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Knowledge. Generosity. Community.

Degree Requirements

A line of students in caps and gowns marching into Commencement exercises

General Requirements

Each student is responsible for knowing all regulations governing the curriculum and course registration, and is responsible for planning a course of study in accordance with those regulations and the requirements for the degree.

The requirements for the undergraduate degree are:

  • Minimum 128 credits of academic work. (See Degree Restrictions.)
  • Cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for all institutional work (including Smith Programs Abroad and Five College Interchange).
  • Completion of a major.
  • Satisfactory completion (grade of C- or higher) of a writing-intensive course in the first two semesters of enrollment.
  • Four semesters of academic work, a minimum of 64 credits, completed in academic residence at Smith College in Northampton. Two of these semesters must be completed during the junior or senior year.
  • Bachelor of Arts: completion of 64 credits of academic work outside the department of the major (64-Credit Rule).
  • Bachelor of Science: additional requirements for the bachelor of science degree are listed in the Smith College Course Catalog (under "Engineering") and on the Picker Engineering Program website.

Degree Restrictions

  • A limited number of performance credits may be counted toward the degree:
    • Exercise and Sport Studies (ESS): maximum of 4 credits
    • Music (MUS): maximum of 24 credits
    • Dance (DAN): maximum of 12 credits for non-dance majors, 20 credits for dance majors
    Courses completed beyond these limits are listed on the transcript but are not counted towards the degree.
  • A maximum of 16 credits of optional Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grades may be counted toward the degree.
  • A maximum of 16 credits of special studies may be counted toward the degree.
  • A maximum of 12 approved summer school credits and a maximum of 12 approved interterm credits at Smith or elsewhere may be applied to the degree, with an overall maximum of 32 credits of combined summer, interterm, AP and other pre–matriculation credits.