DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

• A minimum of 120 credit hours is required for the baccalaureate degree.
• Students must complete at least half the major at Sage.  Furthermore, 30 of the last 45 credits must be completed in residence (i.e. at Sage or through the Hudson Mohawk Association).
• Students must satisfy general education as well as major requirements and must maintain satisfactory standards of scholarship to be eligible for graduation.
• A Bachelor of Arts degree must include a minimum of 90 credit hours in the liberal arts. 
• A Bachelor of Science degree must include a minimum of 60 credit hours in the liberal arts.
• See the Liberal Arts Course designations (below).
• Finally, students must achieve a 2.2 grade point average in the major and a 2.0 overall cumulative grade point average. 
• Some majors require a higher grade point average for graduation.
• The ultimate responsibility for fulfilling graduation requirements rests with the individual student.

Students should regularly review their academic programs with their advisors to make certain that requirements for degrees are being met.

GENERAL EDUCATION at Russell Sage College:
THE WORLD PROGRAM

WORLD stands for Women Owning Responsibility for Learning and Doing, and as the title of our general education program, translates Sage's founding motto -- “to be, to know, to do” -- into the educational challenges facing 21st century women. It further indicates our commitment to a global perspective and our respect for the diversity of our community, both narrowly and broadly defined.

Core Courses
These four courses, which immerse students in writing, research, and global issues of particular relevance to women, offer a common educational experience to all Russell Sage students and provide a core around which co-curricular activities will be planned. Thus, students should expect to attend and benefit from many of the campus performances, lectures, and other activities that will be linked to their core course work.

• English (ENG) 101: Language and Community
• English (ENG) 220: College Research and Writing
• World (WLD) 120: Women in the World
• World (WLD) 420: Women Changing the World

Cross-Cultural Studies
These courses advance Russell Sage students' understanding of diversity and cultural issues.

• Cross-Cultural Course: Students choose from a wide array of cross-cultural courses from many disciplines, designed to deepen understanding of global issues and cultural perspectives the faculty view as vital in the 21st century.
• Foreign Language Proficiency: 6 credits of a single language or proficiency through the 202 level. The language requirement is waived for students age 26 and older, for students whose first language is a language other than English, or for students with a previous Bachelor’s degree.

Distribution
This component of the general education program seeks to ensure that all Russell Sage College students have a broad exposure to the various liberal arts and sciences disciplines. While students are, understandably, committed to their major fields of study, this aspect of general education will help maintain students’ options for the future and will offer them intellectual and personal satisfaction as well. The specific form of the distribution requirements vary by major; in this, as in all other aspects of educational planning, it is vital the student work closely with her academic advisor.

General Education Requirements (Total Credits = 39)
Specific requirements can be seen below. For further information regarding general education, students should consult with their academic advisor. Each student is required to fulfill the general education program described below. Requirements are organized in three areas:

• “Core” or common courses to be taken by all students,
• Cross-Cultural Studies, which includes foreign language proficiency and a cross-cultural course chosen from a selection of courses that explore a non-western culture or compare two different cultures.
• Distribution requirements, which ensure a student’s exposure to knowledge from a broad spectrum of disciplines as well as her preparation for lifelong learning.

Core Courses

Year 1
ENG 101: Language & Community. Using the theme of how language both reflects and shapes life and thought in perceived communities, this course emphasizes writing, critical reading and thinking, persuasion, and presentation skills. Since this course is intended to be taken in the first year, any student with 12 or more credits earned at The Sage Colleges or 24 accumulated credits, who has not yet received credit for ENG 101, must register for the course in the next available semester, and continue to register for it each semester thereafter until taken and passed. (Waived for transfers with a comparable course; second baccalaureate degree students may apply to the Dean of the College for a waiver.)

WLD 120: Women in the World. In addition to highlighting the contributions of women across cultures, this interdisciplinary course will examine the status of and conditions for women globally, and will analyze the systemic forces affecting those conditions. Since this course is intended to be taken within the first two years, any student with 12 or more credits earned at The Sage Colleges or 24 accumulated credits, who has not yet received credit for or been waived from WLD 120, must register for the course in the next available semester, and continue to register for it each semester thereafter until taken and passed. (Waived for all second baccalaureate degree students. Waived for all transfer students with a comparable course, or an associate degree, or 54 or more transferred credits at the time of matriculation.)

