Majors, Minors, Five College Certificates & Concentrations

As a requirement for graduation, you must complete at least one major. The list of departments and programs offering major programs of study is available at on the Courses of Study page. You may add a second major, minor, concentration or Five College certificate at any time after you declare your first major. 

Declarations

You must declare a major by the end of the registration period during the second semester of your sophomore year; however, you may declare as early as the second semester of your first year. If you plan to study abroad, you must declare a major before you submit your study abroad application in early February of your sophomore year. Junior transfer students must declare a major before registration for their second Smith semester. Ada Comstock Scholars must declare within a semester of earning 64 credits.

Smith College recognizes only two purely academic programs of study (major, minor or certificate) on the student’s record, in the following combinations:

  • One major
  • One major and one minor
  • One major and one Five College Certificate
  • Two majors (i.e., double major)

A concentration combines academic and practical experience, and may be added as a third program of study to your record. You must apply and be accepted into a concentration before you can declare it.

You must declare a Five College Certificate by submitting the declaration form with the registrar's office and completing the steps on the Five College website. Completion of the Five College certificate must be confirmed by the Five Colleges, Inc.

To declare a program of study, you must complete the Program of Study Declaration form found on Workday or our Forms page. When declaring your first major, you need the approval of your liberal arts adviser (LAA) and your new adviser. If you are declaring a second major, minor, concentration or Five College certificate you will only need the approval of your adviser for that specific program of study. No major or minor can be in the same department or program as the first major.

Courses Outside the Major

64-Credit Rule (Bachelor of Arts)

A student’s program requires a minimum of 36 earned credits in a departmental or interdepartmental major. For the bachelor of arts degree, one-half of a student’s total program, or at least 64 credits, shall be taken outside the department or program of the major. Any course that is explicitly listed in the catalogue as required for or counting toward fulfilling the requirements of the major shall be considered to be inside the major for the purposes of this rule. Prerequisite, dual-prefixed and cross-listed courses are also considered to be inside the major. Approved exceptions to the 64-credit rule include the following:

  • 100-level prerequisites that do not count directly toward major requirements (i.e., are below the level eligible to fulfill a major requirement) are not counted as inside the major.
  • In programs that are broadly interdivisional, cross-listed courses taken in excess of those used to fulfill major requirements may be exempted from the inside-of-major credit count.
  • Students pursuing departmental honors are required to take at least 56 credits, rather than 64 credits, outside of the department or program in which they are honors candidates.  

The requirements for each major are described before the course listings for each major department and program. Students should refer to the semester’s schedule of course sections for the most current information on cross-listed and dual-prefixed courses.

Rules for Double Counting Courses and Double Majors

Only two courses may be counted for both a major and a minor requirement. Up to three courses from the major requirements may count towards the concentration requirements. See specific concentration requirements for details. Individual concentrations may allow fewer courses to count for both concentration and major requirements.

Double majors need 64 credits outside each major, not both.

Academic Progress

The Academic Progress report on Workday assists students and their advisers in navigating Smith’s curricular requirements and tracking academic progress. It integrates major, minor and concentration requirements detailed in the Smith College Catalog with a student’s coursework in Workday to produce an easy-to-read audit. The report is a vital tool for academic planning and course selection, and students should use it in consultation with their adviser(s).

The student and their adviser(s) use the Academic Progress report to review progress toward the degree and plan for the semester(s) ahead. The Academic Progress report provides detailed, up-to-date information on program of study requirements, as well as Latin Honors distribution. It displays how completed and in-progress coursework applies toward the completion of those requirements, and provides information on outstanding requirements.

The Academic Progress report is a planning tool and is not meant to take the place of meeting with adviser(s). Students should meet with their assigned adviser at least once a semester to ensure they are taking necessary prerequisites and following appropriate course sequences, understand degree requirements, and are making progress to complete all degree and program of study requirements in the appropriate time.

The Academic Progress report is also used to certify completion of program of study requirements for graduation.

Questions about program of study requirements–particularly missing or unsatisfied requirements–should be referred to the program of study adviser. In some instances, advisers may need to submit an “override” to allow certain coursework, such as transfer courses, Five College courses or approved electives outside the major, to satisfy a requirement. Other requirements, such as individualized areas of focus within a major, should be determined in consultation with your adviser and submitted by the adviser via an override. (Please note that the registrar’s office is not able to initiate overrides.)

Questions regarding Latin Honors requirements should be referred to the registrar’s office registrar@smith.edu

For more information on using the Academic Progress report, please see the information provided here.

The Academic Progress report is intended to support and complement faculty-based advising, not to replace face-to-face advising sessions or information included in the Smith College Catalog. It is the student’s responsibility to read the available information on requirements and proactively engage with their adviser(s) to ensure full understanding of and compliance with these requirements.

The Academic Progress report is not an academic transcript or proof of completion. Any discrepancies in the Academic Progress report do not automatically grant students an exception to their degree requirements. Final certification of the program(s) of study and 64-credit requirements resides with the faculty adviser(s). Validation of the 64-credit requirement and Latin Honors distribution resides with the Office of the Registrar. Final responsibility for meeting all graduation requirements resides with the student.