How many hours of science are needed to graduate from college?

The expectation here is that you will do at least 10 hours of study for every 10 credit points awarded. An undergrad degree is usually 240 credit points/24 courses or 48 units with each course representing two units usually (depends how the university calculates their load). 2400 hours minimum.

Based on full time load. Two semesters per year. Four courses/units per semester.

Depends on the college and the program. It can vary widely.

@Earthbound_Misfit… I meant for a general, well-rounded purposes. 4 courses a semester sounds like an awful lot unless the person is majoring in science.

I don’t understand your question then. That’s for a full-time load. You might study part-time but to complete a degree program and graduate, you’re going to have to complete a certain number of courses. It would take you longer if you don’t want to study full-time but you still need to complete 240 credit points (or the equivalent for a degree program where you are).

If you want to just study science, there are ways to do that by taking individual courses but not as part of a degree program. However, you wouldn’t ‘graduate’ with a degree.

I’m unclear on your question. Sorry.

OK, here you need 124 hours to graduate. The first two years / 62 hours is where you pick up your general education. That last 2 are where you concentrate on your major.

If you are not talking about a degree in a scientific field, I’m sure there must be colleges that have no science requirement, or perhaps require very little. But there’s not going to be a single answer to this question. Choose a degree, choose a college, look up the requirement. Vary either of these parameters and try again. You will likely get a different answer.

You’re right. When I went to K-State it seems like there was were minimum science hours required, no matter what. I ended up taking 17 hours of science over the two years I was there and only, like 3 or 6 were required. I think. I wanted to put that on a job app I filled out today, but wanted to get my ducks in a row.
Then I realized they’d ask for proof and I can’t find my transcript so I just left it off.

Your college should have copies of your transcript. You’ll have to pay a very small fee for it, but then you’d have it on file forever.

There are science courses and there are science courses with labs…two different kettles of fish. (I took 5 courses per semester).

I had science courses with labs. I loved it. The thing is, most of mine were elective.

@dappled_leaves I know. I had my transcript at one time. I have a folder with transcripts from various schools. Don’t know what happened to the one from K-State.

It would depend totally on the school and the program. I had no required courses at my college.

Well…I’m talking about the 70’s. I just need to get my transcript! I think the info is on there. We were required to take some course in just about every undergraduate course there was. English, Science, History, Math, etc.

Well,
I took two semesters of Geology, two semesters of Biology, four semesters of Calculus based Physics and three semesters of Chemistry. All had labs and I’m probably forgetting something. I took Biology and an extra Chemistry as electives. The minimum to get a degree in arts and sciences was usually at the very least a single two semester sequence in a hard science. Certain degree programs required much more.

Where I live, university-level science courses usually also have labs, and do not offer extra credit.

At the college level, a lab can be a separate course for separate credit, but it is unheard of for a university course to be lab-only. That would be like offering half a course for full credit. And yes, I understand that in the US, college-level is equivalent to university-level. It isn’t here. A university is superior to a college.

What I’m saying is that much depends on where you are, and what the system is in that region. These things are not universal.

Every college and university has its own core curriculum. The answer ranges from “very few” to “quite a few.”

There are some science classes that are more liberal-artsy and less technical. I took Meteorology, which was fun and useful, and I enjoyed Geology. There was no math or formulas in either course.

The “Into to Geology course at the Uni that my daughter attended was called “Rocks for Jocks.” My daughter, not a fan of the science requirement, took it and had a good time.

As you have discovered, there is great variation in what various schools require. In my experience, however, most schools require 12 credits of math/science (often requiring at least one course of each).

I didn’t take any science in college. Not that I remember anyway. I took Psychology if you want to count that as science, but it was as an elective, and the elective didn’t have to be a science class.

@SavoirFaire That sounds right.

@dappled_leaves Just curious…in what way is a university superior to a college?