Year 2
ENG 220: College Research and Writing: This course builds on the skills developed in English 101, but focuses on research writing. Students will learn how to formulate research questions, identify and search both print and electronic sources, and incorporate these sources into their analysis and synthesis of critical reading and writing about discipline-based subjects. Students will present an "Objectives" portfolio at least twice during the semester to demonstrate their progress toward meeting the objectives of the course. ENG 220 must be completed by the end of the sophomore year.(Second baccalaureate degree students may apply to the Dean of the College for a waiver.)

Year 4
WLD 420: Women Changing the World. This capstone course will draw upon written and oral autobiography to engage students in consideration of their own values as well as their potential as agents of activism and change. (To be taken in the last 45 credits.)

Cross-Cultural Courses : These courses may double-count with major or distribution requirements.

Students choose one cross-cultural course (XC) in any department. (May be taken at any point. WLD 120 & 420 may not count toward this requirement.)   This course may be chosen from the following list: ANT 101, CRJ 229, DAN 210, DAN 212, ECO 313, ECO 318, ENG 213, ENG 215, ENG 250, ENG 256, FRE 201, FRE 202, FRE 211, FRE 212, FRE 230, FRE 304 FRE 305, HIS 203, HIS 224, HMN 201, HSC 206, HST 101, HST 102, HST 103, HST 104, HST 107, HST 108, HST 218, HST 221, HST 233, HST 239, HST 245, HST 305, HST 306, HST 309, HST 317, HST 320, HST 323, HST 325, HST 351, HSC 305, MGT 340, NTR 225, PHI 101, PHI 107, PHI 211, PHI 241, POL 107, POL 108, POL 211, POL 221, POL 233, POL 238, POL 239, POL 245, POL 323, SOC 206, SOC 208, SOC 209, SOC 213, SOC 229, SPA 201, SPA 202, SPA 211, SPA 212, SPA 225, SPA 304, SPA 305, SPA 335, WST 206, WST 207, WST 209, WST 305, WST 306, WST 333, WST 351.  In addition, certain topic courses (e.g. FRE 248 or HST 348) may be declared as cross-cultural for particular topics. Check with Registrar’s office relative to specific topics.

Major-Based Distribution Requirement
Students must complete the following requirements (courses can be taken at any level 100-400)

Humanities/Arts 12 cr. (H/A) (May include language competency (H/L)  To be taken from courses with the following discipline codes: ART, DAN,  FRE, GLO, HST, MUS,  PHI, SPA, THR.

In addition:

Any COM courses except 202, 221, 235
Any ENG courses except 101, 102, 220, 235
HMN 201 only
NTR 225 only
VPA 111 only
WST 213, 214, 232, 244, 250, 305, 337, 347, 351 only

Quantitative Reasoning 3 cr. (QR) To be taken from the following:
PSY 207, MAT 109, MAT 110 (grade of C- or better in MAT 110 is required to satisfy Quantitative Reasoning requirement), MAT 111, MAT 113, MAT 121, or any MAT course numbered 200 or higher.

Social Sciences 6 cr. (SS) To be taken from the following:

CRJ 111, 212, 229, 307, 310, 311, 319, 330, 392 only
CSI 438 only
Any ECO courses
HSC 206 only
Any POL courses
Any PSY courses except 206, 331, 359
Any SOC courses except 202, 273, 331, 339
WST 104, 206, 207, 208, 209, 222, 223, 307, 310, 319, 321, 333, 335, 405 only
WST 348 may be a social science distribution course depending upon topics

Natural Sciences 6 cr. (NS)  To be taken from the following:

Any BIO courses except 340
Any CHM courses except 340
Any PHY courses
Any SCI courses

Liberal Arts Courses
In addition to the required 39 credits of General Education, each degree program requires liberal arts courses as a foundation of learning.  The liberal arts requirement “double counts” with general education or major requirements.  A Bachelor of Arts degree must include a minimum of 90 credit hours of the liberal arts.  A Bachelor of Science degree must include a minimum of 60 credits in the liberal arts.

Liberal Arts Courses are those with the following prefixes:  ANT, ART, DAN, ECO, ENG, FRE, GLO, HST, HMN, MAT, MUS, PHI, PHY, POL, SCI, SPA, THR, VPA. 

In addition:

Any BIO courses except 340
Any CAT courses except 207, 341, 407, 441, 442
Any CHM courses except 340
Any COM courses except 202, 221
Any CRJ courses except 352, 353, 356
CSI 101, 125, 126, 213, 260, 312, 438 only
HSC 206 only
MGT 332 only
NTR 225 only
Any PSY courses except 206, 303, 331, 359
Any SOC courses except 202, 273, 331, 339
Any WST courses except 235, 312, 336
WLD 120, 420 only