All undergraduate students at B-W pursue a course of study sufficiently varied to acquaint them with a broad spectrum of human knowledge and to provide them a strong foundation in core academic skills. The knowledge and skills that students utilize and develop through their core courses are essential to their success in academic work as well as in their personal and professional lives. The core requirements include course work in the following areas: foundation courses in Mathematics, English Composition, and Liberal Arts and Science (LAS 200); breadth courses in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences; wellness courses in Health and Physical Education; coursework in International Studies; and coursework in Diversity Studies. Completion of a minor adds depth in a particular area of study, to balance the breadth provided by distribution requirements across the major disciplinary areas in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. Each core course provides an opportunity for students to develop their skills in at least two of the following areas: written communication, oral communication, critical thinking, quantitative literacy, computer/information literacy, and teamwork.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Total semester hour credits: 43Mathematics 3 credit hour minimum
MTH 136 (Applied College Mathematics) or higher. * Prerequisite: Students are required to have passed the Baldwin-Wallace mathematics placement test or to have scored at least 24 on the quantitative portion of the ACT or at least 560 on the quantitative portion of the SAT. For students with both ACT and SAT scores, the higher placement will be used. Students who wish to challenge their ACT- or SAT-based placement, or students entering Baldwin-Wallace College without ACT or SAT test scores, must pass a mathematics placement test in order to take their MTH core course. Students majoring in Early Childhood Education or Mild/Moderate Educational Needs substitute MTH 111 (4 credits) and MTH 112 (4 credits) for MTH 136.
Students should complete their MTH core requirement during their first two semesters at B-W if they meet the prerequisite upon entry, or within their first three semesters if the prerequisite must be completed first.
*Exception to Requirement: Students who received credit for AP Calculus are exempt from the core requirement and will receive credits as follows:
Score Exam Credit Hours Course Equivalent
3, 4, 5 AB 4 MTH 141
3, 4, 5 BC 8 MTH 141, 142
English Composition 3 credit hours
ENG 131- Workshop in Exposition and Argument. Prerequisite: ENG 111 or placement. Students placing into ENG 131 should take it within their first two semesters at B-W. Students required to take ENG 111 should take it during their first semester at B-W, and should take ENG 131 no later than their third semester at B-W.
English Composition placement determined by ACT and SAT scores is as follows:
Placement Placement Scores
ENG 131 ACT 24 or above SAT 550 or above
ENG 111 ACT 23 or below SAT 540 or below
Students with the following scores or above may seek exemption from English 131 by writing the challenge option essay: ACT English: Main (32), SAT Verbal/Critical Reading (670), CLEP (80%), AP English Literature and Composition (4), AP English Language and Composition (4), International Baccalaureate (6). Exempted students satisfy core requirements by fulfilling 40 hours rather than 43.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Foundation Course 3 credit hours
Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) 200- Enduring Questions for an Intercultural World. Prerequisites: Eligibility to take MTH core course and completion of ENG 131. Students should complete this course within their first two semesters at B-W if they meet the prerequisites upon entry, and no later than their third semester if prerequisites must be completed first.
Humanities 14 credit hours of core-designated coursework taken from the following areas:
Fine Arts 4 hours from selected courses in: Art; Broadcasting; English, French, German, or Spanish Literature; Health and Physical Education; Music; Philosophy; Theatre (course with "F" designation in the course number)
Cultural Heritage 6 hours from at least two areas History, Philosophy, Religion
General Humanities 4 additional hours from any Humanities area listed above as well as Communication Studies, Communication Disorders, Chinese, Italian or courses with HUM-prefix
Natural Sciences 7 credit hours of core-designated coursework, one of which must include a lab (indicated by an 'L' in the course number) from at least two of the following areas:
Astronomy
Biology
Chemistry
Geology
Physics
Social Sciences 8 credit hours of core-designated coursework from at least two of the following areas:
Asian Studies
Criminal Justice
Economics
International Studies
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Liberal Arts and Sciences electives - 3 additional credit hours of core designated coursework in Humanities, Natural Sciences or Social Sciences
Health and Physical Education 2 credit hour minimum
Students are required to take HPE 110W (Personal Wellness) and to fulfill the remaining HPE requirement with core-designated (W) activity, technique, or health and wellness courses.
International Studies
Students must fulfill one of the following three options:*
Foreign Language:
One year of one foreign language excluding Foreign Languages & Literature courses taught in English.
Study Abroad: This requirement can be fulfilled by one of the following:
1. Earning academic credit for at least three courses in an approved study abroad program
2. Earning the equivalent of 15 credit-hours in an accredited college abroad.
3. Living abroad and attending a non-U.S. elementary or secondary school for one academic year.
4. Other experiences abroad as approved by the Global Issues Committee.
Coursework in International Studies (courses with I designation):
Three courses with no more than two from the same department. Courses that fulfill the International
Studies requirement meet at least one of the following criteria:
1. Explore international aspects of cultural diversity.
2. Explore current global problems.
3. Develop competencies in international communications.
4. Explore international aspect of political and economic systems.
*International Studies core requirement does not apply to Music Education majors.
Diversity Studies (courses with a 'D' designation)
Students must complete one course designated as meeting the domestic diversity requirement. Courses that fulfill the Diversity Studies requirement have a significant amount of course content devoted to the anaylsis of domestic diversity, such as culture, race, religion, age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, and social class. Courses that fulfill the Diversity Studies requirement meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Help students understand the historical or contemporary experiences of underrepresented groups in U.S. society.
- Introduce students to the ways in which diversity in America enriches our intellectual, social and cultural lives.
- Assist students in their preparation for both professional and civic life, ny providing them perspective and insight on the diversity they will encounter in their workplaces and communities.
- Provide students the foundation for asking and answering insightful questions about the ways in which diverse peoples interact with each other and the consequences of these interactions.
Minor
Students must complete a minor*. (A second major will also satisfy this requirement.) A student may fulfill the minor requirement in any department or division, as long as the minor selected is not indentical to the student's major.
*Minor requirement does not apply to Music majors (other than Music in Liberal Arts) or students pursuing licensure in Early Childhood Education.
Letter Designations:
D= Diversity Studies
F = Fine Arts
H = Honors Course
I = International Studies
L = Lab Science
W = HPE Core Course
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