions to these rules will be noted elsewhere in individual department descriptions.
Students whose speaking, reading, and writing competence in a language other than English is at the same level we would expect our entering first-year students to have in English (as shown by completing high school in that language or by special examination during their first year here at Cornell) are exempt from the college's language requirement.
Major Requirement
Most departments and programs specify certain prerequisites for admission to the major; they are found on the pages for each department and program available at Degree Programs.
Students may apply for acceptance into the major as soon as they have completed the prerequisites and are confident of their choice. This may be as early as the second semester of their first year, and must be no later than the end of the second semester of sophomore year. A student without a major at the beginning of the junior year is not making satisfactory progress toward the degree and risks not being allowed to continue in the college. Undeclared first-term juniors must file a Late Declaration of Major form with Student Services and may be placed on a leave of absence during their junior year if they have not yet declared a major.
Double Majors
Completion of one major is required for graduation. Some students choose to complete more than one major. No special permission or procedure is required; students simply become accepted into multiple majors and are assigned to an advisor in each department. All completed majors are posted on the official transcript. Students are not allowed to continue their studies past their eighth semester to complete additional majors.
Early and Delayed Graduation
Graduating Early
A student may elect to graduate early if they are able to complete all graduation requirements in fewer than eight semesters.
Students must still satisfy the college's residency requirement as part of the graduation requirements. This residency requirement requires that students who are first-year matriculants into Cornell spend a minimum of six semesters in residence, external transfers must spend a minimum of four. To request an early graduation, students must notify the A&S Registrar's Office in KG 17 Klarman Hall or at as-studentservices@cornell.edu.
The earliest a student can request to graduate early and officially change their graduation date is immediately following the pre-enrollment period for their anticipated final semester. The student should have pre-enrolled in the classes required to meet the graduation requirements by the requested graduation date. The student must then complete Part I in DUST and have Part II completed by their major advisor.
Graduating Late: Ninth Term Enrollment
The Bachelor of Arts degree is expected to be completed in eight terms. If degree requirements cannot be completed in eight terms, students may seek permission to continue their studies. Requests will only be granted for students who have found themselves in emergent circumstances beyond their control which have prevented them from completing the degree in eight terms. Requests cannot be made until a student's final expected graduation term and will not be reviewed and approved until after the university drop deadline for that semester. Study beyond the eighth term is not automatically granted for the purposes of changing a major. Such requests must be discussed with a college academic advisor and require registrar approval. Requests to add an additional major or minor will not be approved for study beyond the eighth term.
If approved, students in the ninth and tenth term will be on a conditional status and will have restrictions placed on their enrollment to ensure successful completion of their degree. To request a ninth term, students must have their faculty advisor update Part II for any remaining major requirements. They will also need to submit a study plan to their college advisor listing the specific courses that will meet degree requirements for one major.
Student may elect to prorate credits if enrolling in 9 or fewer credits or take a full-time load if they desire. However, enrollment will be limited to 18 credits for the term so students can focus on their remaining required courses. In the rare case where a student may need to enroll in a tenth term to complete their degree, they will be required to prorate tuition and their enrollment will be limited to only the courses/credits needed for successful completion of one major. Additional enrollments will not be allowed.
Graduation Procedures
Application to Graduate
In the first semester of their senior year, students are prompted by Arts & Sciences Student Services to complete an online application to graduate. The application is intended to help seniors identify problems early enough in the final year to make any necessary changes in course selection to satisfy those requirements. Nonetheless, ensuring graduation requirements are fully met is the student's responsibility and any problems that are discovered, even late in the final semester, must be resolved by the student before the degree can be granted. Students are responsible for checking their DUST reports and transcripts each term and alerting Student Services of any problems with their academic record. To check on their progress in the major, students should consult with their major advisors.
Degree Dates
Cornell has three official degree conferral dates in the year: December, May, and August. Students who plan to graduate in August may attend commencement ceremonies in the preceding or subsequent May. Students graduating in December are invited to a special recognition ceremony in December and may also attend Commencement the following May. All academic work must be complete by the official conferral date in order to receive a degree on that date. Incomplete academic work will result in a later conferral date.