UNC Chapel Hill Undergraduate Majors: A Comprehensive Guide

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) offers a wide array of undergraduate majors, catering to diverse academic interests and career aspirations. From traditional arts and sciences to specialized professional programs, students have numerous pathways to pursue their passions and achieve their educational goals. This article provides a detailed overview of the undergraduate majors available at UNC Chapel Hill, along with essential information about degree requirements, honors programs, and dual bachelor-graduate degree options.

Academic Structure and Degree Options

UNC Chapel Hill provides several undergraduate degree options, each tailored to specific academic and professional objectives. These include:

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.): This degree, primarily offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, requires students to complete the Supplemental General Education requirement.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.): These four-year programs emphasize specialization in a particular field, providing necessary instruction in related disciplines. Some B.S. programs, especially those in professional schools, may have reduced General Education requirements.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.): Offered by the Department of Art and Art History, this program focuses on preprofessional training in the creative aspects of art.

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Bachelor of Music: Housed in the Department of Music, this degree emphasizes musical performance or composition.

UNC also offers dual bachelor-graduate degree programs, allowing students to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree in an accelerated timeframe. These programs typically require the completion of the bachelor’s degree requirements within eight semesters (or 10 for transfer students), with the graduate degree potentially completed in as few as two additional semesters.

General Degree Requirements

All undergraduate students at UNC Chapel Hill must adhere to specific requirements to earn their degree. These include:

IDEAs in Action: Students must satisfy all IDEAs in Action requirements, a comprehensive general education curriculum designed to foster intellectual curiosity and critical thinking.
Minimum Credit Hours: A minimum of 45 academic credit hours must be earned from UNC-Chapel Hill courses. Study abroad transfer credit does not count toward this minimum.
Maximum Credit Hours in One Subject: No more than 45 semester hours in any single subject (as defined by subject code) may be applied toward the B.A. degree.
GPA Requirement: A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 is required in coursework taken at UNC-Chapel Hill in the major core. Some majors may also have a gateway course that must be completed before enrolling in other core courses.
Residency Requirement: Students entering as first-year students are expected to complete their degree in eight semesters. Permission to enroll in a ninth semester or beyond requires a written petition to the dean's office and is not typically granted solely for completing multiple areas of study.

Majors and Minors

Students have the option to pursue multiple areas of study in depth. The College of Arts and Sciences allows students to study up to three subjects in depth. Those enrolled in professional schools who wish to have a second major or minor in the College of Arts and Sciences must receive permission from their professional school and the College of Arts and Sciences; students who receive permission to have a second major in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to complete all General Education requirements. A student may pursue in-depth study in multiple areas by fulfilling all major/minor requirements in each of the selected disciplines, in addition to General Education requirements.

Students completing the requirements for more than one major field of study will earn only one degree and receive only one diploma. Students may not pursue two concentrations (emphases, options, or tracks) within the same major.

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A student may have no more than two minors, regardless of the student’s major degree program. At least nine hours of core requirements in the minor must be completed at UNC-Chapel Hill and not at other academic institutions. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in coursework taken at UNC-Chapel Hill in the minor core is required.

In general, students may pursue a minor in the same department or curriculum as the major, provided they follow the double-counting rules described below and do not exceed 45 credit hours of coursework in any one subject. For example, a major in Asian studies with a concentration in Japanese and a minor in Korean, both housed in the Department of Asian Studies, are permitted.

Courses that fulfill core requirements for a major or minor may be double-counted (applied to a second major or minor) with the following general limitation: more than half (not merely half) of the courses and course credit hours taken to satisfy core requirements in each major/minor must be exclusive to that major/minor. In a 10-course major, for example, at least six courses, and at least 51 percent of the credit hours, should be counted exclusively in that major and should not double-count even if cross-listed with courses in a student’s second major or a minor. Some majors may further restrict double-counting courses.

