Undergraduate Studies: General Degree Requirements

Credits for Degree: 180 quarter/120 semester credits
Minimum Upper Division (dependent on degree): 60-75 quarter/40-50 semester credits *
Minimum Residency Requirement: 45 quarter/30 semester credits
Standard time to completion: 36 months **

* For Santa Barbara City College transfers, see articulation agreement for exceptions to the minimum upper division requirement.
**Actual time to completion ranges from 9 to 36 months, depending on the number of transfer credits.

Overview

The Antioch undergraduate programs use an interdisciplinary approach toward learning that emphasizes critical thinking, creative problem-solving, awareness of multiple perspectives, social and intercultural awareness, civic and community engagement, and an ability to connect learning to one’s lived experience. The programs are structured in a way that gives students flexibility while designing their path to a meaningful degree. Across the undergraduate school, programs share core elements, such as the general education and community-based learning requirements. Within each specific program, however, students complete certain courses and learning activities designed for students in the major. This section describes the common degree requirements for all undergraduates. Please refer to the program pages for information about requirements for a specific degree program.

General Education

A general education framework is defined as the foundational academic breadth that every college-educated individual should acquire. The Antioch University undergraduate faculty have structured the General Education (GE) requirements to include both a distribution of disciplinary expectations, known as Domains of Knowledge, and an Antioch Core that consists of Antioch-specific learning activities critical to the fulfillment of our program learning objectives.  A course that fulfills any of these GE requirements can also be applied to fulfill other degree requirements. The GE requirement for all undergraduates includes 30 quarter/21 semester credits in Domains of Knowledge and 15 quarter/9 semester credits in Antioch Core courses, for a total of 45 quarter/30 semester credits.

Domains of Knowledge

The majority of the general education credits (a total of 21 semester/30 quarter credits) represent “disciplinary studies” that reflect familiar categories in higher education. This element of the general education requirement focuses on the priority that students be able to address issues from diverse perspectives, in this case across disciplinary fields. Students may fulfill these domain requirements with any combination of upper and lower division coursework that can be transferred in or completed while at Antioch. At least 3 quarter/3 semester credits in each of six Domains of Knowledge are required in order to fulfill the disciplinary component of Antioch’s GE requirement: arts, communications, humanities, quantitative methods, sciences, and social sciences. Students take additional credits in arts, humanities, quantitative methods, or science to fulfill this 30 credit Domains of Knowledge requirement.

Antioch Core

An important subset of students’ general education requirements has been created to reflect Antioch and its mission, directly tied to the learning outcomes of analyzing power, oppression, and resistance in pursuit of justice; examining issues in both local and global contexts; and considering diverse perspectives, including opposing points of view and marginalized voices. These credits cannot be transferred in but rather must be earned through engagement at Antioch. For general education, 15 quarter/9 semester credits of Antioch Core coursework must be taken while enrolled at Antioch through Antioch-sponsored learning activities. These include a combination of 9 quarter/6 semester credits of required Undergraduate Core courses and 6 quarter/3 semester credits of Mission-core electives. Mission-core electives are courses that reflect Antioch’s mission and values. Courses that qualify as Mission-core are designated as such by the undergraduate faculty.

○    9 quarter/6 semester credits of required Undergraduate Core courses
      ■    Online programs
            ●   INTD 3000 : Empowering Your Purpose and Voice (3 semester credits)
            ●   INTD 3211 : Experience and Expression (3 semester credits)
      ■    Campus-based programs
            ●    Required: Transformative Education (3 quarter credits)
            ●    Writing 3000 (3 quarter credits)**
            ●    Writing 4000 (3 quarter credits)**
○    6 quarter/3 semester credits of Mission-core electives

See course options for Mission-core electives in the table at the end of this section.

** Students who are approved to waive either or both writing courses (listed as Undergraduate Core requirements) must replace those credits with additional Mission-core electives

Immersive Learning: Community-based Learning and Capstone Requirements

All undergraduate programs include a degree requirement that reflects the priority of reflective practice for all graduates, an expectation that they will engage in some sort of community-based learning (CBL) as well as a capstone process that connects experiential and classroom learning to the larger program objectives. Students have options for how they fulfill both the community-based learning element and the capstone. Students must complete a minimum of 6 quarter/4 semester credits in this area of capstone and community-based learning, with at least one learning activity that fulfills each or both of these. A student can engage in a project that fulfills both requirements simultaneously. For some majors, one or both of these requirements is considered part of the major requirements.

Note that these are minimum credit requirements but a major could require more. Check specific program pages for these guidelines.

