To qualify for the bachelor of arts degree, a student must have:
- successfully passed thirty-two full-credit courses (or the equivalent);
- spent four semesters (successfully passed sixteen credits) in residence, at least two semesters of which have been during the junior and senior years;
- completed a first-year writing seminar; this should normally be completed by the end of the first semester and must be completed by the end of the second semester in college;
- completed at least one full-credit course (or the equivalent) in each of the following five distribution areas: MCSR- mathematical, computational, or statistical reasoning; INS- inquiry in the natural sciences; DPI- difference, power, and inequity; IP- international perspectives; and VPA- visual and performing arts—these should normally be completed by the end of the fourth semester in college (the end of the student’s sophomore year);
- completed at least one full-credit course (or the equivalent) in each of the following three divisions of the curriculum: a- natural science and mathematics, b- social and behavioral sciences, and c- humanities (in addition to the required course in the visual and performing arts); and
- completed all of the requirements for an approved major.
Upon completion of their degree requirements (see above), students must graduate and cannot enroll for additional semesters, even if they have been enrolled for fewer than eight semesters and regardless of if they are recipients of federal, state, or institutional financial aid. In addition, students should not avoid registering for necessary courses to prolong their enrollment.
Students are obligated to comply with all policies and regulations set forth in the Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook published in the academic year during which they matriculate, but they may elect to follow the requirements from any other Catalogue published during their tenure at Bowdoin instead. Students considering this change should contact the Office of the Registrar.