Dual Bachelor-Graduate Degree Programs

UNC Chapel Hill offers several dual bachelor-graduate degree programs, enabling students to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree in an accelerated timeframe. These programs include:

Biostatistics (B.S.P.H.-M.S.)
Contemporary European studies and political science (B.A.-M.A.)
Education M.A.T.
Environmental science and engineering (multiple B.S. degree majors possible or B.S.P.H-M.S.)
Environmental studies or environmental science and public administration (B.A.)
Environmental studies or environmental science and geography (B.A.)
Environmental studies or environmental science and mass communication (B.A.)

Graduation with Honors

UNC Chapel Hill provides opportunities for students to graduate with distinction, with highest distinction, honors, or with highest honors, recognizing exceptional academic achievement.

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To graduate with distinction or with highest distinction, students must have completed at least 45 academic hours at UNC-Chapel Hill and have an overall grade point average of at least 3.500 or 3.800 respectively. The grade point average is based on the grades received and recorded by the Office of the University Registrar as of the degree award date.

Students who wish to graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill with honors or highest honors must complete a senior honors thesis project in their major field(s) of study. Such students need not have been members of Honors Carolina. Students with double majors may graduate with honors or highest honors in both fields of study. To do so, they must complete a distinct project in each field. Students who successfully complete a senior honors thesis project will have the designation “Honors” or “Highest Honors” recorded on their diplomas and transcripts and will be denoted in the Commencement bulletin at graduation.

Application for Honors Work

Students should apply to the honors advisor in the department or curriculum of the major. Ordinarily, application is made during the junior year, although it is done earlier in some departments.

Requirements for Eligibility

Students who wish to undertake a senior honors thesis project must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.300 or higher.

Nature and Purpose of Honors Study

Programs are provided for students who have demonstrated a high level of scholastic ability and achievement and who desire to pursue an intensive, individualized program of study in their major discipline. Senior honors thesis projects are scheduled as a two-semester sequence of honors courses led by unit-designated faculty, independent study overseen by the faculty thesis advisor, or a combination of the two. A special written or oral examination on the student’s program is required during the final semester of honors study. The department or curriculum may impose other requirements that it deems appropriate. In every instance, study for honors will require academic excellence. When the student has fulfilled all requirements, the department or curriculum will recommend to the associate dean for honors that the degree be awarded with honors or with highest honors.

Procedures for Granting Degrees with Honors

The grade for coursework in connection with an honors project is determined by the faculty advisor and is (like all grades) subject to appeal. Successful completion of honors study does not automatically confer departmental honors. Before awarding a degree with honors or highest honors, the College of Arts and Sciences requires the recommendation of a student’s examining committee and the endorsement of that committee’s recommendation by the chair of the department or curriculum. A negative recommendation by the department is final and cannot be appealed.

Application for Graduation

Beginning with the first day of registration for the term for which students expect to graduate, they should file an application for graduation online in ConnectCarolina or in person in the office of the dean. For students in the College of Arts and Sciences, this is the office of the Academic Advising Program. A student who has not filed an application for graduation on or before the announced deadlines for fall or spring graduation will not be included in the graduation program. Total graduation requirements are determined by ConnectCarolina’s Tar Heel Tracker degree-audit system.

List of Majors

While a comprehensive list of all majors offered at UNC Chapel Hill was not provided in the source text, it is noted that the College of Arts and Sciences offers more than 50 major fields of study. Examples of majors offered at other UNC system schools, such as UNC Charlotte, include:

Accounting, B.S.
Africana Studies, B.A. (with concentrations in Health and Environment, Popular Culture and Digital Media, and Social Justice and the Law)
Anthropology, B.A. (with Applied Anthropology Concentration)

Student Life and Academics at UNC Chapel Hill

The student-faculty ratio at University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill is 15:1, and the school has 39.5% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 96%.

The most popular majors at University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill include: Social Sciences; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies; Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs; Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services; Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology; Mathematics and Statistics; Physical Sciences; and Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies.

Phi Beta Kappa

The Phi Beta Kappa national collegiate honor society is open to all currently-enrolled undergraduate students. The quality point average shall include all academic coursework in the liberal arts and sciences taken and counted toward the candidate’s degree (physical activity grades and hours are not included). The grade point average is based on the grades received and recorded by the Office of the University Registrar at the time the Dean’s List is published.

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