Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science

vertical campus The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science curriculum consists of the Pathways general education curriculum, the major (at least 24 credits), the Weissman Core (see below), and elective credits for a total of 120 credits. A minimum of ninety (90) credits must be in liberal arts courses and a minimum C (2.00) average – cumulative, and in the major, are required for graduation.

There is no GPA requirement for College Option courses, but in order to graduate with the liberal arts minor, a student must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 in the three courses that make up their minor. The liberal arts minor cannot be within the same area of study as the major. This is also true for students who are required to complete part of the minor for the College Option. The same course cannot be applied to both a student’s major and minor/College Option requirement.

At least 60 percent of the credits in the major must be taken at Baruch. Transfer students must meet all degree requirements and take a minimum of 30 credits at Baruch.

Note: The Computer Science major, the Environmental Science major, and the Financial Mathematics major are the only degree programs in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences that award a Bachelor of Science degree.

Weissman Core

The three courses forming the Weissman Core are required for all students completing a BA or BS degree within the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences.

Communication Skills (3 credits)

COM 1010 Speech Communication

Foreign Language: two courses (6-8 credits of the same language)

Students may not use proficiency exams (CLEP, DLPT, NYU Language Proficiency Tests, etc.) and/or exemption exams to satisfy this degree requirement. Students who earn credit for specific Baruch courses via AP exams (FRE 1001/1002, GER 1001/1002, FRE 4181/4182, etc.) and via the Jerusalem Exam (HEB 1001/1002) may use these courses for the Weissman Core.

EFFECTIVE Fall 2025

Baruch College awards credits based on the Jerusalem Exam as follows:

Students passing the Jerusalem exam with a combined score of 150-159 will be granted credit for HEB 1001 (3 credits).
Students with a combined score of 160 or higher will receive credit for HEB 1001 and 1002 (6 credits).

These credits are applicable to the Weissman foreign language requirement.

No credit will be granted if the score is not reported to the Undergraduate Admissions Office through an official certificate with a signature and seal image.

Placement Information:

Students should review the guidelines below and see a faculty advisor in the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature to confirm proper placement if they intend to continue a language to which they have prior exposure. Students have the option of taking a placement exam to ensure that they are placed at the correct level.

Please consult the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature for assistance

Students who have studied a foreign language in high school for fewer than three years

Choose one of the following:

- If only one year of a language was taken in high school, the student must take two semesters of elementary or intermediate language.
- If two years of a language were taken in high school, the student must take two semesters of intermediate or advanced language or take two semesters of a new language on the elementary level.

Students who have studied a foreign language in high school for three years

Choose one of the following:

- Continue the language on an intermediate or advanced level for one semester and take one literature course in the target language
- Continue the language on an intermediate or advanced level for two semesters
- Start a new language on the elementary level for two semesters

Students who have studied a foreign language in high school for three or more years

Choose one of the following:

- Take 6 credits of literature in the target language
- Continue the high school language on the advanced level for two semesters
- Take one semester of advanced foreign language and one literature course in the target language
- Take two semesters of a new language.

Non-Liberal Arts Courses in BA/BS Degree

The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees requires that 75 percent (90 out of 120) of the credits toward the degree will be designated liberal arts courses. Students may include up to 30 elective credits of non-liberal arts courses.

Liberal arts courses are those in which theory is the focus and in which broad foundations link the course content to history; philosophy; humanities; culture; natural, social, or behavioral sciences; or mathematics.

By contrast, non-liberal arts courses are those in which the primary intent is to give students a specific vocational, professional, or technical skill; there is substantial focus on professional development, technical proficiency, and professional or business-related content; or the focus of the course is on derivative, practical, or applied aspects of the field.

Double Majors / Weissman Optional Focus

Weissman students who wish to pursue two of our major programs have two options:

Double Majors
Weissman Major/Weissman Optional Focus.

Please see below for details, and for the list of prohibited program combinations.

Double Majors

Weissman students have the option to declare two liberal arts majors that lead to the same degree (BA or BS). Both major programs appear on the student’s CUNYfirst record, DegreeWorks audit, and unofficial transcript.

Students who wish to double major must email the Weissman Major Declaration Unit at WSAS.MajorForms@baruch.cuny.edu from their Baruch student addresses. The email must include the student’s name and emplid number and must indicate the primary and secondary major.

Students must take at least 60% of each major’s credits at Baruch College.
Students who complete two Weissman majors are waived from courses 2-4 of the Baruch College Option requirement – all or part of the liberal arts minor.
A double major will appear on a student’s final transcript only if the courses for both Weissman programs are completed at the time of graduation.

Weissman Optional Focus

Baruch does not offer a dual degree program, so students cannot “double major” in programs leading to different degrees (BA versus BS).

Weissman students pursuing Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees have the option to complete a “Weissman Optional Focus” based on the requirements of a major from the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences. A student may, for example, major in Computer Science (BS degree) and declare a Weissman optional focus in Economics.

A notation of completion of all the requirements of the Weissman Optional Focus will be added to the permanent comment section of the transcript upon graduation.

Students will not graduate with both the BA and BS degrees.
Students must take at least 60% of the credits for their Weissman Optional Focus at Baruch College.
Students who complete a Weissman major and a Weissman Optional Focus are waived from courses 2-4 of the Baruch College Option requirement – all or part of the liberal arts minor.

Prohibited Double Major or Major/Weissman Optional Focus Combinations

Students may pursue any Weissman double major or Weissman major/Weissman Optional Focus EXCEPT the following combinations, which are not allowed:

Business Communication/Corporate Communication track and Communication Studies
Business Communication/Business Writing track and Journalism
Computer Science and Financial Mathematics
Computer Science/Financial Mathematics track and Statistics (BA)
Environmental Science (BS) and Environmental Studies (BA)
Statistics (BA) and Actuarial Science, Financial Mathematics, or Mathematics
Any combination of Actuarial Science, Financial Mathematics, and Mathematics

Special Programs – Design Your Own Major

Weissman Arts and Sciences Ad Hoc Major

Students who want to combine courses from two liberal arts disciplines into a single major should consider the Arts and Sciences Ad Hoc major option. Students must have overall GPAs of at least 3.0 to be officially accepted into any Liberal Arts Ad Hoc major track.

CUNY BA/BS Program

Students who want to combine courses at Baruch College with courses at other CUNY campuses should consider the CUNY BA option, the University-wide, individualized degree program. With guidance from a full-time CUNY faculty member who agrees to serve as a mentor, each student is able to design an individualized Area of Concentration (major). Some students have completed degree programs ranging from Arts and Social Change to Zoological Photography; there is almost no limit to what students can pursue through this degree route.

The CUNY BA and BS degrees are fully accredited and are awarded by the City University rather than by an individual college. The program operates under the auspices of the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. To be eligible for the CUNY BA/BS program, students must have completed at least 12 college credits with a GPA of 2.8 or higher.

More information – including applications, program requirements, and Area of Concentration examples is available on the CUNYBA site.

Second Degrees

Students may earn a second baccalaureate degree provided that they complete 30 additional credits at Baruch, that they meet all the requirements for the Baruch BA or the BS degree, and that they choose an entirely new major. None of the courses in the second-degree major can have been applied to the student’s previous major.