College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Degree Requirements

Student Responsibility: Students are responsible for ensuring that they understand and meet all major and college degree requirements. Any questions about these requirements should be raised with a department advisor (for major requirements) or college advisor (for college requirements).

Students must meet college progression standards each term. They are expected to keep the Office of the University Registrar informed of their accurate address and to read their GatorLink email. Students also are expected to review their holds and degree audit on ONE.UF each term and to discuss any questions or discrepancies with an advisor.

Graduation under a Particular Catalog: Students are placed into the catalog year for the academic year in which they entered UF unless they request to follow the academic requirements in effect when they initially enrolled in a Florida public college or other Florida state institution. Such a request is possible only if they have maintained continuous enrollment, defined as enrolling for at least one course in one term in each academic year. Students wanting to change catalog years should review a degree audit with an advisor in the AAC.

Students must meet the requirements for all programs (majors, minors, college/university requirements) for the same catalog year.

Applying for a Degree: Early in the term in which they expect to graduate, students must submit a degree application on ONE.UF. The academic calendar will provide the deadline for a current-term degree application.

Students should meet with an advisor in the AAC before registering for their final term to review the college graduation requirements that still need to be fulfilled. Students should also meet with an advisor in the major department to verify completion of requirements for the major. 

Additionally, seniors who plan to graduate should convert all I, N and H grades to letter grades no later than the fifth week of their final semester. Seniors are responsible for ensuring that all grade changes are submitted properly and are recorded in a timely fashion.

CLAS Degree Requirements

The college has seven requirements for award of a degree. Students must also meet all requirements for the major.

• Credits: All CLAS students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 120 acceptable semester credits for the degree. Up to 30 credits earned in a UF overseas study or exchange program may be applied to this requirement. Students may petition to have more credits accepted; however, approval is rarely given.
• Grade point average: Students must achieve a minimum overall average of C (2.0) in all work attempted at the university.
• Residence: The last 30 credits applied to the degree must be completed in residence at the University of Florida. In extenuating circumstances, the last three credits may be waived by petition. Participation in a UF-approved study abroad or exchange program is not considered a break in residence. However, students must see an advisor to be sure the degree audit accurately reflects this.
• University / State of Florida requirements: To earn a degree, all students must complete:
  • A general education program,
  • The writing requirement, and
  • The summer term enrollment requirement.
• Basic Distribution: To ensure that students gain a rich and varied general education, the college requires students to complete basic distribution requirements.

• Basic Distribution is comprised of the General Education Program Requirements plus additional credits beyond those requirements (see table below for overall credits required in each Subject Area).

• The same course may NOT be used to satisfy requirements in two different Subject Areas (C, H, S, P or B).
• Three of the credits must also be designated as international studies (N) and three of the credits must be designated as diversity studies (D).
• A minimum grade of C is required for all courses fulfilling the general education requirement, the writing requirement and the basic distribution requirements. The S-U grade option is not acceptable for these credits.
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Summary of CLAS Basic Distribution (includes Gen Ed Program Requirements)

Composition (C)	6 credits
Mathematical Sciences (M) (including 3 credits with a math prefix)	6 credits
Humanities (H)	9 credits * 3 of these credits must be IUF 1000 What is the Good Life, unless student is exempt **
Social and Behavioral Sciences (S)	9 credits *
Physical Science (P)	6 credits *
Biological Science (B)	6 credits *
Natural Science Laboratory ***	1 credit

* Must include three credits of international studies (N) and three credits of diversity studies (D).

** Students in the Innovation Academy program and students who transfer to UF with an A.A. from a public college or university in Florida are exempt from the requirement to take IUF 1000.

*** Natural science laboratory: A one-credit science lab with a minimum grade of C is required. Students can elect a laboratory course that is approved for the general education physical or biological sciences requirement or any psychology laboratory. (Most laboratory courses cannot be taken without prerequisite or corequisite courses.)

• Electives: Electives are defined as courses taken outside the major or major department. The degree program must include 18 credits of electives at the 3000 level or above. Several 2000-level natural science or mathematical science courses (those beyond the entry course in a sequence) can contribute to the 18-credit requirement. Eligible courses are CHM 2211, 2211L; PHY 2049, 2049L, 2054, 2054L; MAC 2234, 2312, 2313, 2512; MAP 2302; and CGS 2532. Elective course selection will depend on goals and interests. Some students may choose to use electives to pursue a minor or a double major/dual degree.
• Foreign Language: CLAS students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language. Foreign language is an important component of a liberal education. Study of foreign languages provides access to the cultural and intellectual heritage of cultures other than one’s own. Such study also provides a new perspective on the structure and complexity of the English language.

  Proficiency in a foreign language is considered to be the level of skill a student has upon completion of a beginning language sequence at UF. Students do not need to earn a certain number of credits to complete this requirement. It can be met in ONE of the following ways:

  • A score of three or above in an Advanced Placement foreign language exam.
  • A score of four to seven on an International Baccalaureate foreign language exam.
  • A score of A-E on an AICE foreign language exam (except for the Latin Literature A level exam).
  • Certain scores on CLEP foreign language exams give credit for the terminal course in the beginning sequence of a foreign language. Those scores meet the CLAS foreign language requirement. Consult the CLEP course equivalency chart for more course credit granted.
  • A designated score on the SAT II subject area examinations in Spanish, French, German or Latin. Consult the department or refer to SAT Subject Tests for Foreign Language Placement for required scores for satisfaction of the CLAS language requirement.
  • Satisfactory completion (minimum grade of C or S) of the terminal course in a beginning foreign language sequence (normally at the end of 10 semester credits at UF). Students may take foreign language requirement courses on an S-U basis (S = C or better).
  • Students with prior study of a foreign language who do not place out of the requirement may start with the second or third course in the beginning sequence (see Placement, below). Such students will complete the requirement in fewer than 10 credit credits. SAT II subject exams, AICE, AP, IB or CLEP exams, or for some languages, a department-approved placement test, will determine the point of entry.

The requirement for certain languages can be met by demonstrating minimum proficiency on an examination administered by the appropriate department.

Students in this college can study the following languages: Akan, American Sign Language, Amharic, Ancient Greek, Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Lingala, Modern Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish, Vietnamese, Wolof, Yoruba and Xhosa.

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Placement in Foreign Language

Students who have studied French, Spanish, German or Latin in high school and wish to continue these languages should refer to the placement page or consult the department for placement information.

Graduating with Honors

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