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Princeton University

Publication: A Princeton Profile, 2007-08

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The Undergraduate College

Program of Study

Princeton offers two bachelor’s degrees: a bachelor of arts (A.B.) and a bachelor of science in engineering (B.S.E.). Within these degree programs, students can choose from among 72 departments and interdepartmental programs. In lieu of existing programs, students may apply for independent concentration.

Undergraduates in the A.B. program must successfully complete general education requirements that include two courses each in literature and the arts, science and technology (with laboratory), and social analysis; and one course each in epistemology and cognition, ethical thought and moral values, historical analysis, and quantitative reasoning. A.B. candidates also must satisfy writing and foreign language requirements.

Departmental requirements combine upper-level courses with independent work in both the junior and senior years. A senior thesis is required of all A.B. candidates.

Engineering students take at least seven courses in the humanities and social sciences in addition to satisfying the writing requirement and meeting the requirements in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer programming as specified by the School of Engineering and Applied Science. B.S.E. students are required to take one course in four of the following six areas: epistemology and cognition, ethical thought and moral values, foreign language, historical analysis, literature and the arts, and social analysis.

All engineering departments offer upperclass students opportunities to pursue independent work in lieu of formal course work. In some departments, independent work or a senior thesis is required for completion of the B.S.E. degree.

Departments and Programs

Students may choose from among 34 majors, or an independent concentration, and participate in more than 39 special programs, many of them interdisciplinary or interdepartmental. The University also provides ample support resources, such as a modern language lab that bolsters the instruction in 21 foreign languages currently offered.

Academic Departments

Undergraduates may concentrate their studies in the following fields:

Interdepartmental Programs

Interdisciplinary and interdepartmental programs are available to complement more traditional courses of study. Participants in programs take designated courses in the subject area and prepare substantial independent work toward completion of a certificate of proficiency.

Undergraduates may supplement their concentration by participating in any of the following programs, most of which grant certificates of proficiency:

Areas of Concentration

Undergraduate concentration patterns have remained fairly constant over the years. Here, in descending order, are the 15 areas of concentration for juniors and seniors that were most popular in academic year 2006–07:

Awards and Fellowships

Princeton students do very well in the national scholarship and fellowship competitions. During the past 10 years, 14 Princeton undergraduates have been Rhodes Scholars.

The table below lists seven of the award programs open to graduates and shows the number of Princetonians who have won these scholarships over the past five years.

*Fellowship discontinued by Mellon Foundation in 2005
**National Science Foundation

top | August 2007