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A division of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Office: 211 Roosevelt Hall
Telephone: (516) 463-5824
NewCollege@Hofstra.edu
Barry N. Nass, Ph.D., Vice Dean
Peter W. Sherwood, Ph.D., Senior Assistant Dean and Master of Arts Program Administrator (effective January 2007)
Rene Giminiani-Caputo, Assistant Dean and University Without Walls Administrator

Students should consult the Class Schedule for specific offerings before registering for their programs.

Distinguished Professorship: The Lawrence Stessin Distinguished Professorship. See Academic Chairs and Distinguished Professorships.

Mission

New College offers bachelor of arts degrees to students seeking individualized, innovative, and interdisciplinary approaches to learning, both in and outside the classroom. Founded in 1959, New College has retained its commitment to intellectual inquiry and experiential learning as the foundation for an enduring and rewarding education in the liberal arts. The flexible yet rigorous curriculum is designed to foster critical thinking and problem solving across disciplines, thereby allowing students to meet a wide range of academic and professional challenges. By actively engaging students in their own education on and off campus, the college aims to provide graduates with the knowledge and experience necessary to realize their aspirations and career goals. By encouraging moral and philosophical examination and self-reflection, New College also prepares graduates to meet their responsibilities as global citizens in a complex and changing world.
   
A New College liberal arts education combines theory with practice. The college seeks to give students opportunities to use the knowledge they have acquired in the classroom in other circumstances and endeavors. Such knowledge, the college believes, is most productively employed when students have the tools of critical analysis at hand and can communicate their insights effectively. The New College curriculum therefore emphasizes the value of sound argument, cogent writing, and strong research skills. New College further believes that, in achieving their goals, students should benefit from the guidance and experience of their teachers. Accordingly, the college sees providing enriched advisement and close contact between faculty and students as fundamental to its educational objectives.
   
Through its commitment to an innovative curriculum that embraces interdisciplinary study and experiential learning, New College looks to lead students to a thoughtful and fulfilling engagement with the challenges, rewards and values of a liberal arts education. In so doing, the college carries out its mission of providing students with the means and resources to grow intellectually and creatively, to affirm both their independence and obligations to others, and to make their own way in the world.

The New College Curriculum

New College students may earn a B.A. degree in the Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Creative Arts, with a concentration in two related subject areas.

In their first year, New College students follow an innovative block schedule, in which they take just one course at a time.  After their first year, New College students enroll in courses at any other undergraduate school/college within Hofstra University, just as students from any other undergraduate school/college within the University may enroll in New College courses. Professors from other academic units at Hofstra and from the metropolitan community regularly teach courses at the College.

In close consultation with their adviser, students shape an individualized B.A. degree and choose the two related areas they want to study.  The New College interdisciplinary degree also recognizes the importance of learning through experience by requiring students to participate in internships and/or study abroad programs.

Admission to the Bachelor of Arts Program

New College welcomes students with a serious commitment to the educational rigor of its Bachelor of Arts program. Although admissions requirements for undergraduates at New College are the same as the requirements for all undergraduates at the University, the College especially welcomes both freshmen and transfer applicants with these qualifications and credentials:

• previous academic performance in a liberal arts area or areas at an above average level, as demonstrated by high school class standing or transfer student status;
• strong aptitude for a full utilization of liberal arts resources at New College, as shown by standardized test scores (SAT or ACT) above the national average; 
• serious motivation for academic work within the liberal arts and an interest in New College, as demonstrated through an admissions interview or through a written statement of purpose.
  

Applicants should demonstrate strength in at least two of the three guidelines listed above to assure a positive response to their applications.
   
Early decision and early admission are possible at New College just as they are available to applicants for admission to other University programs. For current information about undergraduate admission, please contact the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions.

Transfer Students

Students entering New College and transferring credits will be classified as follows:

• freshman transfer students: 3-24 transfer credits
• sophomore transfer students: 25-57 transfer credits 
• junior transfer students: 58-87 transfer credits 
• senior transfer students: 88 or more transfer credits.
  

New College welcomes transfer students who meet the requirements stipulated below in section D.

