Graduation Requirements

All students must complete thirty-three and a half semester course units (33.5), including all requirements specified for their chosen major(s), and a curriculum of general education requirements specific to their year of matriculation. Also required are a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) overall and in at least one major, based on St. Lawrence University courses only. A 2.0 GPA is also required in any other declared majors or minors. These requirements are ordinarily earned in four academic years. The normal course load is four units per semester except for an additional half unit as required by the First-Year Program during the two semesters of the first year. In addition, students should be aware that they may need to take an additional half unit in one semester to reach the required 33.5 units. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they satisfy the 33.5 semester course units required. Each full unit is equivalent to 3.6 semester hours. 

All students declare a major by the end of the sophomore year. In addition to the major, students must successfully complete a curriculum of the First-Year Program requirement, general education requirements, and the writing proficiency requirement as detailed below. 

Students are required to complete at least one unit from each of the following perspectives:  

The Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Natural Sciences  

Courses fulfilling this requirement need to be from different departments and only one course may be from the student’s major. FYS courses can be used to fulfill this requirement; FYP courses cannot. The instructor of record designates the perspective of their course using the guideline that at least 75 percent of the course’s content achieves the learning goals for The Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities, or Natural Sciences, as described below (Not all courses have to fulfill this requirement and be designated as ARTS, SS, HU, or NS-L):  

1. The Arts (ARTS): Courses have primary learning goals in which students develop: 

1. an enhanced awareness of the process of artistic production through making works of art; and/or 

2. an understanding of the diverse ways to interpret and analyze works of art. 

2. Social Sciences (SS): Courses have primary learning goals in which students develop: 

1. an enhanced awareness of the diverse ways in which economic, political, and social institutions can be organized; and/or 

2. an understanding of the various ways in which evidence about social structures and interactions is acquired and handled; and/or 

3. an understanding of how social science knowledge is gained through the formulation, testing, and reformulation of theories and hypotheses. 

3. Humanities (HU): Courses have primary learning goals in which students develop: 

1. an enhanced awareness of the variety of ways humans understand, signify, and make meaning of their lives; and/or 

2. an enhanced awareness of how cultures and the interpretations of cultures change over time. 

4. Natural Science with Lab (NS-L): Courses have primary learning goals in which students develop: 

1. an understanding of the physical, chemical, biological, and/or behavioral phenomena of the natural world and, insofar as possible, an ability to relate them to everyday experience; and 

2. a theoretical and quantitative understanding of the processes underlying the physical, chemical, biological, and/or behavioral phenomena of the natural world; and 

3. an understanding of how scientific knowledge of the natural world is obtained and revised through hypothesis testing using experimental and/or observational methodologies.  

In addition, Natural Science with Lab Courses are required to include a regularly scheduled laboratory component that meets weekly for at least 90 minutes, in which students have the opportunity to examine phenomena of the natural world using experimental and/or observational methods. 

Human Diversity: Culture and Communication 

Students are required to complete one of the following combinations in human diversity and communication:  

1. One course approved for diversity credit (DIV13) and one course in a foreign language (LANG). 

2. Two courses approved for diversity credit (DIV13). 

3. One course approved for diversity credit (DIV13) and an experience on an off-campus program approved for diversity credit by the CIIS Committee. 

The Academic Affairs committee will approve courses for DIV13 credit. Courses that fulfill the DIV13 requirement may also fulfill other general education requirements. FYS courses may be approved for DIV13 or LANG credit; FYP courses cannot. DIV13 courses are at least one unit and include primary learning goals in which students develop:  

1. an understanding of the nature and significance of diversity within and among groups; and 

2. an understanding of the dynamics of power and justice within and/or among groups or societies; and 

3. a capacity for critical self-reflection on social location, including how social location shapes human interactions. 

The Academic Affairs committee will approve courses for LANG credit. Courses that fulfill the LANG requirement may also fulfill other general education requirements. LANG courses are at least one unit and include primary learning goals in which students:  

1. learn the skills necessary for communication in another language: reading, listening, writing and speaking; and 

2. are introduced to the different cultures in which these languages are employed; and  

3. are exposed to global diversity and encouraged to develop a critical perspective on their own cultural practices. 

Quantitative/Logical Reasoning (QLR) 

Students are required to complete at least one unit that meets the learning goals of either quantitative reasoning or logical reasoning. Courses that fulfill the QLR requirement may also fulfill other general education requirements. FYS courses may be approved for QLR credit; FYP courses cannot.  

