COAS eliminates some requirements

Responding to overwhelming student and faculty interest, last month the College of Arts and Sciences decided to revise its graduation requirements for students pursuing a double degree in the College and an outside school. \nUnder the old requirements, students desiring a bachelor of arts degree in a COAS-related field of study and a bachelor of science degree in an outside school were required to complete an extra 26 hours in the College of Arts and Sciences, in addition to the required coursework for each degree. In a unanimous faculty vote, the College eliminated those 26 hours, in an effort to better facilitate students pursuing two degrees.\nLinda Smith, associate dean for undergraduate education in COAS, said the eased requirements will allow motivated students to graduate in four years with a double degree. Under the old standards, this proved nearly impossible for students wishing to obtain degrees from COAS and another school.\nBut times have changed, Smith said. "We didn't want to make it too easy to acquire a second degree," she said, "but there are many more schools and more options for students now. For many students, a double degree has the same intellectual value as a double major."\nWhile the change in requirements will primarily affect underclassmen and incoming students, Smith said upperclassmen might also benefit.\n"Juniors and seniors may examine their schedules now and find themselves closer to the double degree than they may have previously thought," she said.\nBut academic adviser Jim Brown said the change affects only students pursuing two degrees at once. Returning students who have already completed one bachelor's degree must complete the additional 26 hours to obtain their second degree.\nAccording to assistant dean Steve Sanders, the COAS advising office has been "flooded" by positive e-mails and phone calls by students about the change. This interest, Sanders said, upholds the College's decision to adopt the change. \nBrown said since the initial announcement of the change, he has dealt with an average of 3-4 students per day expressing interest in a dual degree.\n"The new standards allow students to basically finish as many degrees as they can start without requiring an arbitrary number of hours," Brown said.\nHe said business students seem to be his "No.1 customer," with music students also expressing significant interest in the program. He cited the business school's field specialization requirement, in which students must complete work in an outside field to complement their business training, as particularly useful in pursuing COAS-related interests. He said business students tend to like the breadth of a liberal arts education.\n"The nice thing about the change in requirements is it breaks down the somewhat artificial barriers between schools," Sanders said. "It moves us much closer to the reality of students being able to capitalize on the best IU has to offer, no matter what school or degree option"