Academic Calendar

New College offers three schedules for students, depending on their Bulletin year and class standing or transfer status.

Quarter Session Schedule

The traditional 15-week semester is divided into two halves or sessions. In each seven-and-a-half week session, courses meet four days a week, 95 minutes a day, or 6 hours and 20 minutes a week. Most Wednesdays are class-free days for intensive reading, writing, study and research.
  
Students enroll for two four-credit courses a session, or 16 credits (four courses) a semester.
   
Since certain subject matter is more appropriate for semester-length exposure, some semester-length courses as well as an array of two-credit special seminars are offered.

Block Course and Semester-Length Scheduling

Beginning in fall 2006, New College is offering a block course schedule that is open to first-year and sophomore students throughout the University.
   
On this highly innovative academic calendar, students take one course at a time, for three and a half weeks, for a total of eight courses per year.  Each block course is worth four semester hours.  In addition, most block courses are linked to topics involving the New York City area and feature field trips to sites and events related to the material covered in class.
   
Depending on class standing or transfer status, students who enroll in New College as of Fall 2006 also follow the semester-length schedule in place for undergraduates throughout the University.

Domestic Off-Campus Education

The domestic Off-Campus Education (OCE) program at New College offers Hofstra students the opportunity to participate in internships for academic credit. Designed to combine learning in the classroom with practical experience, OCE has been a meaningful and enlightening educational experience for many Hofstra students since its inception in 1970. The program also offers students the opportunity to participate in internships such as The Washington Semester Program, The New York State Assembly Session Internship, and other related internships.
   
Students who wish to participate in OCE programs must submit detailed proposals in the semester prior to the start of an internship. Written in consultation with the appropriate adviser, the proposal must make clear the student’s objectives and qualifications for the internship. The proposal must also indicate that there is a sound educational relationship between the intended internship and the student’s degree plan. Writing requirements are subject to New College guidelines or those established by the appropriate adviser. A faculty member from New College or the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences holds meetings and maintains contact with each student involved in the OCE program.
   
For more information about Off-Campus Education (Domestic), please visit www.hofstra.edu/academics/nc/nc_ocedom_page.cfm, and/or contact the program director, Assistant Dean Rene Giminiani-Caputo, in Roosevelt 203, at (516) 463-5823.

International Off-Campus Education

Study abroad is one of the most effective ways of learning about the world. The International Off-Campus Education (OCE) program at New College offers all Hofstra students opportunities to earn credits toward their academic degree by enrolling in a study abroad program and/or participating in an internship abroad for a semester or an entire academic year.
   
Students who wish to participate in OCE programs must submit detailed proposals in the semester prior to the start of their study abroad program. Written in consultation with the appropriate adviser, the proposal must make clear the student’s objectives and suitability for off-campus education. The proposal must also indicate that there is a sound educational relationship between the suggested course of study or internship and the student’s degree plan.

OCE programs include:
Two Odyssey Programs, in which small groups of students travel and study abroad with Hofstra faculty in Mexico and/or western and Eastern Europe.

Summer in Sorrento, Italy

St Catherine’s College Oxford (internships are available through this program)

The Institute for the International Education of Students (IES), a global, non-profit organization with nearly 30 locations worldwide. IES offers study abroad programs and provides financial and scholarships for eligible students

Educational Programmes Abroad (EPA) offers combination of unpaid study abroad programs and internships in eight European cities—Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Cologne, Edinburgh, London, Madrid and Paris.
Writing requirements are subject to New College guidelines or those established by the appropriate adviser. A faculty member from New College or the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences holds meetings and maintains contact with each student involved in the OCE program.

Hofstra students participating in study abroad programs may be eligible for financial aid.

For more information about the International Off-Campus Education program, please visit www.hofstra.edu/academics/nc/nc_oceint_page.cfm and/or contact the program director, Dr. Peter W. Sherwood, in Roosevelt 207, at (516) 463-5822.