The Academic Affairs Committee will approve courses for QLR credit using the following guidelines:  

1. Quantitative Reasoning Courses have primary learning goals in which students, through multiple opportunities and classroom instruction, develop their abilities to: 

1. address questions by examining quantitative evidence using appropriate methods of analysis and evaluation; and 

2. explain their conclusions and the quantitative methods they used in developing their reasoning.  

2. Logical Reasoning Courses have as the primary learning goals that students develop: 

1. an understanding of deductive and/or inductive logic; and 

2. an understanding of the methods of determining the reliability of these types of reasoning. 

Environmental Literacy (EL) 

Students are required to complete at least one unit that meets the learning goals of environmental literacy courses. Courses that fulfill the EL requirement may also fulfill other general education requirements. FYS courses may be approved for EL credit; FYP courses cannot.  

The Academic Affairs Committee will approve courses for EL credit. EL courses are at least one unit and at least 50 percent of the course’s content must achieve the learning goals for Environmental Literacy, as described below: 

1. Environmental Literacy Courses have primary learning goals in which students, through multiple opportunities and classroom instruction, develop: 

1. a recognition of the consequences of human activities on natural systems; and/or 

2. an awareness of the cultural, economic, and political forces that affect environmental policies; and/or 

3. an understanding of natural systems and/or the impacts they can have on the environment, human life, health, and welfare. 

First-Year Program (FYP) / First–Year Seminar (FYS) 

In addition to three other courses drawn from the general curriculum as described in the following pages, students in their first semester enroll in a combined academic and residential program that emphasizes critical thinking and active student participation in both the classroom and the residence, called the First-Year Program (FYP). The FYP consists of four parts: 

An interdisciplinary, often team-taught course focused on both contemporary issues and enduring questions. 

An emphasis on communications skills, in particular writing, speaking, attentive reading and research and information literacy. 

An advising system that ensures systematic and supportive involvement of FYP faculty, Orientation Leaders, Career Services staff, Residential Coordinators, Community Assistants, Athletic staff and Academic Advising staff. 

A residential college system wherein each first-year residence houses students enrolled in the same section of the FYP course, with the goal of developing integrated living and learning communities. All residential colleges are on the St. Lawrence campus, with the exception of London, England, first introduced in the fall of 2012, which has some different parameters from the on-campus units. 

The FYP and FYS function as an introductory writing and speaking course in the fall and a standard research-oriented first-year seminar in the spring. 

In the summer before matriculation, students review descriptions of the FYP courses for that fall and indicate those they find most interesting; they are enrolled in one of the several sections of the FYP course (FRPG 10XX) based on those interests. Each section corresponds to a residential college, and FYP faculty also serve as students’ academic advisor. Each FYP course explores a distinct set of themes or issues, but all focus on the breadth of the liberal arts and encourage student participation, collaborative intellectual experiences, self-expression and critical thinking. The fall semester course follows an elaborate writing skills sequence that stresses writing as a process, short essays, and revision, as well as an introduction to the integration of research into the writing process. The fall course also involves formal instruction in oral communication. 

The FYP faculty also work with Student Life staff to plan co-curricular programs related to the course themes and to encourage students to take advantage of the full schedule of University social and intellectual activities. The residents, the residential staff and the faculty work together to design programs and encourage maximum student involvement in the life of the residential college. 

In addition to encouraging students to participate in their own colleges, the First-Year Council, composed of two elected student representatives from each of the colleges, provides an opportunity for students to develop leadership skills, participate in University governance, address issues of concern to first-year students and plan social events for the entire first-year class. 

In the second semester of the first year, students continue to develop their research, writing and oral communication skills in one of approximately 40 research-oriented First-Year Seminars (FYS). Students will register for their FYS course during the same week they register for their other spring courses. In the spring course, the writing and speaking process is extended by a more direct emphasis on research skills and more explicit instruction in research, as well as continuing to develop the writing and speaking skills from the fall. 

In the spring, Student Life staff and faculty continue to work with the residential communities to facilitate both the continued development of these communities and the transition to upper-class residential life. The First-Year Council also continues to plan events for all first-year students. 

Because of the importance of the FYP and FYS in preparing students for success at St. Lawrence and beyond, withdrawal from those courses is not permitted, nor may FYP and FYS courses be taken on a Pass/Fail basis. 

Students who fail the FYP in the fall must complete alternative coursework to be determined on a case-by-case basis by the associate dean of the first year and the associate dean for academic advising programs in consultation with the director of the Munn Center for Rhetoric and Communication (WORD Studio). Students who fail the FYS must retake the FYS in their sophomore year. 

FYP courses do not count for department or program credit; they cannot be used to fulfill other general education requirements. FYS courses may count for department or program credit and may be used to fulfill other general education requirements.