@Dutchess_III This is not a subjective judgment on my part. In this country, colleges and universities differ in the quality of education they provide, and therefore in the worth of the piece of paper earned by the student at the end of their studies. Typically, a college issues a “diploma”, while a university issues a “degree”. It takes provincial legislation for a college to become a university; this is usually preceded by a period in which the college works to improve its standards and propose specific degrees for different departments. Once it gains accreditation, it will change its name from “X College” to “X University”. Sometimes, you will find colleges named “X University College” as a desperate bid by the school to look more substantial than it is.

Now, as far as I know, none of what I’ve said is officially set out in a rulebook anywhere. However, this is the system as it has grown through tradition for centuries. In recent years, I know that there has been a certain amount of experimentation on the part of colleges to promote themselves. Perhaps there are a few colleges in this country issuing PhD degrees in a subject or two, with the government’s blessing. But it would still be rare. And if they are, I really wouldn’t want those degrees.

Oh, I have no doubt that what you’re saying is true, and not just your opinion @dappled_leaves. I was just wondering in what way. Thanks.

@dappled_leaves “Typically, a college issues a “diploma”, while a university issues a “degree”.”

Which country?

Canada.

@dappled_leaves, it may be a language issue. Isn’t college a generic term used for university in the US? In Australia we also have different tiers of tertiary education with universities at the top, then colleges, but people in the US seem to speak of a college education and be referring to what I would have thought was a university.

In the US a college and the undergraduate portion of a university serve the same purpose.
The university will also have graduate programs in some or many disciplines; Master’s degrees, PhD’s, graduate degrees in Law, Medicine, Theology, Government, Public Health, Ingernational Studies, Education, etc. A college will offer a Bachelor’s of Arts or Science degree (or Fine Arts). This is the short list, but that is the gist.

For example, one can go to Harvard College and graduate with a Bachelor’s degree and then go to one of Harvard University’s graduate schools. The University has 13 degree-granting schools, including Harvard College. www.harvard.edu/schools

@gailcalled I don’t think that answers the question. The way it was worded it seemed to me it was asking minimum science requirements to graduate similar to how high school has minimums. The way I remember it my university didn’t require any science in my business school.

^^My answer is in response to issues raised by@Earthbound_Misfit, @dappled_leaves and @SadieMartinPaul, under the guidelines for ’‘Social Questions.”

@Earthbound_Misfit If we want to get technical, the word “university” is supposed to refer to a collection of schools and colleges that operate together. So Generic University might be made up of the Generic College of Arts and Sciences, the N.E. Body College of Engineering, and the John Q. Public School of Law. It’s just a colloquialism to use “college” and “university” interchangeably (though a very common one).

@gailcalled You didn’t use the @Earthbound_Misfit so I didn’t realize. I hadn’t read his comment.

@SavoirFaire I thought to be called a university in America the school has to offer graduate level courses?

@SavoirFaire Yes – but in places like Canada, the UK and I suspect, India, college and university mean very different things from one another. A technical college in the UK will prepare a student who hasn’t gone through the 6th form for going on to a university.

Exactly @janbb. And that was my point. That @dappled_leaves, who is in Canada I believe, may be interpreting the word ‘college’ differently than the original poster. Thank you @janbb.

@JLeslie That’s right. A graduate school would be one member of the collection. By the way, it is quite typical for people who don’t use an @ tag to be responding to the post immediately above them.

@janbb I understand that, and I agree with @Earthbound_Misfit that there is a language issue. But I also wanted to delve into it a little bit. Strictly speaking, after all, it is false to say that “college” is a generic term used for universities in the US. Rather, it is a colloquialism to use the terms interchangeably. In contexts where colloquialisms are inappropriate, however, you will not see them used this way (as you might if the term was properly generic).

In short: I was adding, not critiquing.

One often will say, without bothering to quantify, that she attends Cornell, Harvard, Stanford, U. of Michigan or Vanderbuilt. That would imply either the college or a graduate program at the university.

“I’m getting my PhD at Yale.” That implies the university.

“I’m majoring in art history at Yale and will graduate next year.” That means I’m at Yale college. Rarely would anyone actually say, “I’m at Yale College.”