New College Educational Resources

Students are encouraged to take full advantage of the educational resources available to them as members of the Hofstra University community. Equal to its commitment to the liberal arts is New College’s commitment to serve individual students through advisement, access to University resources, and a unique calendar and tuition policy. The New College Writing Program is also a resource for the development of communication skills.

Advisement

All institutions of higher education offer forms of advisement and counseling. New College intends its academic advisement to be as close and informed as only a small college’s can be, but augmented by the College’s presence within Hofstra University. Students are initially assigned a New College faculty adviser, but may choose a different adviser as their academic interests become more defined. With few exceptions, New College faculty offices and records are located within the New College building, thus facilitating student access to advisers for conference, registration and general information about the College, the University and programs of study.

University Resources

As members of the Hofstra University community, New College students have full access to University resources. These include undergraduate courses at the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (HCLAS) and the Schools of Business; Communication; and Education and Allied Human Resources; opportunities for student-initiated projects supervised by faculty other than New College faculty; full use of the University’s excellent library, computer facilities, swimming pool and music listening rooms; and the full range of student services provided through the Dean of Students Office, Residential Life Office, the Hofstra University Wellness Center and the Office of Financial Aid.

Tuition

The tuition policy of New College supports its flexible, individualized programs of study and its various modes of learning. Students registering as full-time (a minimum of 12 semester hours attempted per semester) are billed a fixed tuition amount. A full-time student normally registers for 15 or 17 semester hours, consisting of five or six courses for each semester, chosen with the aid of a faculty adviser. No student may register for over 18 semester hours without special permission of the major adviser and the dean of the academic unit.. Those registering for fewer than 12 semester hours will be billed at the University’s part-time, per credit rate. This tuition policy provides New College students with a wide range of educational choices within a fixed tuition amount.
   
Students who follow a block schedule must register for four block courses or 16 semester hours at the beginning of the fall and/or spring semester. Students registered for a semester of block courses may not take any additional courses in that same semester.

University Without Walls

University Without Walls at New College is a competency-based, liberal arts Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science program for able adults who can spend only limited time on campus, but whose life situations provide opportunity for full- or part-time learning.
  
Students work with advisers to structure individual programs of study which are pursued at home, on the job, in the community, through travel and in the classroom and library. UWW individual curricula, based on students’ past experiences, allow advisers to assist students to design liberal arts programs of personal interest. One of four principal modes of learning is contractual–an agreement between the student, the faculty supervisor and, ultimately, the program’s core faculty – which shapes the student’s academic and intellectual work for a specific period. UWW does not count credit or time as measures of student progress toward the baccalaureate degree. Instead, UWW students work toward the development and demonstration of those abilities and competencies which, traditionally, have characterized the liberally educated person.
   
Individuals interested in the University Without Walls approach to the baccalaureate degree must present admissions credentials similar to those required of all applicants to New College’s undergraduate, degree-granting programs. In addition, because of the special student audience served by UWW, students must demonstrate a need for the “external” and individualized nature of UWW learning contracts through an oncampus interview and through an essay showing, in part, why their personal and professional commitments prevent their easy access to an on-campus, undergraduate program.
   
For additional information, consult the University Without Walls Addendum and/or contact the program director, Assistant Dean Rene Giminiani-Caputo, in 203 Roosevelt, at (516) 463-5823.

Bachelor of Arts Program

New College offers four Bachelor of Arts degrees: Creative Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

A) Candidates for graduation with the degree of Bachelor of Arts must fulfill the following requirements:

1) Semester Hour Requirement:
The successful completion of at least 124 semester hours and a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 in work completed at Hofstra.

2) Liberal Arts Requirement:
At least 94 semester hours (93 hours for the B.A. specialization in Early Childhood Education and a liberal arts major; Elementary Education and a liberal arts major; and a Dual Certification Program in Early Childhood Education and Childhood Education and a liberal arts major) of the total must be in liberal arts. Beyond this minimum, the student may elect either nonliberal arts courses or additional liberal arts courses. All courses in New College and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are offered for liberal arts credit unless otherwise noted.

3) Residency Requirement:
There are two requirements that must ordinarily be completed in residence at Hofstra: 15 semester hours in the concentration, and the last 30 semester hours. The 15 semester hours in the concentration need not be included within the last 30 hours.

