Princeton In Brief

Princeton offers two undergraduate degrees: the bachelor of arts (A.B.) degree and the bachelor of science in engineering (B.S.E.) degree. Within these degree programs, students can choose from among 34 fields of concentration (commonly called “majors”). There are also 40 special interdisciplinary or interdepartmental programs that offer students wide-ranging opportunities to extend their academic interests. (For instance, a geosciences major may also earn a certificate in musical performance, or an electrical engineering major may also earn a certificate in Latin American studies.) Students may also apply for an independent concentration outside existing programs. Undergraduates are admitted to the University and not to a particular department or interdepartmental program and have until the second semester of their sophomore year to choose a departmental major.

Freshmen and sophomores in the A.B. program normally complete 17 courses by the beginning of the junior year. Students complete one or two semester-long courses in each of seven general areas: (1) epistemology and cognition, (2) ethical thought and moral values, (3) historical analysis, (4) literature and the arts, (5) quantitative reasoning, (6) science and technology, with laboratory, and (7) social analysis. In the final two years, students continue to pursue coursework but also engage seriously in independent study in their field of concentration. In addition, all A.B. students must satisfy the writing requirement by taking a one-semester writing seminar in the freshman year. All A.B. students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language.

For the B.S.E. degree, the course of study encompasses a broad sweep of engineering science and includes in its program a number of courses in the social sciences and the humanities. By the end of the second year, engineering students complete the equivalent of four semesters of mathematics, two semesters of physics, one semester of chemistry, and one semester of computing. B.S.E. students also must complete a minimum of seven courses in the humanities and social sciences, including one course from four of the following six areas: (1) epistemology and cognition, (2) ethical thought and moral values, (3) foreign language, (4) historical analysis, (5) literature and the arts, and (6) social analysis. Engineering students also complete a one-semester writing seminar during the freshman year.

Anthropology, Architecture, Art and Archaeology, Astrophysical Sciences, Chemistry, Classics, Comparative Literature, Computer Science, East Asian Studies, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Economics, English, French and Italian, Geosciences, German, History, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Music, Near Eastern Studies, Philosophy, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Religion, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Sociology, Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Operations Research and Financial Engineering.

Academic areas in which students may earn certificates of proficiency include:

African American Studies, African Studies, American Studies, Applications of Computing, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Architecture and Engineering, Biophysics, Contemporary European Politics and Society, Creative Writing, East Asian Studies, Engineering and Management Systems, Engineering Biology, Engineering Physics, Environmental Studies, European Cultural Studies, Finance, Geological Engineering, Global Health and Health Policy, Hellenic Studies, Judaic Studies, Language and Culture, Latin American Studies, Linguistics, Materials Science and Engineering, Medieval Studies, Musical Performance, Near Eastern Studies, Neuroscience, Quantitative and Computational Biology, Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Russian and Eurasian Studies, South Asian Studies, Sustainable Energy, Teacher Preparation, Theater and Dance, Translation and Intercultural Communication, Urban Studies, Visual Arts, Study of Women and Gender, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

An academic year runs from September to late May/early June and consists of two terms (fall and spring), with exam periods in January and May. A normal course load is four or five courses per semester, although many students take additional courses. Princeton does not offer summer sessions.

Freshman seminars offer first-year students an opportunity to work with a professor and a small number of classmates in a seminar on a topic of special interest. The seminars — about 75 are offered annually — are hosted by the residential colleges.

Most humanities and social science courses at Princeton include lectures and precepts. The “precept” is a small group in which the instructor promotes student discussion of lectures and readings.

Independent work for undergraduates is the hallmark of a Princeton education. All A.B. candidates must complete a junior paper or project and a senior thesis. Almost every B.S.E. student completes a senior thesis or a substantial independent research project. Independent work is conducted under the mentorship of a faculty member.

Students are encouraged to include an international experience as part of their undergraduate education by participating in the Study Abroad Program. The program enables students to receive University credit for a semester or a full year of study in an approved program or foreign institution. Students in all majors are eligible to study abroad during the spring semester of sophomore year, one or both semesters of junior year, or fall semester of senior year. In addition to participating in semester-time study abroad, many students spend summers abroad for intensive language study, research for a senior thesis, or to undertake an unpaid internship. Last year, students from 29 departments studied in 27 countries.

The honor system has existed at Princeton since 1893. At Princeton, students take all written examinations under the honor system — that is, without a faculty proctor. They assume full responsibility for honesty and conclude each examination with a written pledge that they have abided by the honor code. The honor system is administered by a committee of 12 undergraduates.