Majors and Minors
Majors
All students must successfully complete a course of study leading to one of the approved major programs in the College of Arts and Science or successfully complete an individually designed interdisciplinary major designed in consultation with College of Arts and Science faculty and approved by the A&S Committee on Individual Programs.
There shall not be fewer than 27 credit hours in the major field, but a given department may require up to 48 credit hours. Students may take more than the required number of credit hours in any major; any given department, however, may limit the total permissible credit hours in a discipline.
For graduation, a student must have achieved a grade point average of at least 2.000 in all classes taken in the major. This set of courses includes all courses a student takes in the department or program of the major and all courses a student takes outside the department or program that may count toward the major. All courses that are listed as fulfilling credit hours required for the major, as listed in the Undergraduate Catalog, are included in calculating the grade point average in the major.
Within the framework of these general requirements, each department has its own policies governing major work, which are published in the Undergraduate Catalog or on the department’s website.
The College of Arts and Science offers more than 50 majors across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. See the full list of majors.
Double & Triple Majors
This program permits a student to concentrate in two or three fields, which may or may not be intellectually related. With approval of the departments concerned, the student completes all of the requirements stipulated for the majors. Triple majors require approval of the A&S Administrative Committee.
Each A&S major must include at least 24 credit hours that are being counted solely toward the major. Students in the School of Engineering may use courses taken in the College of Arts & Science for relevant second majors even if those courses also fulfill a School of Engineering degree requirement.
Double majors outside of home school
Arts and Science students with a second major from another Vanderbilt undergraduate school must earn a minimum of 90 credit hours in Arts and Science. Consultation with the student’s Arts and Science major adviser is especially important.
Individually Designed Interdisciplinary Majors
The individually designed interdisciplinary major allows you to custom design a major that is constructed around a coherent academic purpose and may draw together the academic resources of a number of departments and schools. Read more about the process and guidelines.
Minors
A minor is a program within a recognized area of knowledge offering students more than a casual introduction to the area but less than what they would get in a major. Although the completion of a minor is not a degree requirement, students may elect to complete the courses specified for one or more minors. A student who completes all designated courses in a minor with a grade point average of at least 2.000 will have the minor entered on their transcript at the time of graduation.
Minors may be combined with any departmental major, as long as the minor does not lead to excessive duplication of course content. For that reason, each minor must include at least 15 credit hours that are being counted solely toward the minor. Students desiring to complete a major and minor in the same department or program require permission from both the respective director of undergraduate studies and the A&S Office of Academic Services. Courses may not be taken on a P/F basis if they are offered in the department of the minor or if they are being counted toward an interdisciplinary minor.
Minors consist of a minimum of five courses of 3 or more credit hours each. Many minors require a greater number of credit hours and specific courses. When a minor is offered in a discipline that offers a major, only those courses that count toward the major may be counted toward the minor.
Students should refer to the appropriate sections of the Undergraduate Catalog for specific requirements.
After a student declares a minor, the department/program will assign an adviser to the student. Students have the responsibility to know and satisfy all requirements for minors that they intend to complete. The requirements for each minor can be found on the relevant department’s website.
Students may not add or change a minor after the final day of classes in the second semester of their senior year.