Math and Science and Language requirements

[DawnM]

If your child is NOT in a STEM major (Performing Arts, Art, History, etc...) how many math, science, and language classes does he/she need to take?

 

I was surprised last night, going through middle son's requirements for his major, that only one math, one science, and no language was required at all.  

 

And he has no room for a minor unless he takes a 5th year. 

 

I am not upset, just surprised.

[snowbeltmom]

If your child is NOT in a STEM major (Performing Arts, Art, History, etc...) how many math, science, and language classes does he/she need to take?

 

I was surprised last night, going through middle son's requirements for his major, that only one math, one science, and no language was required at all.  

 

And he has no room for a minor unless he takes a 5th year. 

 

I am not upset, just surprised.

My son's school doesn't have a core curriculum, which is one of the reasons he chose the school. I know that he will not be taking a foreign language, and I will be shocked if he elects to take a science class.

[DawnM]

My son's school doesn't have a core curriculum, which is one of the reasons he chose the school. I know that he will not be taking a foreign language, and I will be shocked if he elects to take a science class.

 

Ah, interesting. 

 

When I went to college, I had to take 2 science classes, no math classes, and 1 year of language.   That was the min. for all students.

 

Then I noticed most schools started having a min. of 2 years of language, 2 Math classes, and 2 Science classes.

[Gwen in VA]

My dd is attending a conservatory. She needs a total of ten liberal arts classes, including two semesters of a foreign language, a writing class, and some other classes that fall under categories that have strange catch-all titles like "self and society." Math is only required through Algebra 2, and the science requirement is similarly lame.

 

Dd ended up fulfilling almost all of her liberal arts classes (including science and math) through her AP's, her dual-enrollment classes, and the classes she took as a freshman at a LAC.

 

 

[elegantlion]

Our general studies includes 1 math, 2 science, and 1 semester of foreign language, although you can pick another option in the humanities category and skip it. Many of those majors have a BS or BA option. For some if you do the BS, you have to add minor. If you do the BA, you have to have 12 credits in the same foreign language.

 

 

[G5052]

It really varies. My oldest is an accounting major and needed one history, one literature, one art, and two semesters of a single science.

 

My younger one is a liberal arts major, and she needs one math, two history classes, two literature classes, one art class, two semesters of a single science, and four semesters of a single foreign language.

 

[happypamama]

When I was in school (and it has changed very little in twenty years), as a history major, I still had to take 3 natural science classes (plus social science ones(, 2 math classes, and 3 language classes in the same language. Then in the BA requirements, which are separate from Gen Ed requirements, there are 3 more classes required, and they can, but don’t have to, include additional math, science, and language classes.

[mom2att]

Dd is a Linguistics major. The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences department under which she will graduate at her university requires 2 maths, 4 sciences (2 with lab), and 2 years foreign language. Plus a bunch of humanities.

[unsinkable]

On 3/19/2018 at 6:42 AM, DawnM said:

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[GoodGrief]

I'm not sure, but I do know that the 2 semesters each of math and science that she did dual enrollment her senior year covered it. That was actually a huge benefit, because she was able to avoid the giant math/science classes at the university. She did have a certain amount of language that was required; her major was Near Eastern Language and Culture.

 

Back in the day, no math was required for my nursing major. I took a basic math competency class freshman year and that was it.

[Corraleno]

3 science courses, to include at least one course from each group (physical and life sciences), and 1 has to be a lab

1 mathematical analysis + 1 data analysis

foreign language equivalent to 4th semester

2 English comp + 1 literature

2 social science, from 2 different groups

1 history + 1 diversity in the US + 1 "cultures & ideas"

1 fine arts

 

Looks like a lot, but there are linguistics classes that will count for both of the math/data courses, 1 comp course, 1 social science course, and the diversity and cultures courses.

 

[SanDiegoMom]

DD is a Poli Sci Major in the College of Letters and Sciences (Or whatever it's called).  She needs four sciences, she tested out of Math with her AP Calc, she needs a foreign Language through 3 years (allowing you to start anywhere in the sequence as long as you have completed through the 3rd level), and a few social sciences and humanities classes.   The four science requirement surprised me -- I only had to take one science as an English Major. 

[Lori D.]

DS#1 is going back to school for an Engineering degree, and a second language is not required. However, you're looking for a NON-STEM comparison, so here's an example from his university for a Sociology degree:

In looking at the general ed. requirements for those going into a Social Sciences degree, a second language IS required, and College Algebra must be completed. The general ed. credits required by the university fall in 4 areas: Arts, Humanities, "Individuals & Societies", and Natural Sciences. It looks like a minimum of 15 one-semester courses are required for general ed credits, although I bet that some (maybe all) of the second language required courses might also count towards the required Tier 1 and Tier 2 courses:

Writing = 2 courses = Writing 101 and 102

Tier 1 (100- or 200-level) = six 1-semester courses (2 courses each in "Individuals & Societies", "Traditions & Cultures", and Natural Sciences)

Tier 2 (200- or 300-level) = three 1-semester courses (1 course each in "Individuals & Societies", Arts, Humanities, and Natural Sciences)

Second Language = four 1-semester courses

"Individuals & Societies" and "Traditions & Cultures" are all Humanities/Social Science types of classes. (I really can't see a difference in how or why they are listed in one category vs. the other...??)

The university further requires 1 course in "Diversity Emphasis" (a course that focuses on studies in gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation or non-Western areas)— but this is usually fulfilled by "doubling up" with careful choice of a Tier 1 or Tier 2 course that also counts towards the Diversity Emphasis. Same with the Tier 2 Arts course.