Community-based Learning Options

Community-based learning (CBL) is that which engages students with a community outside of the classroom. We allow students to define “community” in its broadest sense, making possible learning activities that take on a wide variety of perspectives and methods. The CBL options include:

• Designated classes in which the majority of the class focuses on direct engagement in communities outside of the classroom, e.g., participatory action research or community-based projects as the demonstration of learning 
• Approved internships in which students are directly engaged in a community 
• Capstone courses/learning activities that require a direct connection with community
• Approved prior learning that emphasizes learning related to a community

Capstone Options

The capstone experience provides an important learning experience for students to engage in a reflective practice that highlights the integration of a student’s learning experience with the objectives of the undergraduate program. Because students individualize their Antioch experience, the capstone includes multiple options in order to meet students’ needs and schedules. Note that learning that qualifies as CBL may also be applied here. The capstone requirement can be fulfilled after the student has completed 135 quarter/90 semester credits and can take any of the following forms:

• Portfolio with reflective essay that includes evidence of meeting each of the PLOs
• Project that can be done as an individual or group. Can include a problem-based design conducted in service of an external organization (service-learning project) or a creative arts project
• Thesis that results in a theoretical paper or empirical research report 

At the completion of the capstone project, all options include a presentation (live or asynchronous/video) no later than the student’s final undergraduate term.

See course options for Community-based Learning and Capstone in the table at the end of this section.

BA in Liberal Studies

Undergraduate students can earn a BA in Liberal Studies that gives them significant flexibility designing their own degree beyond the GE and CBL/capstone requirements. For this degree program, students can transfer in units from a wide range of disciplinary subjects without needing to follow a specific pattern of prerequisites. The core curriculum is recommended, rather than required, so that students can easily individualize their learning experience. Although all students in the BA in Liberal Studies Program graduate with the same degree, students choose an area of concentration to focus their studies.

Areas of Concentration

Students must complete a minimum of 40 quarter/27 semester credits and a maximum of 80 quarter/54 semester credits in a Major Area of Concentration. The BA in Liberal Studies programs offer a wide variety of core courses, electives, internships, and independent study opportunities for each. Note that credits counted toward an Area of Concentration can also be used to meet the general education requirements and vice versa.

Students may also opt for a Minor Area of Concentration in any of the specialized Major Areas of Concentration. There are additional Minor Areas of Concentration not available as a Major Area of Concentration. In order to earn a Minor Area of Concentration, a student must accrue at least 20 quarter/15 semester credits in a concentration outside of their specialized Major Area of Concentration. Alternatively, students may have an Emphasis in a specialized area within their Major Area of Concentration by earning a minimum of 12 quarter/8 semester credits in that focus area.

Students have the option of changing their major or minor area of concentration. Students should meet with their advisor before requesting a concentration change, to make sure they are able to meet the requirements of the new degree program in a timely fashion.

Students are encouraged to work closely with their faculty advisors as they develop degree plans appropriate to their educational and career goals. The faculty strongly recommends that at least half of the credits in the student’s chosen Major or Minor Area of Concentration be upper division. Students are also strongly advised to take many of the core courses in the specialized Major Area of Concentration to acquire a strong foundation in their chosen discipline.

The student should work closely with their advisor to identify internship opportunities and independent studies that will reinforce the learning in the chosen discipline. 

If a student has not completed 40 credits in their specialized Major Area of Concentration or 20 credits in their specialized Minor Area of Concentration by the time of candidacy review, the Area of Concentration will be designated as Liberal Studies.

See the list of programs by campus for all Concentration options. This list is located on the School of Undergraduate Studies main catalog page. 

Major Degrees

Students pursuing an undergraduate degree with a specific major (including all disciplinary and Applied Studies majors) engage in a focused learning experience that has less flexibility but greater depth than the liberal studies degree path. Students pursuing a major must complete a minimum of 54 quarter/36 semester credits in their area and may be required to complete lower-division pre-requisites as well. Each major has a required core curriculum, determined by the program and Undergraduate School, and may have other mandatory learning activities associated with the degree. 
Please check the list of majors by campus for details specific to each major. This list is located on the School of Undergraduate Studies main catalog page. 
Students pursuing a major may also choose a minor, which requires a minimum of 24 quarter/16 semester credits outside of the major area of study. Additionally, students may have an Emphasis in a specialized area within their major by earning a minimum of 12 quarter/8 semester credits in that specific focus area.

Course Options

Mission-core Electives (6 quarter credits):

Options for students in quarter-based programs (AULA, AUSB, & AUS)

• SOJ-4340 : Activism, Art & Social Justice

• BUS-4410 : Community Problem-Solving

• SOJ-3010 : Confronting Inequality

• ENV-3010 : Environmental Justice & Advocacy

• SOJ-3014 : Freedoms & Unfreedoms in US History

• SOJ-3016 : Narrating Change

• SOJ-3020 : Power, Privilege & Oppression

• HUM-4040 : Queer Theory

• SOJ-3130 : Radical Economies

• SOJ-3012 : Sexualities, Genders & Identities

• HIS-3060: Standing for Justice: History of the Civil Rights Movement

• SOJ-3310 : The Rise of Black Power Movement & the Black Panther Party 

Mission-core Electives (3 semester credits):

Options for students in semester-based programs (AUO)

• INTD-3350 : Culture, Conflict & Social Research

• INTD-3510  : Ecology, Technology & Society

Community-Based Learning and Capstone: