Bachelor’s Programs

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Bachelor’s Programs

Bachelor’s Programs

Hofstra University offers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science in Education.

Students who have not decided on a field of specialization (major) when they enter as freshmen will be advised on programming by the University Advisement Office. Students will choose their field of specialization, usually by the end of either the freshman or sophomore year, and apply to the chairperson of the department of specialization for permission and aid in planning a course of study for the junior and senior years.

For students interested in teaching in elementary and secondary schools, see the Undergraduate Preprofessional Programs section of this Bulletin. Students who think they may wish to pursue a preprofessional program other than education (premedical, prelaw, etc.) should consult with the preprofessional adviser in the University Advisement Office early in their college career.

Evening students will normally choose their major field after completing 12 semester hours. They will be given an appointment with a divisional adviser at the University Advisement Office.

Degrees and Major Fields

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Programs are listed under the major department or area. For information on all teaching fields (e.g., early childhood, elementary or secondary), see the teaching fields section of this Bulletin.

Bachelor of Arts

African Studies
American Studies
Anthropology
Art History
Asian Studies
Audio/Video/Film
Biology
Chemistry
Classics
Comparative Literature
Computer Science
Dance
Drama
Early Childhood Education*
Economics
Elementary Education*
Engineering Science
English
Fine Arts
French
Geography
Geology
German
Greek
Hebrew
History
Ibero-American Studies
Interdisciplinary Studies (New College)
Italian
Jewish Studies
Journalism
Labor Studies
Latin
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Liberal Arts
Linguistics
Mass Media Studies
Mathematical Economics
Mathematics
Music
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Public Relations
Russian
Secondary Education*
Sociology
Spanish
Speech Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences

Bachelor of Engineering

Engineering Science

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Theater Arts

Bachelor of Science

Applied Physics
Athletic Training
Audio/Video/Film
Biochemistry
Biology
Chemistry
Community Health
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Computer Science and Mathematics
Computer Engineering
Economics (Business)
Electrical Engineering
Environmental Resources
Exercise Specialist
Fine Arts
Geology
Industrial Engineering
Mathematical Business Economics
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Music
Physician Assistant Studies
Physics
Professional Studies
School Health Education

Bachelor of Business Administration

Accounting (leading to CPA certification)
Business Computer Information Systems
Business Education (administered by Education)
Entrepreneurship
Finance
International Business
Legal Studies in Business
Management
Marketing

Bachelor of Science in Education

Art Education
Music Education
Physical Education

* Dual enrollment is required for co-majors.

Dual Majors and Dual Degrees

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It may be possible for a student to complete two majors as part of one degree, and in rare instances it may be possible for a student to complete two undergraduate degrees simultaneously. Students interested in either of these options must register with the University Advisement Office where they will be advised and given specific information on dual major or dual degree requirements.

Second Bachelor’s Degree

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Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree may earn a second one by satisfying the following requirements:

The student must apply and be accepted in a program of study toward a second degree by the Office of Admissions;
the work for a second degree must be completed in a major or program distinctly different from the one in the first degree;
the work in the major area of concentration must be completed in accordance with the requirements listed in this Undergraduate Bulletin;
all university and degree requirements not met on admission must be completed;
at least 30 credits over and above any used to satisfy the first bachelor’s degree must be completed at Hofstra. A minimum of 15 of these 30 credits must be in the new major field of concentration;
a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 must be earned in the courses taken at Hofstra for the second degree.

University Degree Requirements

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To obtain a degree, each student successfully completes the following three distinct sets of requirements:

