The course of study at Hampden-Sydney College offers to students opportunities for both breadth and depth in learning and encourages independent study. The requirements for a bachelor’s degree fall into two areas: Core Requirements and Major Requirements. In addition, there is the opportunity to take elective courses that are not required but may enhance the education of the student. In order to graduate, students must earn 120 semester hours of credit with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.0 and be in residence at the College at least two academic years, including the last year preceding graduation.

Every student who completes the requirements in ten or fewer semesters will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree. Students majoring in one of the disciplines in the natural sciences and mathematics division, in Mathematical Economics, or in Psychology may make a formal request to receive a Bachelor of Science degree, instead. It is solely the responsibility of the student to make sure that he meets all of the stated requirements for his degree.

Core Requirements

With our mission as our guide, Hampden-Sydney’s core curriculum is built on a foundation of five common experiences that comprise the first component of the core curriculum. 1) All students take courses in Rhetoric. Samuel Stanhope Smith, the first president of the College, declared that Hampden-Sydney College would particularly emphasize instruction in facility with the English language. Almost 250 years later, the College continues to prioritize teaching students to write clearly, to speak confidently, and to develop cogent arguments. 2) All students take courses in Core Cultures. In these courses, students examine Western and global cultures, and critically examine the traditions, histories, political systems, scientific discoveries, and artistic products of these cultures. 3) All students take one course in mathematics, which equips them with the knowledge of analytical concepts and operations necessary to solve problems in math and its applications. 4) All students learn a foreign language, building on the skills they develop in Rhetoric courses as well as enhancing knowledge they gain in their Core Cultures studies. 5) All students take experiential learning courses as part of our Compass program. These courses require students to be engaged, reflective, and intentional learners who can see the connections among active learning opportunities across disciplines and beyond the classroom.

The second component of the core curriculum is a set of requirements that meaningfully structure students’ academic experience in a manner consistent with our mission, while also exposing them to a broad range of disciplinary perspectives and methodologies across the three divisions of the College (Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social Sciences). These requirements—Cultures in Context, Literature and the Arts, Religious and Philosophical Inquiry, Natural and Behavioral Science, and Social Analysis—are designed so that all graduates of the College will develop the skills necessary for professional success and lifelong learning: how to write, think critically, hypothesize, analyze, and create. At the same time, flexibility within this component of the curriculum facilitates students’ identification of their personal strengths, aptitudes, and passions, a process of self-discovery that is essential in determining their major course of study and their future success.

Unless otherwise stated, students may use any appropriate courses to satisfy both major/minor and core requirements. Special topics courses intended to fulfill core requirements must be approved by the Academic Affairs Committee prior to registration.

With the exception of requirement I.E. Compass Experiential Learning (EL-ON; EL-OFF), only courses worth at least three credit hours may be used to satisfy core requirements.

The same course may be used to satisfy up to, but no more than, two core requirements. The single exception to this rule is that courses satisfying core requirement I.E. Compass Experiential Learning (EL-ON; EL-OFF) may also be used to satisfy up to, but no more than, two other core requirements.

