Revelle College
Revelle College Courses, Curricula and Program
of Instruction
Revelle College, the first college on the UCSD campus, was named
in honor of Dr. Roger Revelle, former university-wide dean of
research and for many years director of UCSDs Scripps Institution
of Oceanography. Dr. Revelle is perhaps best known for his prediction
of the Greenhouse Effect.
Revelle College was established in 1958. With the establishment
of Revelle College, the faculty was given a rare opportunity to
shape an undergraduate curriculum that would, insofar as any educational
program can, prepare its students for the modern world. From the
outset of planning the curriculum, the faculty asked: What sort
of knowledge must students have if they are to be liberally educated?
In what areas? To what depth? How specialized must that education
be in the undergraduate years?
The educational philosophy of Revelle College was developed
in response to such fundamental questions. Its undergraduate program
is based on the assumption that students who are granted the bachelors
degree will have attained:
- An acceptable level of general education in mathematics;
foreign language; the physical, biological, and social sciences;
the fine arts; and the humanities.
- Preprofessional competence in one academic discipline.
- An understanding of an academic area outside their major
field.
To this end, a lower-division curriculum has been established
which enables students to acquire an understanding of the fundamental
problems, methods, and powers of the humanities and the arts,
the social and behavioral sciences, mathematics, and the natural
sciences.
The lower-division curriculum assumes that undergraduates should
not concentrate heavily in a special field until they have had
a chance to learn something about the various fields that are
open to them. Their general education must, then, be thorough
enough for them to see the possibilities in those fields. Early
in their careers, they should know three languages: their own,
a foreign language, and the universal language of mathematics.
During the students junior and senior years, their main
efforts will be devoted to intensive work in their major field
at a level of competence that will enable them to continue their
study at the graduate level. In addition to the major, students
will study an area of learning distinctly different in content
from the major.
Revelle College stresses the broad character of its curriculum.
Every student, for example, is required to achieve a certain competence
in calculus. The emphasis on calculus and physical science is
in some respects a deviation from
educational theory of the last hundred years. The older general-education
theory demanded that scientists achieve a reasonable competence
in the social sciences and humanities. The rising importance of
science and technology justifies the application of the theory
to nonscientists as well.
Four years of college can at best yield only a limited knowledge;
the major task is to train students so that they can adapt quickly
and effectively to the rapidly changing world.
General-Education Requirements
Students are encouraged to meet the general-education requirements
and the prerequisites to the major as rapidly as possible. Variations
within the program will occur, of course, depending on the students
interest, prior training, and ability to make use of individual
study.
Freshmen who enter with Advanced Placement credits can use many
of these advanced courses to meet general-education requirements
(see Advanced Placement chart in Undergraduate Admissions,
Policies and Procedures). Transfer students may meet all
general-education requirements before entering by following articulation
agreements with community colleges or taking at any institution
courses which Revelle College deems approximately equivalent in
content to those at UCSD.
Those who demonstrate superior achievement and competence in
an academic area may take advanced courses and individual study
programs.
In order to fulfill the requirements in the principal fields
of knowledge, the student takes a recommended set of courses,
the prerequisites for which have been met by the general admission
standards of the university.
The general-education requirements are:
- Satisfaction of the general University of California requirements
in Subject A and American History and Institutions.
- A five-course sequence in an interdisciplinary humanities
program including two six-unit courses with intensive instruction
in university-level writing. Written work is also required in
the remaining (four-unit) three-quarter courses.
- One course in the fine arts.
- Three lower-division courses in the social sciences, to include
two courses in the same social science and at least one course
in American cultures.
- Three courses in mathematics (three quarters of calculus).
- Five courses in the physical and biological sciences to include
four quarters of physics and chemistry and one quarter of biology.
- Basic conversational and reading proficiency in a modern foreign
language or advanced reading proficiency in a classical language
or completion of the fourth quarter of foreign language instruction
with a passing grade.
- Three courses in an area unrelated to the major and focused
in one department, subject area, or topic.
1. Subject A and American History and Institutions
Satisfaction of the university requirements in Subject A and
American History and Institutions. (See Subject A,
Undergraduate Registration, Academic Regulations,
Humanities, and Undergraduate Admissions, Policies
and Procedures: American History and Institutions.)
2. Humanities
The purposes of the general-education requirement in humanities
are two-fold: (a) to confront students with significant humanistic
issues in the context of a rigorous course which can serve as
an introduction to the academic disciplines of history, literature,
and philosophy; (b) to provide training and practice in rhetorical
skills, especially persuasive written expression.
Students may meet this requirement by satisfactorily completing
five courses of the interdisciplinary humanities program offered
by the Departments of History, Literature, and Philosophy, which
focus on some of the great documents of civilization. The sequence
of courses, Humanities 1 through 5, is designed to meet the humanities
and writing requirement of Revelle College. (Students must have
satisfied the universitys Subject A requirement before registering
for this sequence.)
