Degree Requirements
The Foundations Curriculum
The total number of credits required to graduate is 128 credits. The number of credits required for transfer students to graduate is also 128 for the classes of 2012 and 2013. Therefore, the normal student course load is four four-credit courses each semester or 32 credits per year.To earn a bachelor’s degree under the Foundations Curriculum, all students must complete the following requirements:
- 128 credits
- Completion of the courses required to satisfy the Foundations Requirements; unless stated, each requirement is met by passing one course that meets that requirement.
- Completion of a major field of study
The Search and Life Programs
All students must enroll in either “The Search for Values in the Light of Western History and Religion” or “Life: Then and Now” to satisfy the F1 requirement in the Foundations Curriculum. Many entering students have questions about the exact nature of these two options. The best description of the programs is in the Rhodes College Catalogue, and that section should be read carefully.
The Writing Requirement
First Year Writing Seminar 151 and several other courses may be used to satisfy the F2 requirement. There are actually two different types of writing courses, the writing seminar (F2-s) and the writing-intensive course (F2-i). The Writing Seminar(F2-s) may be taken in either the fall or the spring semester, as may be dictated by the constraints of your schedule, your interests and class availability. There are actually three writing courses required in the Foundations Curriculum: One is satisfied by the Search/Life (F2-i), one by the Writing Seminar (F2-s), and the third (F2-i) is to be taken sometime during the second year.
The Foreign Language Requirement
The Foreign Language proficiency requirement (or F10) may be fulfilled in any one of the following ways:
- By scoring above the 201 level on the placement test, or
- By successfully completing at Rhodes any appropriate four credit language course numbered 201 or higher
Students who plan to fulfill Rhodes’ foreign language degree requirement in a language they have previously studied may register for a course in that language for the fall semester based on their previous work in that language. If you have taken three years of a language in high school or if you have transfer credit for the 102 level, you are most likely ready for the 201 level class; anything less than three years and you probably will be in 102 (although 201 is very possible). Students who have taken two years or more of a language may not enroll in the 101-level course of that language at Rhodes.
Physical Education
The Foundations Curriculum requires the successful completion of three half-semester courses in Physical Education. These courses can be taken at any time. Varsity
athletics and club sports can be used to satisfy this requirement.
The Major
Completion of an academic major is required. Rhodes offers many different majors, and, in some departments, the further choice of a particular concentration (emphasis) within that major. For students seeking broader programs of study, interdisciplinary majors–majors that combine two or more departments–are available. These majors are described in the Rhodes Catalogue.
Most majors require 11 to 14 courses, and several majors also require related courses from other departments. In some departments, introductory courses must be taken in the first year in order to complete the major in four years. Such departments note that fact in the registration materials in this curriculum guide. Although you are not required to declare a major until the second semester of your sophomore year, you may do so during your first year if you have a strong interest in a particular department.