2013–2014 The Bulletin - USS at Tufts - Tufts University

School of Arts and Sciences >
College of Liberal Arts >
School of Arts
and Sciences
Mission Statement
Broadly recognized as one of the premier liberal
arts colleges within a research university, the School
of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University educates
students for transformational leadership in communities
around the world. Tufts’ tradition of innovation
dates to the school’s founding in 1852.Today, a
multi-disciplinary and experiential approach defines
scholarship and teaching. Faculty and students use
the curricular framework of the arts and sciences to
address the great intellectual and social challenges
of the twenty-first century.
The school has a distinctive style. Excellence in
scholarship and teaching are the school’s highest
priorities; translating inquiry and research into
action is a defining theme. The Faculty of Arts and
Sciences, the largest of Tufts’ seven schools,
explores collaborative research opportunities across
the university’s professional schools and around the
world. More than 5,000 students at the undergraduate
and graduate levels represent the broad range
of intellectual, creative, and personal attributes.
The creation of new knowledge in traditional and
emerging disciplines, a dedication to globalism and
active citizenship, a commitment to humanitarianism
and diversity in its many forms, and a belief
that intellectual discourse and discovery serve the
common good are deeply held ideals.
College of Liberal Arts
Requirements for Degrees
For students entering the College of Liberal Arts,
the degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of
Science is awarded after four years (eight semesters)
of full-time study and with successful completion
of the equivalent of thirty-four credits. (Study in
summer school at other institutions does not count
toward the residence requirement under this policy.)
A cumulative average of C- (1.67) or higher is
required for graduation. No more than two of the
thirty-four credits may consist of fieldwork or
internship placements. Up to two semesters of
full-time study after matriculation at Tufts may be
spent at other approved four-year institutions or on
approved foreign study programs. (See Residence
Requirement in the general information section for
details.)
Three-fourths of all courses taken at Tufts with
standard grading must be completed with a grade
of C- or better. There is no rigid program of courses
that must be taken by every student. Students are
regarded as individuals and each student is encouraged
to pursue a course of study appropriate to his
or her training, experience, aptitudes, and plans for
the future. Within a framework designed to ensure
both breadth and depth in intellectual development,
there is a broad range of choice. Students work with
their advisors to select those courses best suited to
their particular needs and interests.
Each student selects courses to fulfill the
foundation and distribution requirements. All
courses used to fulfill these requirements must be
taken for a letter grade, not pass-fail. A grade of
D- or above is passing. Also, a grade of D- or
above will fulfill foundation and distribution
requirements.
Foundation Requirements
The faculty recognizes the following elements as
basic to any program leading to a bachelor’s degree
in liberal arts, whatever a student’s particular
interests may be. First, an educated person in our
society must be able to write coherent English and
must be able to apply that writing ability to the
critical analysis of information and ideas in any
field. Second, the study of another language and of
foreign cultures is indispensable to a liberal
education; such study provides a basis for locating
oneself within a larger cultural and international
context. Courses in college writing, foreign
language and culture, and world civilizations
constitute the foundation of a liberal arts education
at Tufts.
The foundation requirements should be met
early in a student’s college career, so that these
courses may serve as a foundation for later work.
In some cases, a single course may be used toward
fulfillment of both a foundation and a distribution
requirement.
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