Requirements for Graduation
Declaring a Major
F1 Sequence Requirements
Writing Requirement
Language Requirement
Requirements for Graduation
- 128 credits
- Completion of all major requirements.
- A cumulative GPA and a major GPA of at least 2.00
- Successful completion of the F1 Requirement which includes a total of three courses, two of which are coordinated sequences and taken during a student’s first year. Sequences are chosen from "SEARCH," "LIFE," “CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE,” "SACRED HISTORIES," or INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT GREEK" courses.
- One writing seminar and two writing-intensive courses.
- A foreign language through the 201 level.
- Completion of the other Foundation Requirements.
Academic Standing
Students are considered to be in Academic Good Standing unless they are on Academic Probation or Suspension. Rhodes Express will send statements to that effect to other institutions in order for current Rhodes students to attend summer sessions or other programs. A student is subject to academic probation if the overall or major grade point average falls below 2.00. For more details, please see the Rhodes College Catalog.
Declaring a Major
Students must declare a major prior to the registration period of the student's spring semester of their sophomore year but may do so earlier if they have a strong interest in a particular department. It is also during the student's major declaration period, that they will either select or have assigned a faculty advisor from the major department in which they are declaring in.
It is important to note, that students may change majors, but doing so late in an academic career is likely to present problems for graduating in eight semesters.
To learn more about the major declaration process, please see the Declaration of Major form.
F1 Sequence Requirements
All entering students must enroll in a coordinated sequence chosen from “Life: Then and Now,” “The Search for Values in the Light of Western History and Religion,” “Cultural Knowledge,” "Sacred Histories," or "Introduction to Ancient Greek." The first courses in the Life sequence are Religious Studies 101 and 102. These courses introduce the student to the academic study of the Bible and the diverse traditions based on the biblical texts. The first Search courses – Humanities 101 and 102 – comprise an interdisciplinary study of the origins of Western culture, including the study of the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman traditions. The “Cultural Knowledge” courses, AMS 110 and 111, explore varied communication strategies utilizing an eclectic range of texts including biblical works. "History in Historical Context” courses, HIST 101 and HIST 102, focus on a theme or topic to investigate how people across time and within a wide range of diverse cultural contexts have engaged with Jewish and Christian sacred texts to make meaning and value in their world. The Introduction to Ancient Greek, Greek 110 and 111, engages students in a critical examination of personal, social, and cultural values through the academic study of biblical literature while allowing students to develop proficiency in the reading, writing, and speaking of Koine Greek.
Writing Requirement (F2s and F2i; 3 courses)
Under the Foundations curriculum, three writing courses are required: a writing seminar and two writing-intensive courses. The writing seminar is required of all students except those who are granted AP or transfer credit for a writing seminar course. First-Year Writing Seminar (FYWS 151 or FYWS 155) may be taken in either the fall or the Spring semester of the first year. Students wanting to make immediate progress in their writing skills are encouraged to enroll in FYWS 151 in the fall. Students must apply to enroll in FYWS 155. AMS 111, HUM 102, HIST 102 or RELS 102 will be one of the two writing-intensive courses taken by all first-year students. Most first-year students fulfill two of their three F2 courses in the first year by completing their first year of the F1 requirement. The second writing-intensive course should be taken by the end of the second year.
Language Requirement (F10 courses)
Students who choose to continue in a language they have previously studied, and that Rhodes offers, must take the placement test in that language. For French, German, Russian, and Spanish, the online placement test is administered by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures using Emersion, which can be found on the Modern Languages and Literatures website. Students who have taken Chinese in high school will take a paper placement test on the designated dates indicated on the Welcome Week brochure or contact Professor Han Li for more information.
The placement test will determine if the student should enroll in a 102 or 201 level language course. The F10 will be fulfilled upon successful completion of a 201-level course. If the placement test indicates placement above 201, students must follow up during Welcome Week with an individual written exam and oral interview with one of the faculty in that language. Information about proficiency and placement interviews will be communicated with the Welcome Week materials.
Students planning to fulfill the foreign languages degree requirements in a new language (not previously studied in high school) should register for the 101 course in that language. No placement test is necessary. All first-year students should begin language study in the first semester if at all possible.
Students who can demonstrate advanced proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening in a language other than English may petition the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures to fulfill the F10 requirement by way of proficiency testing. Any student planning to pursue this route of satisfying the F10 should contact the chair of Modern Languages and Literatures, no later than the end of their second year, to discuss the petition process.
Students who have taken Latin in high school or at another college or university should take the short Latin placement survey (available with the New Student Enrollment Forms). The department of Ancient Mediterranean Studies (AMS) will review the information provided, and students will receive a recommendation for the appropriate Latin class at Rhodes in about a week. Students may fulfill the F10 requirement by taking the Latin or Greek proficiency examinations. These are exams written on paper, based on the final exams for Greek and Latin 201. AMS will offer these examinations during Welcome Week. For information on the Hebrew program at Rhodes, please contact Professor Steve McKenzie. At present, only biblical Hebrew is offered at Rhodes. It is possible to fulfill the F10 requirement by completing Hebrew 201 or by passing the Hebrew proficiency exam.
PLEASE NOTE: Students with two or more credits of a language in high school (or two or more block-schedule courses) MAY NOT take 101 courses in that language for credit.
The foreign language proficiency requirement may be fulfilled in any one of the following ways:
- by successfully completing at Rhodes any appropriate four-credit language course numbered 201 or higher.
- by achieving a placement score above the 201 level AND demonstrating ACTFL Intermediate-Mid proficiency through face-to-face testing with language faculty. Students who take 201 (or higher) or the equivalent at another institution can earn transfer credit but must still demonstrate proficiency (see above) in the specific language before the degree requirement (F10) is satisfied. This pertains to languages that are taught at Rhodes.
- by demonstrating ACTFL Intermediate-Mid proficiency in a language not taught at Rhodes by petitioning to fulfill the language requirement through the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (see above). The petition must be submitted no later than the end of the second year.
- by achieving proficiency with Advanced Placement credit as follows:
- Modern Languages (Chinese, French, German, Russian, Spanish): Students who earned a 4 or 5 on a language AP exam in Chinese, French, German, Russian, or Spanish will receive 4 credits of that language′s 201 course by demonstrating proficiency in that language. Proficiency is demonstrated by achieving a placement score above the 201 level AND by demonstrating ACTFL Intermediate-Mid proficiency through face-to-face testing with language faculty. No further language coursework is then required. A student who earned a 4 or 5 on a language AP exam but who does not achieve proficiency based on the placement test and faculty approval does not receive any credit for the AP exam and must take an appropriate four-credit language course numbered 201 or higher in order to earn that credit and proficiency.
- Ancient Mediterranean Studies (Latin): If a student scored a 4 or 5 on the Latin AP exam and completes Latin 202 (or a more advanced course) with a grade of “B” or higher, the student can be awarded 4 credits (Latin265) for the AP exam. This awarded credit in Latin 265 may be used toward a major or minor in Ancient Mediterranean Studies. A student must pass the Latin proficiency exam or successfully complete Latin 201 or a more advanced course to fulfill the F10.