4) Block Course Scheduling and Required Block Courses:
In their first year at New College students are on a block schedule in which each semester is divided into four consecutive units or blocks. Students take only one course at a time during each block.  Each block is 3 1/2 weeks long, meets four days a week, and is worth 4 s.h. (1)  For New College students, all block courses, with the exception of foreign language courses and the First-Year Independent Project, carry distribution credit. (2)

Note: Once New College students have completed their block courses, they follow the regular University course schedule.

a) Block courses may not be taken on an individual basis. Students taking block courses must enroll in four such courses, including required block courses, each semester.

b) First-year or sophomore New College students are permitted to enroll in block courses for a maximum of two semesters only.

c) First-year students must enroll in block courses at the start of the fall and spring semester. First-year and sophomore New College students who enroll in block courses for the first time at the start of the spring semester may take block courses in the following fall semester.

d) In the fall semester of their first year, students must take Place and Identity and three other block courses.

e) In the spring semester of their first year, students must take Ways of Knowing, two other block courses and the First-Year Independent Project.

f) Students must take Place and Identity and Ways of Knowing in two different divisional categories.

g) During the semester that they are enrolled in block courses, students may not take any other courses at Hofstra or elsewhere.

h) Transfer students should consult section D.1, below.

Note:  All students enrolled in block courses are subject to the same policies and calendar as those in effect for undergraduates throughout the University.

5) Sophomore Seminar:
In the fall semester of their second year, students must take the Sophomore Seminar Crossing Borders/Crossing Disciplines.  This course carries Cross-Cultural (CC) distribution credit.

6) Distribution Requirement:
In addition to the block courses taken in the first year, New College students must take at least six distribution courses as follows (see distribution courses):

a) At least six semester hours in courses from the Humanities division.  At least three semester hours must be in the Literature (LT) category and at least three semester hours in the Appreciation and Analysis (AA) or Creative Participation  (CP) category. 

b) At least six semester hours in courses from the Natural Sciences/Mathematics/Computer Science division. At least three semester hours must be in the Natural Sciences (NS) category and at least three semester hours in the Mathematics/Computer Science (MC) category.

c) At least six semester hours in courses from the Social Sciences division.  At least three semester hours must be in the Behavioral Social Sciences (BH) category and at least three semester hours must be in the History, Philosophy, Religious Studies (HP) category.

d) Courses taken on an optional Pass/D+/D/Fail basis may not be used to satisfy the New College distribution requirements.  Note, however, that some distribution courses are given only on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis and may be used to fulfill distribution requirements.

7) English Composition Requirement:

a) All block courses offered in the first year, with the exception of foreign language courses, and all degree programs in New College are writing intensive and stress the importance of writing across the curriculum.  With the exception of courses in foreign languages, in each New College block course, students will write a minimum of 5,000 words, including a significant amount of writing and revision in class. (3)

b) All New College students must take and pass the Hofstra English Proficiency Exam as a requirement for graduation. (4) 

8) Foreign Language Requirement:
Completion of level 4 of a foreign language, placement above level 4, or completion of the Special Language Option.
    Students continuing a language studied in high school should follow option A below. Students who do not wish to continue the study of a foreign language studied in high school should follow option B below.
    International students may satisfy the language requirement either by completing ELP 36 or by placing out of the requirement by taking the placement examination in their native language.

A. Continuing a Language Studied in High School: For students continuing the same language studied in high school, the successful completion of level 4 of that language will satisfy the foreign language requirement.
    Placement for students continuing a language studied in high school:

• Students without transfer college credit in the foreign language studied in high school must take the language placement test (administered by the Language Laboratory) to determine placement in the proper level. No student shall receive credit toward graduation for any course below his or her level of placement in that language.
• Students with transfer college credit in the foreign language studied in high school should continue in the next level which follows that in which they have received credit.
  

For both transfer and non-transfer students continuing the same language studied in high school, the foreign language requirement can only be satisfied by completing level 4.