In connection with learning about the Western tradition, students
in Humanities 1 and 2 (six units each) will receive intensive
instruction in university-level writing. Instruction in writing
is provided in discussion sections, and frequent writing exercises
are required. Written work is also required in the remaining three
quarters of the sequence (Humanities 3-4-5, four units each).
For course descriptions, see Courses, Curricula, and Programs
of Instruction: Humanities.
3. Fine Arts
One course is required to provide an introduction to the fundamental
experience in the interpretation of creativity in theatre, dance,
music, or visual arts. (See Courses, Curricula, and Programs
of Instruction: Theatre and Dance, Music, and Visual Arts.)
4. Social Sciences
Three lower-division courses offered by the Departments of Anthropology,
Critical Gender Studies, Economics, Human Development, Linguistics,
Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Urban Studies and
Planning. At least one of these courses must be from a list approved
as meeting the requirement in American Cultures (TAG students
exempt).
5. Mathematics
As an integral part of their liberal education, students will
be brought into contact with a significant area of mathematics.
Furthermore, they will gain the facility to apply mathematics
in their studies of the physical, biological, and behavioral sciences.
There are two beginning-year sequences which meet the Revelle
College mathematics requirement. Both sequences include integral
and differential calculus. Freshman placement in these sequences
is dependent upon the students high school or college preparation
in mathematics (as evidenced by a placement examination) as well
as future plans. Students are urged to keep their mathematical
skills at a high level by taking mathematics during their senior
year in high school. (See Courses, Curricula, and Programs
of Instruction: Mathematics.)
6. Natural Sciences
The natural science courses, including the physical and biological
sciences, present the fundamental concepts of modern physics,
chemistry, and biology. For the student who may major in one of
these disciplines, the courses provide a background and preparation
for further study; for those students who will continue their
studies outside the natural sciences, they offer an opportunity
to gain a certain understanding and appreciation of current developments
in these fields.
Students choose their five required physical and biological
science courses from the following sequences depending upon their
interests, prior preparation, and intended majors. The Department
of Chemistry offers Chemistry 11, 12, 13 (for non-science majors),
Chemistry 6A-B-C, and 6AH-BH-CH (honors). The Department of Physics
offers four acceptable sequences: Physics 1A-B-C, 2A-B-C-D, and
4A-B-C-D-E, and 11A-11B (for non-science majors). The Department
of Biology offers Biology 1 or 3 or 10 (for non-science majors)
to meet the Revelle biology requirement. (See Chemistry,
Physics, and Biology in the Courses,
Curricula, and Programs of Instruction section of this catalog.)
Students planning to major in a science must consult the
appropriate departmental listing under Courses, Curricula,
and Programs of Instruction to find the additional preparation
needed for their major.
7. Foreign Language
Revelle College students are required to demonstrate basic conversational
and reading proficiency in any modern foreign language, or advanced
reading proficiency in a classical language or complete the fourth
quarter of foreign language instruction with a passing grade.
Modern foreign language programs are currently offered in Chinese,
French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish,
and classical language programs are offered in Greek, Latin, and
Hebrew. Students who have preparation in other languages should
see the Office of the Revelle Provost to arrange a proficiency
examination. This exam may also be taken by native speakers of
any foreign language without further course study.
8. AREA OF FOCUS
Three courses in an area noncontiguous to the major are required.
The three courses must be interrelated and should focus on some
discipline, subject area, or topic. For the purposes of this requirement,
the humanities/arts, the social sciences, and the natural sciences/engineering/mathematics
are considered three different areas. Courses from a single department
will be considered focused. Courses from more than one department
should be approved prior to enrolling. The area of focus is not
posted to the diploma or transcript.
These three courses may not be used on any other requirements.
These courses may be upper-division or lower-division but one
should keep in mind that graduation requirements stipulate that
at least sixty units of all work must be from upper-division courses.
The courses may be taken pass/not pass and Advanced Placement
or International Baccalaureate credits may be used.
Students may complete an optional noncontiguous minor to replace
this requirement, if they wish to do so.
Sample Program
FALL
|
WINTER
|
SPRING
|
|
FRESHMAN
YEAR |
|
|
Foreign
Language |
Humanities
1 |
Humanities
2 |
Mathematics |
Foreign
Language |
Foreign
Language |
Natural
Science |
Mathematics |
Mathematics |
Subject
A or Fine Arts
|
Natural
Science
|
Natural
Science
|
|
SOPHOMORE
YEAR |
|
|
Natural
Science |
Natural
Science |
Fine
Arts or elective |
Social
Science |
Social
Science |
Social
Science |
Humanities
3 |
Humanities
4 |
Humanities
5 |
Major
Preparation
|
Major
Preparation
|
Major
Preparation
|
|
* Science majors may want to take part of the social science requirement
in the junior year to allow time for additional science laboratories
and/or mathematics.
Transfer Students
Transfer students may enter Revelle College by following community
college articulation agreements which can be viewed at www.ASSIST.org.
or by signing up for specific Transfer Admissions Guarantee
(TAG) plans or by following the Intersegmental General Education
Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). However, Revelle College does not
accept IGETC as satisfaction of all its lower division requirements.