@SavoirFaire I know it’s typical I have over 47,000 lurve, I have been here a while. I was just explaining why I was confused. I hadn’t read the other post.

A college that does not have graduate level courses can have a collection of schools can’t it? College is the catch all word, and I guess so is school. We don’t use university unless the institution actually is designated or named as a university.

@SavoirFaire But are there not colleges in the US which stand alone, not as part of a university? And are these colleges not considered to offer equivalent degrees to those offered by universities in general? That is, my understanding is that any one specific college may not be at the standard of Yale University (for example) but it would still confer a university-style degree. Or do colleges which operate outside of any university community confer diplomas or certificates instead?

Colleges such as Amherst and Williams are small, liberal arts colleges that have the same status and standing as the Ivies and all four year colleges in the US confer degrees equivalent to those offered by universities.

@janbb Thanks, that’s what I thought.

And we do say, “Where are going to college?” – not “Where are you going to uni?”

My point was what @janbb just said, we use the word college as the catch all for tertiary education. @janbb I think summed up what the countries say the best I think. Some people just say school in America also.

I went to college at Michigan State University.

I went to school in Michigan.

I went to college in Michigan.

I would say all three.

I wouldn’t say I went to uni (or university) in Michigan, unless I was speaking to someone who uses that terminology and I didn’t want to confuse them. Even with Spanish speaking people who don’t live in America I stay away from the word college in English, because collegio means high school.

@JLeslie Yes. In Canada, you would never say “I went to college in Manitoba”, period. You might say:

I went to school in Manitoba
I went to a college in Manitoba
I went to Generic College in Manitoba

But “I went to college” is simply not enough information for a Canadian to state as a sentence. It demands that the person listening ask another question to clarify. Not like the US at all.

“I went to uni” is more of a British thing… though there may be regions in Canada where this is common. Sometimes, using this in Canada is seen as an affectation. We more commonly say “I went to university.” ;)

In any case, the reason I brought up the distinction is that asking how many credits would be required would almost certainly differ between a college and a university in this country. So, one more way in which the answer to the question can vary regionally.

To add to the confusion, Boston College is a full-fledged university but cannot call itself Boston University, since that already exists, down the road.

“Boston College is a research university and comprises nine schools and colleges:

Boston College College of Arts & Sciences (the 4 year program for undergraduates;

Graduate Schools:

Boston College Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Carroll School of Management
Lynch School of Education
Connell School of Nursing
Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
Boston College Law School
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Woods College of Advancing Studies’ Source

I went to a women’s college outside of Boston, similar to Williams and Amherst College, which caters only to undergraduates interested in the liberal arts and sciences.

Wow! LOL!

@dappled_leaves Very interesting. I didn’t know all the specifics regarding how Canadians use the terminology. It is confusing in America too, even among us Americans, because credit requirements vary somewhat from university to university and also within a particular field of study credit requirements would vary.

Then there is the example @gailcalled gave regarding Boston College, and there are others like that. I remember when I was little accidently saying my aunt went to Boston College and was quickly corrected that she went to Boston University for her undergrad. She got her masters at Hunter college in NYC. LOL.

Do you use the terms Bachelors degree for a 4 year undergraduate degree, and masters and PhD for post graduate degrees?

@JLeslie I suspect it is more confusing to parents than anyone else, haha. Students who have been in academia for any length of time seem to get to know the playing field, at least regionally. It always surprises me when people don’t realize how great the differences are between countries, however. Even given the typical American attitude of “Oh, you mean everyone doesn’t behave just like we do?”

@JLeslie I don’t know how to answer your question because I don’t know any examples of a school that consists of multiple colleges but no graduate school. This is perhaps part of why there is no standardized definition of “university” in the United States. But as @gailcalled notes, we do have universities that are not named such (e.g., Boston College). I suppose all we can really say about US usage of the term is that it is highly irregular.

@dappled_leaves Yes, there are plenty of standalone colleges in the US; and yes, the degrees they offer are considered to be formally equivalent to degrees offered by other institutions of higher education. Informally, of course, school reputation affects the perceived value of the degree. But leaving that aside, a bachelor’s degree is a bachelor’s degree is a bachelor’s degree.

