Degree Requirements

Degrees Offered

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers the following degrees at the baccalaureate level:

  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
  • Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S.)
  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
  • Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.)
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)

Degree Requirements

The majority of students in the College earn a B.A. degree. The B.A. degree may be earned with a major in all departments and programs in the College except atmospheric science. The B.A. is the traditional baccalaureate degree, structured to ensure both breadth and depth of knowledge through completion of the KU Core, degree specific requirements in writing, mathematics, foreign language, and laboratory science, as well as course work in the major. 

Please refer to our list of currently approved courses for the B.A. Quantitative Reasoning Requirement.

The B.G.S. degree is an option allowing intentional breadth, consisting of the completion of the KU Core and one of two options for degree completion (the Liberal Arts & Sciences, Bachelor of General Studies or a College major and a secondary field of academic study). NOTE: Additional degrees, majors, or minors are not allowed for students choosing the B.G.S. in Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

Please refer to our list of currently approved Career Preparation Courses for the B.G.S. You must complete 3 hours minimum to complete the required BGS Career Preparation Course.

The B.S. degree is offered by all natural science areas except human biology, as well as economics and behavioral neuroscience. In addition to the KU Core, students complete general education degree and major requirements determined by each program offering the degree and may be different for each B.S. degree in the College. With fewer required non-science general education degree requirements, the B.S. permits more depth in the major. It requires additional work in supporting science areas.

Earning a B.F.A in Visual Art will allow students to explore a variety of mediums before settling on the preferred area of study. In this degree path, fundamental concepts and strategies of artmaking are reinforced, even as new techniques and approaches from various disciplines are introduced.

Double Degrees in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The following combinations of degrees are allowable within the College as long as the student has completed at least 15 hours unique to each major:

  • 2 (or more) B.S. degrees. These must be different B.S. degrees, not different concentrations within the same B.S. degree.
  • B.A. and B.S. degrees as long as the degrees are in different majors. Students may not, for example, earn both a B.A. and a B.S. in mathematics.
  • B.G.S. and B.S. degrees as long as the degrees are in different majors. Students may not, for example, earn both a B.G.S. and a B.S. in economics.
  • Students may complete the requirements for more than one emphasis area or concentration in a major or degree program but should be aware that they are not completing a second degree or major. The following example illustrates this point: A student who completes all requirements for both the traditional English option and the creative-writing option is earning one degree, either the B.A. in English or the B.G.S. in English.
  • Students may earn a B.A. or a B.G.S. with more than one major but not more than one B.A. or B.G.S. degree from the College.
  • Students normally may not earn a B.A. degree and a B.G.S. degree. Exceptions to this must be approved by the Committee on Undergraduate Studies and Advising (CUSA). Requests for exceptions should be discussed with the director of College Undergraduate Academic Services.

Double Degrees in the College and a Professional School

Students who wish to work simultaneously for a degree from the College and a degree from one of the professional schools may do so, with the expectation that all general education requirements are met for both degrees.

Minors and Certificates

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences also offers many minors and certifications that students can pursue.  All current College minors and certificates can be found in the academic catalog and on their respective CUAS pages (see KU Minors and KU Certificates).  For the Liberal Arts & Sciences BGS degree option of two certificates, students may choose from an academic College Certificate and/or an Experiential Certificate. 

If you are interested in pursuing an Undergraduate Certificate you can email collegeundergrad@ku.edu to request the certificate be added to your record.

    Please refer to the Academic Catalog for specific degree, major, minor, and certificate requirements.