I.	The general University requirements, which must be fulfilled by all students working for a baccalaureate degree:
	A.	The completion of the total number of semester hours and the specific degree requirements as specified by the major or school;
	B.	The completion of the number of semester hours in liberal arts courses as required by the major or school;
	C.	At least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average in work completed at Hofstra;
	D.	All students must take and pass the Hofstra Writing Proficiency Exam as a requirement for graduation. (For the only exceptions, see E. 3 and 5, below.)
	E.	1.	The satisfactory completion of English 1 and 2, which includes the Writing Proficiency Exam. Passing this test is a requirement for graduation. The Writing Proficiency Exam is administered at the midpoint of ENGL 2. All students who do not pass the exam are required to take English 2A to receive individualized tutoring; they must retake the Writing Proficiency Exam at the end of English 2A. Students who fail the exam in English 2A must enroll in English 4 and retake and pass the Writing Proficiency Exam in order to fulfill the writing requirement for graduation. Students must take the Writing Proficiency Exam prior to the semester in which they are scheduled to graduate.
		2.	English 1 & 2, whether taken at Hofstra or at any other institution, must be completed with a minimum grade of C- in each course. These courses may not be taken on a Pass/ D+/D/Fail basis.
		3.	Students entering Hofstra University with no credit in composition must, under advisement, register for English 1 & 2 or the appropriate course immediately and continue until the ENGL 1 & 2 requirement is completed. There is an exception for students with outstanding ability in English (SAT Verbal scores of 660 or above) who may qualify for exemption from English 1 & 2 if they demonstrate exceptional ability in the English and Freshman Composition Department’s Exemption Exam before the end of their first semester at Hofstra. Students who pass Hofstra’s Exemption Exam are not required to take the Writing Proficiency Exam.
		4.	Students entering Hofstra with full credit for English 1 and 2 must take and pass the Hofstra Writing Proficiency Exam as a requirement for graduation. Such students are strongly encouraged to take the Hofstra Writing Proficiency Exam during their first semester at Hofstra. Students who do not pass the Hofstra Writing Proficiency Exam in English 2A are required to register for English 4 and retake and pass the exam. Students must take the Writing Proficiency Exam prior to the semester in which they are scheduled to graduate. New College students follow the procedures stated in the New College Writing Program and Style Manual. NOTE: transfer students may receive credit for English 1 and 2 on the basis of equivalent courses taken at other institutions. See the criteria for accepting transfer credit section of this Bulletin.
		5.	Students entering New College or transferring into it from another Hofstra program or another college or university must satisfy the First and Second Aspects of the New College Writing Requirement. See New College Addendum.
		6.	The following is for students who transfer from New College to another school/college of the University:
			a.)	Students who were placed in and successfully completed CSWA 018 have fulfilled the Expository Writing Requirement (the First Aspect-WS 001) and have completed the equivalent of English 1.
			b.)	Students who have successfully completed WSB 001, WSB 002 or WSG 002 register for English 2 and 2A and the Proficiency Test. When they have successfully completed these, they will receive credit for English 1 & 2.
			c.)	Students who fulfilled the Scholarly Writing Requirement (the Second Aspect-WS 002A and WS 002B) have completed the equivalent of English 2.
			d.)	Students who have not completed the Scholarly Writing requirement register for English 2.
		7.	Students entering with partial credit for English 1 & 2 (fewer than four semester hours of Advanced Placement, CLEP or transfer credit, see these sections of this Bulletin) must complete the requirement and pass the Writing Proficiency Exam within two semesters after admission. Students must take the Writing Proficiency Exam prior to the semester in which they are scheduled to graduate.
	F.	A minimum of 6 semester hours each in humanities, natural science/mathematics and social science. Many particular degree programs require that some or all of the courses in these required areas be distribution courses; distribution courses may not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis, except for courses given only on that basis. (See Pass/D+/D/Fail in the “Policies” section of this Bulletin; Distribution courses can be found in the “Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences” section of this Bulletin.)
	G.	A maximum of 8 credits of physical education skills courses may be applied toward the total number of required degree credits for nonphysical education majors. (See the listing of skills courses in the “School of Education and Allied Human Services” section of this Bulletin.)
II.	In introductory work in any particular subject, the student must have a 2.0 grade point average (unless a higher average is required by the department).
III.	Only grades of C- or better in subjects required in the specialization will count toward the total semester hour credit needed for completion of that specialization unless approved in writing by the chairperson of the major department and the Dean who is the administrator of the major department.

Current students may not take courses at other educational institutions within reasonable commuting distance of the campus if the same or comparable course is being offered at Hofstra.

Students are advised that permission from the Office of Academic Records is required for any attendance at another institution while the student is enrolled in a degree program at Hofstra.

Completion of Baccalaureate Degrees - Residence Requirement

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Transfer students who expect to earn Hofstra degrees must meet the University residency requirements. All students must take and pass the Hofstra Writing Proficiency Exam as a requirement for graduation. At least 15 semester hours in the major field of study and the last 30 hours must be completed at Hofstra for the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Engineering (the 15 hours need not be included within the last 30 hours).

Most programs leading to a bachelor’s degree require distribution courses. Students who receive transfer credit for courses that are equivalent to those that satisfy distribution requirements may apply these courses to fulfill some or all of their distribution requirements. No student may satisfy distribution requirements at another institution once that student has matriculated at Hofstra University.

For the B.B.A. distribution course requirements, see the “Frank G. Zarb School of Business” section of this Bulletin.

For the Bachelor of Science in Education, the last 30 semester hours must be completed at Hofstra, and the residency requirement for the education specialization, which includes student teaching, is as follows: art (at least 29 hours), music (at least 30 hours), physical education (at least 25 hours).

The Bachelor of Fine Arts normally requires the last 6 semesters of full-time study be taken at Hofstra.

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Bachelor’s Programs