B. The Special Language Option: Students who do not wish to continue the study of a foreign language studied in high school may take levels 1 and 2 of a foreign language not previously studied and six semester hours chosen from the following:

levels 3 and/or 4 of that language;                
levels 1 and/or 2 of any other foreign language not previously studied; literature in translation;
comparative literature;
linguistics;

Students who wish to use option B should file the Special Language Option Form with the Advisement Office. If the student’s high school transcript is not on file, the student must supply one in order to complete the process. NOTE: The Pass/D+/D/Fail Option is not available for courses taken in fulfillment of any language requirement.

9) Requirements for the Concentration:
New College offers four Bachelor of Arts degrees: Creative Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.  In addition to the General B.A. degree requirements, each of these specializations requires students, in consultation with an adviser, to design a concentration in two related subject areas. The concentration consists of 38 s.h., including  internships and/or study abroad (4-8 s.h.), the Capstone Seminar (4 s.h.), and the Senior Project (4 s.h.). A student may not count more than 45 semester hours within a single discipline toward the 124 credits for the B.A. without special permission from the appropriate academic dean, except that this limit shall be 48 semester hours for those students qualifying and electing to undertake departmental honors courses.

In the spring semester of the sophomore year, each New College student must also design a Sophomore Contract in consultation with an adviser.  This contract specifies the courses the student intends to take for the concentration.

10) Pass/D+/D/Fail Option (P or D+ or D or F):  New College block courses may not be taken on an optional Pass/D+/D/Fail basis.  See also “Pass/D+/D/Fail Option.”

B) New College General B.A. Degree Requirements (5)  

1) Place and Identity + 3 other block courses   

    4 s.h. each (Fall of first year)

2) Ways of Knowing + 2 other block courses + First-Year Independent Project

    4 s.h. each (Spring of first year) 

3) Foreign Language Requirement (6)  

4) Sophomore Seminar (Crossing Borders/Crossing Disciplines)
   
    4 s.h. (Fall of sophomore year)
           
5) Distribution Requirements: (7)

C) Concentration Requirements:

38 s.h. as specified in the Sophomore Contract, including the following: (8)

1) Internships and/or Study Abroad  

    4-8 s.h. (preferably junior year) (9) 

2) Capstone Seminar

    4 s.h. (Fall of senior year)

3) Senior Project

    4 s.h. (Spring of senior year) (10)

D) Requirements for Transfer Students:

Students seeking to transfer into New College must first have the permission of the Vice Dean or a representative of that office.

Transfer to New College is open only to students with 64 semester hours or less at the time of admission and who meet the guidelines for admission to the University.

Students with 48 to 64 semester hours who wish to transfer to New College must have a minimum overall cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and must submit a personal essay explaining why they are seeking admission to the College. 

Qualified transfer applicants may be asked to have a personal interview with the Vice Dean or a representative of that office as a requirement for admission to New College.

1) Block Courses:

a) Enrollment in block courses is limited to first-year or sophomore students.

b) Students with sophomore standing who transfer into New College have the option to enroll in block courses.

c) First-year students and those with sophomore standing who wish to transfer into New College must do so at the start of the fall or spring semester.

d) For first-year students and students with sophomore standing who transfer into New College at the start of the spring semester, the only block courses they may take are those offered in that semester.

2) Composition Requirement:
Students who transfer into New College must satisfy the requirements for English 1 and 2, as stipulated in the University Degree Requirements (see E.1 and 2) or their equivalent in New College under advisement.

3) Sophomore Seminar:

a) Students who transfer into New College with the rank of sophomore or above must take the Sophomore Seminar Crossing Borders/Crossing Disciplines in fulfilling their degree requirements.

4) Distribution Requirement:

a) First-year students and those with higher standing who transfer into New College in the spring semester must fulfill HCLAS distribution requirements (see pages 58-66 of the print Bulletin).  Block courses may be counted toward the fulfillment of these requirements.

b) In lieu of A.6, above, students who transfer into New College after their first year must fulfill the distribution course requirements for HCLAS and must take Crossing Borders/Crossing Disciplines as a requirement for the degree.

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