Revelle accepts IGETC courses to meet requirements with additional
classes in science, mathematics and foreign language.
(Students are exempt from the language requirement if they can
pass proficiency in any foreign language.) Science and mathematics
majors will need these additional classes in preparation (or to
meet prerequisites) for their major. The additional math/science
classes or language classes can be taken at the community college
or after transfer to UCSD. See details on our Web site at http://revelle.ucsd.edu/prospective/igetc+.html.
The Major
All undergraduate majors offered at UCSD are available to Revelle
College students. An exceptional student who has some unusual
but definite academic interest for which a suitable major is not
offered on the San Diego campus may, with the consent of the provost
of the college and with the assistance of a faculty adviser, plan
his or her own major. The Revelle Individual Major must be submitted
no later than three quarters before the students intended
graduation and be approved by the Executive Committee of the college
before it may be accepted in lieu of a departmental or interdepartmental
major. The faculty adviser will supervise the students work,
and the provost must certify that the student has completed the
requirements of the individual major before the degree is granted.
Students who fail to attain a grade-point average of at least
2.0 in work taken in the prerequisites for the major, or in the
courses in the major, may, at the option of the department, be
denied the privilege of entering or of continuing in that major.
Students majoring in bioengineering, bioinformatics, ICAM, CSE,
ECE, or math/computer science need to be aware of additional screening
for acceptance into the major.
Optional Minor
A minor is no longer required in Revelle College. However, if
a student wishes to complete a Department Minor or a Project Minor
and have it posted to the transcript, he or she may do so.
If a student completes either of these types of minors in a
field noncontiguous to that of the major, it will replace the
three-course noncontiguous area of focus general education requirement.
There are two types of minors from which to choose in Revelle
College:
- Department MinorAll courses for the minor are taken
in one department and they are chosen with the advice and approval
of a minor adviser in that department.
- Project MinorA project minor centers on a topic or period
chosen by the student. The project is often interdepartmental
and interdisciplinary. The program must have the approval of
a minor adviser. (See Academic Regulations: Undergraduate Minors
and Programs of Concentrations.)
The current university guidelines for the minor require seven
courses (twenty-eight units), five of which must be upper-division.
Students who entered prior to January 1, 1998, may complete their
six course (twenty-four unit), three upper-division course minors.
Enhancing Your Education
Students are able to enhance their undergraduate education by
participating in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) and UCSDs
Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) while still making regular
progress toward graduation. Information on EAP/OAP is detailed
in the Education Abroad Program section of the UCSD General Catalog.
Interested students should contact the Programs Abroad Office
in the International Center and visit the Web site at http://www.icenter/pao.
Financial aid recipients may apply aid to the program and special
study abroad scholarships are readily available.
Many programs are now available for sophomores, as well as juniors
and seniors. With careful planning students should be able to
fulfill some general-education, major, and/or minor requirements
while studying abroad.
Pass/Not Pass Grading Option
- No more than one-fourth of an undergraduate students
total course units taken at UCSD and counted in satisfaction
of degree requirements may be graded on a Pass/Not Pass basis.
- Courses used to satisfy the noncontiguous area of focus may
be taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis. Use of Pass/Not Pass grades
on the optional minor is decided by the department.
- Courses taken as electives may be taken on a Pass/Not Pass
basis.
- The following general education courses may be taken Pass/Not
Pass: American cultures, fine arts, language and area of focus.
Non-science majors may take courses for the natural science
requirement Pass/Not Pass.
- Upper-division courses to be counted toward a departmental
major may not be taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis. Individual
departments may authorize exceptions to this regulation.
The Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate from Revelle College, a student must:
- Satisfy the University of California requirements in Subject
A and American History and Institutions.
- Satisfy the general-education requirements.
- Successfully complete a major consisting of at least twelve
upper-division courses as stipulated by the department and meet
the departments major residence requirement if applicable.
- Complete a minimum of fifteen upper-division courses (60 units).
- Pass at least 184 units for the B.A./B.S. degree. (No more
than 3.0 units of physical education, whether earned at UCSD
or transferred from another institution, may be counted towards
graduation.)
- Attain a C average (2.0) or better in all work attempted at
the University of California (exclusive of University Extension).
Departments may require a C average in all upper-division courses
used for the major and/or at least C grades in each course
used for the major.
- Meet the senior residence requirement. (See Academic
Regulations: Senior Residence.)
Honors
Particularly well-prepared students are invited to join the
Freshman Honors Program. Students not eligible at admission will
be invited to join the Freshman Honors Program upon obtaining
a 3.7 GPA with at least twelve graded units during their first
quarter. The program includes weekly participation in small faculty
seminars, and a variety of other perquisites.
Quarterly provosts honors, honors at graduation, departmental
honors, and Phi Beta Kappa honors are awarded. At least five outstanding
graduating seniors are honored at graduation each year with a
monetary honorarium. An honors banquet is given for the top two
hundred students in Revelle each spring. Seniors are selected
for participation in honors seminars. For additional information,
see Revelle Honors Program and Honors
in the index.
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