Academic Requirements

Figuring out what “counts”

Like all Boston University undergraduates, you will have university-level requirements, college-level requirements (sometimes these are the same as university-level requirements), general education requirements (the BU Hub Transfer Student Curriculum), and major requirements.

University-level requirements

All undergraduates must earn at least 128 credits in order to graduate.

At least 60 credits must be earned in residence at Boston University, and you can transfer in a maximum of 68 credits.

A maximum of 16 credits of “D” grades earned at Boston University can be applied toward the credits you need for your degree. (Courses in which you earn a “D” may not count toward your major or minor. Check the Bulletin for your program(s) to see the grades needed for courses to count in your major or minor. Many majors and minors have higher grade requirements (ex. B- or higher) for courses to count toward the program.)

College-level requirements

Some of BU’s undergraduate schools and colleges have college-specific requirements. For example, the College of Arts and Sciences has a Second Language Requirement.

Check the Bulletin of your school or college to see if you have college requirements in addition to your general education requirements and major requirements.

General Education (BU Hub) requirements

All students who transfer into BU in Fall 2020 or later are required to complete the BU Hub Transfer Student Curriculum. (Students who transferred into the university before Fall 2020 are subject to the general education requirements for their cohort in their school or college.) The Hub Transfer Student Curriculum requires you to earn 10 Hub units.

Hub units must be earned at Boston University or through receiving a high enough score on an Advanced Credit Exam (ex. an AP exam). Only some advanced credit exams carry Hub units. See BU’s Advanced Credit Guides to learn which exams count toward the Hub.

Major requirements

Your major requirements can be found in the Bulletin, and they will appear on your Degree Advice report.

Some of the courses you transferred in from your previous institution(s) may count toward your major, while others may earn you credit toward the total credits required for your degree, but not toward your major. Courses that count toward degree credits, but not for your major, minor, or the Hub, will appear under “Extra Courses” on your Degree Advice report.

While you cannot petition for external courses to count toward your Hub requirements, sometimes you can petition for an external course to count toward your degree or major requirements. Talk with your academic advisor or visit your school’s advising or student services office to learn more about the petition process.

“It can be easy to feel lonely in such a vast school, but through the help of my advisor I have truly found my place at BU. He made a point of introducing me to other students, who have also helped me through the transition into the physics program. Through them, I feel as if I belong to a community of intelligent students, who push me to learn at a faster rate than I ever have in the past.”

– Kevin Reiss, CAS’22