  1. Common Foundations
    Through a set of common experiences, students learn how to acquire knowledge; how to communicate and evaluate knowledge; and how to use their knowledge to solve problems and inform their choices
    1. Rhetoric
      1. Rhetoric 101 and 102
      2. Pass either the Rhetoric Proficiency Exam or Rhetoric 200.
    2. Core Cultures
      1. Western Culture 101 and 102
      2. One course from either Global Cultures 103 or 104
    3. One course in Mathematics
    4. Foreign Language: any 200- or 300-level course in Classical or Modern Languages
      [Note: International students who are non-native speakers of English may have the foreign-language requirement waived upon presentation of evidence to the Executive Committee of the Faculty that their prior instruction has been primarily in a language other than English.]
    5. Compass Experiential Learning
      Three EL courses, at least one of which must be designated EL-OFF, and at least one of which is outside the division of the major.
  2. Cultures in Context
    Students study human experience within specific societal structures and geographic regions.
    (No more than two courses from any one division can be used to satisfy the four-course requirement.)
    1. Two courses from different departments with a focus on the United States.
      Social Science courses as follows: United States history courses at the 100- or 200-level, or History 313, 317, 321, 323, 327; Government and Foreign Affairs 101, 200, 312; Humanities courses as follows: English 191, 199, 221, 222, 224, 230, 258; Music 212, 217, 218, 312; Theatre 210; Visual Arts 210; Religion 231, 232, 334, 336.
      [Note: Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts courses are all courses offered by the Fine Arts department; therefore, the U.S. Cultures in Context requirement cannot be met by taking a combination of these courses.]
    2. Two courses from different departments with non-U.S. focus. One course (underlined on the following list) must focus on a region outside Europe.
      Social Science courses as follows: Economics 210; Government and Foreign Affairs 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 322; History 101, 102, 130, 201, 202, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 221, 222, 225, 230, 260, 261, 271, 272, 301, 304, 305, 307, 308, 309, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 328, 329, 330, 332, 333, 340, 345, 346;
      Humanities courses as follows: Classical Studies 202, 203, 204; English 197, 211, 212, 228, 243, 270; Theatre 201; Visual Arts 201, 202, 204, 205; French 105; Spanish 310; Philosophy 210; Religion 103, 104, 105, 201, 202, 203, 204, 221, 305, 306, 321, 401.
      [Note: Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts courses are all courses offered by the Fine Arts department; therefore, the U.S. Cultures in Context requirement cannot be met by taking a combination of these courses.]
      OR
      successful completion with earned credit in an approved study abroad program or successful completion of a 3-credit hour internship abroad. International students who are attending Hampden-Sydney College on an F1 Visa will be considered as having fulfilled the courses for this requirement.
  3. Literature and the Arts
    Students learn to analyze form and content in literature and the arts, and in some courses to engage in artistic expression.
    Requirements A and B must be met through courses in different departments.
    1. One course in literary arts from among Classical Studies 203, 204; English Department courses (except ENGL 241 and 380); Classical and Modern Language literature courses at the 300-level and above; Rhetoric 302.
    2. One course in visual, sonic, or performing arts from among any 3-credit hour course in the department of Fine Arts; English 241.
  4. Religious and Philosophical Inquiry
    Students explore and analyze the nature of knowledge, belief, meaning, and value.
    One course in either Religion or Philosophy (except Religion 151, 152, or 251).
  5. Natural and Behavioral Sciences
    Students develop quantitative reasoning skills, understanding of the scientific method, and understanding of how science and technology are used to solve problems.
    Two courses from two different departments, to include at least one course from a physical science (Chemistry, Astronomy, or Physics), as follows:
    1. One course with corequisite laboratory from among Biology 110, Chemistry 110, Astronomy 115, or Physics 131.
    2. One additional course in Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Physics, or Psychology.
      [Note: The Department of Physics and Astronomy is one department; therefore the Natural and Behavioral Sciences requirement cannot be met by taking a combination of a Physics course and an Astronomy course].
  6. Social Analysis
    Student use theoretical and empirical frameworks to understand social structures, governance, organization, and choice.
    One course outside the department of the major from the departments of Government and Foreign Affairs, History, or Economics and Business.

Rhetoric Requirement

To ensure that all graduates of the College are able to write and speak clearly, cogently, and grammatically, the faculty in 1978 established the Rhetoric Program. In order to be graduated from the College, a student must satisfy all components of the Rhetoric proficiency requirement.

The requirement comprises two components:

(1) Successful completion of Rhetoric 101 and 102, and in addition, for students who need intensive training in basic writing and reading skills, Rhetoric 100.

At the beginning of the fall semester, new students take diagnostic tests. Rhetoric staff members may then recommend that students who perform exceptionally well on both the editing and essay diagnostics be exempted from Rhetoric 101. The Director of the Program, in consultation with the professor, the student, and the student’s advisor, makes the final decision about exemptions in these cases. Entering students who have scored four or five on the English Language and Composition examination of the College Board or six or seven on the appropriate International Baccalaureate Examination receive credit for Rhetoric 101 and may move directly into Rhetoric 102. If a student performs exceptionally well in Rhetoric 100, he may be exempted from Rhetoric 101 with the consent of the Director of the Program. Exemption from 102 is granted only to transfer students who have earned six hours of credit in writing courses at another college and who pass the Rhetoric Proficiency Examination upon entering Hampden-Sydney College.

(2) Rhetoric Proficiency Examination: Each student must write the proficiency examination in Rhetoric at the end of his sophomore year. The examination is a three-hour timed essay; the completed essays are evaluated by readers drawn from the faculty at large. Those students whose essays are judged unsatisfactory may retake the examination each semester until they reach the equivalent of their seventh semester at the College (or the first semester of their senior year). At that point, students are enrolled in Rhetoric 200: Proficiency Tutorial.

This requirement applies equally to all students, whether transfer students or not. Transfer students who expect to receive six credit hours for composition courses taken elsewhere must take and pass the proficiency examination at the beginning of their first semester of residence.

Major Requirement

The major affords students the opportunity to study a particular subject in depth. It comprises a minimum of 30 credits of work in the discipline and directly supporting coursework; some majors comprise more than 30 credits, as indicated in the departmental sections. The major is intended to complement the broad education provided by core requirements and electives. Students must successfully complete a major in one of Hampden-Sydney’s academic departments in order to be graduated from the College. A student selects his major and notifies the Registrar of his choice, ordinarily during the student’s fourth semester at the College. He may select multiple majors, normally from different departments. If he does so, he must inform the Registrar which of these majors is his major of record. Only the major of record will be used to determine whether the student has satisfied the requirements of the Core Curriculum. If his interests change, a student may change his major(s) while he is an upperclassman, and he must inform the Registrar of the change.

The requirements for each major and/or minor may be found in the section on Course Offerings.

Majors & Minors