Bachelor of Arts
The majority of Manhattanville’s undergraduates pursue the Bachelor of Arts degree. Some freshmen know the academic area or areas in which they want to concentrate; most do not. Consequently, it is possible to begin work in a major field the first year, but there is no need to declare a major until the second semester of the sophomore year. All students must complete a minimum of 90 credits in the liberal arts and sciences to meet New York State requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree. All courses listed under the various departments are considered “liberal arts” unless an asterisk follows the course title.
The Self-Designed Major:
If a student‘s interests lie outside or between the areas of existing departments or programs, he or she may propose to the Board on Academic Standards a self-designed major program of study. The Board on Academic Standards approves all self-designed majors. The student’s proposal must include a carefully thought-out rationale stating the goals of the program and the means of attaining them with the courses chosen. Self-designed majors are by nature interdisciplinary and involve courses from two or more departments. The student must consult with faculty from the departments from which courses are drawn and obtain their signatures on all portfolio forms requiring major departmental approval. Students considering self-designed majors are advised to discuss their case with the Advising Office or the chairperson of the Board on Academic Standards. Examples of recent self-designed majors include Social Justice, Ethics and Society, the Economics of the Performing Arts, Political Economy, Art and Society, Italian Civilization, and German Cultural Studies.
Double Major:
Qualified students may pursue the requirements for major study in two departments as long as both majors lead to a Bachelor of Arts degree. (Majors leading to two separate degrees, for example a B.A. and B.F.A., are not usually possible.) Students develop such programs with the guidance of academic departments and the approval of the Board on Academic Standards. Students majoring in Education are required to be double-majors: they must have a second major in a liberal arts field. (Students pursuing a double major are not required to have a minor.)
Teacher Certification:
A major in Education is available, with which students acquire provisional New York State teacher certification at the elementary or secondary school level. All students considering a teaching career are strongly encouraged to discuss their plans with an advisor in the School of Education as soon as possible. Also, since not all states have uniform requirements, students wishing to teach in a state other than New York should contact the appropriate state’s education department to learn what specific requirements they will need to meet. All majors in Education, except for Music Education and Art Education, are necessarily double majors: they must also have a second major in a liberal arts field. (For further information please see the School of Education Undergraduate Catalog.)
Preparation for Professional and Graduate Study:
A Pre-Health Professions Advisory Committee advises students who are preparing for medical school and careers in health. (See Pre-Professional Studies for pre-health requirements.) Students preparing for law school can consult with the Pre-Law advisor; students preparing for business school or other types of graduate study should work with a faculty advisor in the appropriate department
Joint Programs with Graduate Schools:
Manhattanville College’s close relationship with various graduate institutions can facilitate a student’s progress toward a career in physical therapy, speech language pathology, social work, dentistry, computer science, or publishing. (For more information, see separate section on Joint Programs.)
Accelerated Study
Most Bachelor of Arts students complete their degrees in eight semesters. It is possible to accelerate the degree program and graduate in less than 8 semesters, if special permission is granted, but students interested in doing this must present a plan to the Board on Academic Standards no later than a year prior to the planned graduation. The College requires the equivalent of eight semesters of attendance (at least four while a student at Manhattanville), unless the Board on Academic Standards grants special permission.
The criteria applied by the Board on Academic Standards in evaluating accelerated study and early graduation requests include overall excellence as demonstrated by both the transcript and the work submitted, at least two-thirds of courses above the introductory level, and demonstration at an early stage of careful planning and direction.
Early graduation through an accelerated program of study is not usually open to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Music program, candidates in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, or those who wish to do student teaching in order to gain New York State provisional teaching certification within the Bachelor of Arts program.
Part-Time Study
Degree requirements for part-time undergraduates are identical to those for full-time students except that they are not mandated to work within the Portfolio System. Part-time students must:
complete a minimum of 120 credits, with a minimum of the last 30 at Manhattanville;
complete the minimum number of credits in the liberal arts and sciences required by their specific degree program in order to meet New York State requirements for the bachelor’s degree, and
satisfy the criteria set by the departments selected as their major and minor fields
except that they may accomplish this over more than eight semesters.
Part-time students are encouraged to plan their work so that they acquaint themselves with a variety of academic areas. An advisor in the Office of Continuing Education, Summer Session & Special Programs assists part-time students.
Bachelor of Fine Arts
The Bachelor of Fine Arts is designed to prepare the art student for graduate study or for professional work in a wide variety of related areas. Specialization in painting, sculpture, printmaking, graphic design, or photography is available. All students must complete a minimum of 30 credits in the liberal arts and sciences to meet New York State requirements for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Bachelor of Science in Management
The Department of Economics, Finance and Management offers a B.S. degree in Management, in addition to the B.A. in Management. The major requirements for the B.S. degree are identical to those for the B.A. degree. The difference is in the number of liberal arts credits that students in the B.S. program will be required to take, namely 60 out of 120 credits, rather than the 90 out of 120 credits required for the B.A.
The B.S. degree provides an opportunity to traditional Management majors wishing to minor in a non-liberal arts area,
but for whom completion of the required 90 liberal arts credits would be difficult, if not prohibitive, within a four-year time frame. It also offers more flexibility to students.
Bachelor of Music
The Department of Music offers a professionally oriented Bachelor of Music degree program in Music Education for students interested in entering the teaching profession. The Bachelor of Music degree may be taken together with the Master of Arts in Teaching in a combined degree program offered by the Music Department with the School of Education. All students must complete a minimum of 30 credits in the liberal arts and sciences to meet New York State requirements for the Bachelor of Music degree. Please consult the Music Department and its Handbook for Music Majors for details of this program.
Adult Accelerated Bachelor of Science Degree Completion Program
Manhattanville offers three Bachelor of Science degrees in an accelerated format for adult students over the age of 23. Students who have completed thirty undergraduate credits with a G.P.A. of 2.5 and have a minimum of two years work experience are eligible for the program. The degrees are in Behavioral Studies, Organizational Management and Communications Management. To earn the B.S. degree in an accelerated format at Manhattanville College, the student must complete 120 credits. Students who have completed an Associate’s degree or who have accumulated from sixty to ninety undergraduate credits with a G.P.A. of 2.5 and have a minimum of two years work experience are eligible for the program. Students who have transferred into Manhattanville with more than 60 credits will be required to:
complete at least the final 30 semester credit hours and at least half of the major and minor “in residence” with at least a 2.0 G.P.A. in courses in which they are enrolled at the College.
demonstrate that they have satisfied the Manhattanville College general education requirements — either in courses for which they have enrolled at Manhattanville College — or at another accredited college/university.
complete all State-mandated Bachelor’s degree/certification requirements.
Classes meet in the evenings and/or weekends and are scheduled in eight-week modules. The program may be completed in less than two years. A new term begins in September, October, January, February, April and June. Applications are accepted throughout the year under Manhattanville’s rolling admissions policy.