All-College Degree Requirements

Introduction

Principia offers a 4-year residential experience and academic programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. This section describes degree requirements, the programs through which these requirements are met, and the intended student learning outcomes associated with specific programs. See Summary of Degree Requirements - Bachelor of Arts or Summary of Degree Requirements - Bachelor of Science for a summary of degree requirements described here in full.

Student Responsibility

Students have direct online access to their own academic records via BannerWeb. It is the student’s responsibility to check this record for accuracy each semester and to be certain that they are registering for the courses necessary to complete the degree requirements. Students should consult their advisors or the staff of the Registrar’s Office with any questions regarding these requirements. In addition, Degree Works tracks a student's progress toward graduation and should be checked regularly for updates.

Academic Course Requirements

  • Major - In order to ensure depth of study, a student must complete one of the majors corresponding to the degree being pursued. All the majors available at Principia College are listed on the Academic Programs page and are described on the individual program pages.
  • General Education Requirements

Total Semester Hours

A student must earn a total of 120 semester hours. Transfer work, credit by examination, Advanced Placement, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and International Baccalaureate Examination credits may be included according to the regulations governing these options found on the Academic and Non-Academic Credit Rules page.

An academic year includes two sixteen-week terms, fall and spring semesters. Class standing progression is determined by the successful completion of the required number of semester hours (see below). A student can progress to the next class standing at the beginning or in the middle of an academic year.

Class Standing Progression

Freshman 0-29 semester hours
Sophomore 30-59 semester hours
Junior 60-89 semester hours
Senior 90-120 semester hours

To be considered full-time, a student must be enrolled for a minimum of twelve semester hours each semester. The following table shows the classifications of enrollment per semester:

Classification of Enrollment (semester hours enrolled/12 SH): 

Full time (1 + Overload) 12+ SH
Three quarter time (0.75 - 0.99) 9-11 SH
Half time (0.50 - 0.74) 6-8 SH
Less than half time (0 - 0.49) Less than 6 SH

For financial aid purposes, an award year at Principia College begins with the fall semester and ends with the spring semester. If a student takes a summer internship for credit, these credits will be a “summer trailer” or “crossover payment period” (as defined by the Federal Student Aid Regulations) and will be awarded at the last term of the academic year.  Students are typically awarded for the fall and spring terms at the same time unless they have applied for graduation in December. In this case, the student is awarded for fall only.

Grade Point Average

At the time of graduation from Principia College a student must have a minimum overall grade point average of 2.000 (the equivalent of a C average or higher). Only grades earned in credit courses at Principia College are used in computing the grade point average. See also Grades and Grading.

Residency

A student must be enrolled, full- or part-time, under direct supervision of Principia faculty or staff, for a total of at least three semesters, earning a minimum of 36 semester hours from Principia. Also, a student must be enrolled for two of the three semesters immediately prior to graduation under direct supervision (including abroads, but not internships) of Principia faculty or staff. A student not meeting this requirement may apply for a waiver of residency. Please contact the Registrar's Office for details.

Students pursuing two degrees must fulfill two additional semesters in residence, being enrolled for a minimum of five semesters and earning a minimum of 66 semester hours at Principia, under direct supervision of Principia faculty or staff.

Purpose of the Residency Requirement

We require a student to be enrolled for at least three semesters to ensure a full Principia experience, which includes:

  1. Living and learning in a community of people applying Christian Science to personal and academic challenges;
  2. Growing in response to the educational demands and standards of such a community; and
  3. Benefiting from the support provided to help community members meet those demands.

We also require that a student be enrolled for two of the three semesters immediately prior to graduation under direct supervision (including abroads, but not internships) of Principia faculty or staff to ensure that:

  1. A student is on campus during most of the junior and senior years. (This is prime learning time because it is the period in which most of the integration of one’s education takes place. Students should be working directly with our faculty at this time.)
  2. A student is on campus during this prime contribution time. (This is likely to be the time students make the greatest contribution to community life.)
  3. A student is living by the Principia Community Commitment.

Foundations of Character & Community Seminar

Values-based decision making is an essential element of the development of character, which according to Principia's founder, is the "most important work that Principia has to do" (Education at the Principia, p. 77). Foundations of Character & Community Seminar meets for a total of 30 contact hours over the course of a student's time at Principia. The number of contact hours may be amended for transfer students. 

  1. [Knowledge] Ethical, character, and decision-making frameworks: Students will be able to identify diverse ethical principles, values, character dispositions, and/or patterns of behavior.
  2. [Understanding] Respect for self and others: Students will self-assess their awareness of and respect for
    1. their own values, identities, and needs, as well as
    2. the values, identities, and needs of others.
  3. [Application] Values in Action: Students will be able to articulate how their values inform their decisions and behaviors.