Completing the Degree

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; ESD- exploring social differences or DPI- difference, power, and inequity (please see the "ESD to DPI Distribution Change" tab below for more details); 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.

• The Bowdoin Curriculum
• Academic Requirements
• Division Requirements
• Distribution Requirements

(ESD) Exploring Social Differences to (DPI) Difference, Power and Inequity

2021-2022 academic year

Starting with the Fall 2021 schedule, DPI will be listed as an official distribution requirement, replacing ESD. Course offerings, however, will include both ESD and DPI options during this academic year. Continuing students may fulfill their outstanding ESD distribution requirement with a course that carries either an ESD or DPI designation. Students matriculating in the fall of 2021, on the other hand, will need to fulfill the requirement with a DPI course.

2022-23 academic year and beyond

Courses will no longer carry the ESD designation; all students will be expected to fulfill the DPI requirement. The hybrid ESD/DPI option for continuing students will no longer be available.

• Academic Advising and Support
• Departments and Programs
• Major & Minor Guidance
• Major Program
• Areas of Study Chart
• Student Designed Majors
• Changing a major or minor
  • If you would like to add a major/minor please email a tenure track faculty member in the department with your request and ask them to copy you on an email to registrar@bowdoin.edu stating their approval.
  • The faculty member will not have access to your course information so you will need to outline the courses you have already taken, e.g., provide them with a PDF of your Unofficial Academic History from your Degree Progress page in Polaris.
  • If you only want to drop a major or minor with no additions, you can email registrar@bowdoin.edu (no approval is required). 
  • The Registrar’s Office will attempt to process all major/minor change requests which have faculty approval before registration course requests are processed.
• Dual Degree, Declaration of Intent 
• If a student has a compelling academic reason to pursue an interdisciplinary major with another departmental major, they may seek an exception from the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

• Major/Minor Tracking
• Degree Progress FAQ
• Double-Counting Courses
• Anticipated graduation date:
  • To change your anticipated graduation date, submit a Biographical Change Form
    • Students may change their degree date to a later date if they have taken a leave from the College and will need more time to complete the degree requirements. Students may declare an earlier graduation date if transfer, AP, and/or IB credits have made the student eligible to graduate early. A change in graduation date does not affect a student's class standing*. 
    • Students who complete their degree requirements in a fall semester will have their degree conferred in December. Students who complete their degree requirements in a spring semester will have their degree conferred in May. Students who complete their degree requirements during the summer, e.g., by transfer credit, will have their degree conferred in October.
  • All students are required to verify their final graduation date, final major/minor, and personal information for Commencement via the Intent to Graduate form distributed by the Office of the Registrar the semester prior to completion.
  • *Class standing for the current semester is based on a combination of credits earned after matriculation and number of semesters enrolled at Bowdoin. Students may email registrar@bowdoin.edu about applying for advanced class standing after registration has occurred during the semester in which they are a first-semester junior.   

• The Award of Honors
• Calculation of Latin Honors
• Departmental Honors: The Honors Project

• Academic Regulations
• Withdrawing from Bowdoin
• Withdrawal Information Checklist
• College Payment and Refund Policies

Completion Date Change

• Students who have taken any time of time off from Bowdoin should update the Office of the Registrar with their new anticipated completion date using the Student Biographical Change form. This will ensure that students and advisors will receive appropriate information related to their degree progress.
• Please note that a student’s class year never changes regardless of time away taken from the college. Once a student graduates, if a student would like to be associated with a different class year for alumni (reunion) purposes, students will be given the opportunity to communicate this preference.

Commencement Participation

• Students are allowed to walk in a Commencement ceremony with a minimum of 30 credits (32 credits are required to graduate).
• When a student takes a leave of absence, they are alerted to the impact on their commencement participation several times. They are also given advice on how to mitigate this circumstance before making that choice.
• For Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 leaves due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in most cases there is still adequate time to make up the two missing credits should students wish to. Instead of lowering the number of credits needed to participate, there are temporary policies in place through summer 2021 that students can use to meet the 30 credit minimum to walk in Commencement:
  1. AP/IB scores may be sent to Bowdoin beyond the normal sophomore year deadline
     • Students should still refer to the guidelines for AP/IB credit eligibility based on their matriculation year.
  2. Students may apply for two-year college credits to count towards the Bowdoin degree.
  3. As a third option, working with advisors, additional coursework can be completed at Bowdoin. 
• Participating in Commencement is a mark of achievement, and while the College acknowledges the incredibly difficult circumstances we have all endured during the COVID-19 pandemic, these pathways provide other ways to ensure students can be a part of the ceremony without adjusting this policy.
• If students have individual concerns about their ability to meet the 30-credit threshold due to circumstances beyond COVID and beyond their control, they can speak to their dean and advisor.