(Complicating matters slightly, however, some universities do not officially confer any degrees. At such schools, the degree is conferred by the specific member college in which the student was enrolled. So while it would be nice if the English-speaking world could come to some consensus on these things, I don’t know how soon we should expect that to happen when the American academic community can’t even come to any internal agreement regarding usage.)

@SavoirFaire “Complicating matters slightly, however, some universities do not officially confer any degrees. At such schools, the degree is conferred by the specific member college in which the student was enrolled.”

Weird! I did not know that.

@SavoirFaire I think of the colleges that offer varying undergraduate degrees as having multiple “colleges” and are not universities. I assume the students apply to the particular school or line of study they wind up majoring in. Anyway, I agree there is no one specific standard. It’s messy.

The largest difference I see is a “university” is officially sanctioned, their degrees are recognized and the graduates can obtain professional certifications and licenses when required. You can choose between many different colleges within the university. A university is an organized system of “colleges” where the college outlines a particular course of study. Universities are usually massive collections of colleges. Sometimes smaller and often private universities will call themselves colleges and offer fewer courses of study. Where things get confusing is when the semantics get hijacked by what can be best described as “schools” or “institutes.” Good examples are all of these for-profit “universities” that offer degrees similar to professional degrees but without any hope of gaining professional licensure. They typically cost a small fortune but will admit anyone and can be obtained in a short amount of time. Some of them can lead to real work but most lead to debt. All to often people don’t realize that this is not “college” and they are not receiving an actual degree but more like a “training certificate” with the word diploma written on it.

@ARE_you_kidding_me But, there are colleges that are not universities that are accredited and have tons of respect in the academic world. I agree that some institutions use the term “college” when maybe they shouldn’t because it is misleading. I guess we can’t say shouldn’t, but it would be nice if it were all more clear. I guess generally we can say we use the word college for tertiary education.

@JLeslie As stated in my response above: “Sometimes smaller and often private universities will call themselves colleges and offer fewer courses of study.”

@JLeslie Just because a school offers various undergraduate degrees does not mean it is made up of multiple colleges. Each degree program is run by a department, and each department is in turn part of a college (which may or may not be part of a university). So a small liberal arts college like Haverford might offer a variety of majors, but those majors aren’t all part of separate colleges. And indeed, many liberal arts colleges don’t let you declare a major until the end of your second year. So while it’s certainly messy, I don’t think it’s quite that messy.

@SavoirFaire Agreed.

Let us muddy the waters by mentioning some of the Institutes of Technology ( in the US).

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cal Tech
Rochester IT
Renssaeler Polytechnique Institute.

MIT has, for example, within the School of Architecture and Planning, the following degree programs: II’ve omitted the Planning degrees).

Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Bachelor of Science in Architecture Studies
Master of Architecture
Master of Science in Architecture Studies
Master of Science in Building Technology
Master of Science in Art, Culture and Technology
PhD in Building Technology
PhD in Design and Computation
PhD in the History and Theory of Art
PhD in the History and Theory of Architecture
Dual Degrees

In its School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, there are jillions of choices of undergraduate studies and seven graduate degree programs. Check out for yourself what’s available additionally at the School of Engineering, Sloan School of Management, School of Science, and the Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology.

As paradigms of small, prestigious colleges, Haverford, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore colleges are very different kettles of fish. They offer only a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.

I’ll skip a disquisition on the 2-year community colleges.

I can not believe how this thread took off!

@gailcalled Colleges generally only offer various undergraduate degrees. A university will almost always offer graduate degrees. Nobody is holding any “school” to a specific name convention however. Some simply say “institute” for historic or clarification reasons. MIT is a Polytech University and is NOT a “technical institute”

^^ MIT is a Polytech University and is NOT a “technical institute”

I never said it was.

A propros of absolutely nothing:

Headline this morning from NBC news:

MIT Ranked the Best University in the World