The graduation requirements leading to the baccalaureate degree are designed to provide a broad and liberal education, a mastery of at least one field of knowledge through concentration in a major, and a general course of study that will be in harmony with the program and ideals of Augustana.
Students may graduate under the requirements of the current catalog during the session in which they first enrolled (provided they graduate within ten years from the end of that session), or they may graduate under the requirements of a more recent catalog in which they meet graduation requirements. The student’s academic advisor and other personnel of the University will help in every way possible to avoid errors, but the student has the final responsibility for satisfying all degree requirements according to the catalog chosen.
In order to graduate, a student must file a Graduation and Diploma Application Form for Degree Candidates with the Registrar’s Office. All regularly enrolled undergraduate students are eligible for the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Art majors only), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Nursing majors only), or Bachelor of Social Work (Social Work majors only) degree. The completion of these degree require the same core requirements as follows:
A. General Degree Requirements
To graduate from Augustana, a student must meet the following requirements:
- Complete 124 credit hours with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (The quality points assigned each grade are found under Grading System.)
- The last 30 credit hours must be taken at Augustana.
- No more than 3 workshop credit hours may count toward the 124 credit hour requirement.
- Complete the requirements for one major.
- Complete the Via Viking core curriculum requirements: Foundational Experiences, Selective Experiences, and Signature Experiences, including the associated core competencies.
B. Via Viking Core Curriculum
Augustana’s Core Curriculum is grounded in the liberal arts tradition, providing students with a variety of Foundational, Selective, and Signature experiences. Each experience in the Core ensures they are empowered to discern their place in the world of today and tomorrow. As such, all courses in the core curriculum are aligned with the three Core Curriculum outcomes: Knowledge, Skills, and Wisdom/Discernment.
Graduation requires satisfactory completion of all three outcomes, as well as completion of the core competencies as laid out in the Core Curriculum. The number of credit hours may vary based on advanced placement exams and department test-outs.
Foundational Experiences
Students will be introduced to some Core Competencies in
Foundational Experiences during their first two years of study.
The requirements listed in Foundational Experiences - First Year Seminar, Christian Traditions, Critical Thinking and Oral Communication, and Well-Being should be planned during the students first or second year at Augustana.
First Year Experience (5 credit hours)
First Year Seminar courses introduce students to these Competencies:
- Critical reading
- Effective written communication
- Information literacy
Take both of the following courses:
Christian Tradition (3 credit hours)
Christian Traditions courses introduce students to this Competency:
- Exploring the Christian tradition and the Lutheran scholarly heritage
Take one course from this area:
Critical Thinking and Oral Communication
Critical Thinking and Oral Communication courses introduce students to these Competencies:
- Effective oral communication
- Critical thinking
Take one of the following courses:
Well-Being (3 credit hours)
Well-being courses introduce students to this Competency:
The requirement may be fulfilled with a 2-credit theory course accompanied by a 1-credit lab activity that equals a 3-credit course which includes both theory (T) and practical experience (P), or with one of the listed 3-credit courses from the following list:
Selective Experiences
During their studies at Augustana, students will engage in a variety of Selective Experiences from across liberal arts Knowledge Areas by taking 10 courses [31-32 credit hours], each tagged with 1 or 2 Core Competencies. Students need to fulfill both Knowledge Areas and Competencies to complete the Selective Experiences.
Knowledge Areas
Understanding the Natural World (4 credit hours)
Take one of the following courses (includes lecture and lab):
Investigating Human Behavior and Social Systems (6 credit hours)
Take two courses from two different prefixes from the following:
Reasoning Mathematically (3-4 credit hours)
Take one of the following courses:
Reading the Human Record (6 credit hours)
Take two courses from two different prefixes from the following:
| ARTH 1120 | Art History I: Prehistory to the Renaissance | 3 |
| ARTH 1130 | Art History II: Renaissance through the 20th Century | 3 |
| ARTH 2130 | Art Since 1945 | 3 |
| ARTH 2140 | African-American Art History Survey | 3 |
| CLAS 2210 | Classical Mythology | 3 |
| ENGL 1100 | The Literary Experience | 3 |
| ENGL 1610 | American Cinema | 3 |
| ENGL 2110 | Introduction to American Literary History | 3 |
| ENGL 2120 | Introduction to British Literary History | 3 |
| ENGL 2131 | Global Literature I | 3 |
| ENGL 2132 | Global Literature II | 3 |
| ENGL 2420 | History of the English Language | 3 |
| HIST 1100 | West in the World: Greeks, Romans, and Knights | 3 |
| HIST 1101 | West in the World II: Creation of the Modern Age | 3 |
| HIST 1300 | Becoming a Nation: America's Story to 1877 | 3 |
| HIST 1301 | America Engages the World: US History Since 1877 | 3 |
| HIST 1500 | World History: Traditions and Encounters | 3 |
| HIST 2131 | Waking Gandhi: Britain in India 1800-1947 | 3 |
| HIST 2330 | The Search for Equality: The United States since World War II | 3 |
| HIST 2360 | Confederates in the Attic | 3 |
| HIST 2440 | U.S. Environmental History | 3 |
| HIST 2450 | History of The American West | 3 |
| MDST 2430 | History of Electronic Media | 3 |
| MUSI 2210 | Music History and Literature to 1750 | 3 |
| PHIL 2310 | Ancient and Medieval Philosophies | 3 |
| PHIL 2320 | Modern Western Philosophy | 3 |
| PHYS 1000 | From Atoms To Stars: History of Science | 3 |
| RELI 2210 | Scriptures, Sci Fi, & Fantasy | 3 |
| RELI 2220 | Wisdom Traditions | 3 |
| RELI 2230 | Examining the Prophets | 3 |
| RELI 2250 | Reading for Meaning and Truth | 3 |
| RELI 2260 | Origins, Myths, and Religions | 3 |
| RELI 2410 | Gender, Sexuality, & Religion | 3 |
| RELI 2620 | Hope, Apocalypse, Future | 3 |
| RELI 2630 | God, Suffering, and Evil | 3 |
| SPAN 2310 | History of the Literature of Spain I: Medieval and Early Modern Literature | 3 |
| SPAN 2320 | History of the Literature of Spain II | 3 |
| SPAN 2330 | History of the Literature of Latin America | 3 |
| THEA 2451 | Theatre History and Literature I | 3 |
| THEA 2452 | Theatre History and Literature II | 3 |
Exploring Languages (3 credit hours)
Note: These courses require prior knowledge of the language (typically 3 or more years of high school language). Many students may need to take the Introductory I course to prepare for the required course. Students who can prove fluency in another language (both written and oral) should meet with the chair of the Languages, Literatures and Culture department to test-out of this requirement.
Take one course from the following:
Connecting Across Cultures (3 credit hours)
Take one course from the following:
Engaging the Arts (3 credit hours)
Take one course from the following:
Integrating Ideas (3 credit hours)
Take one of the following:
| ANTH 2620 | Introduction to Biological Anthropology and Forensics | 3 |
| ANTH 2720 | Introduction to Methods of Archaeology | 3 |
| BIOL 1030 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| BIOL 2032 | The Ecology of Food | 3 |
| BIOL 2062 | Neuroscience and Society | 3 |
| BIOL 2860 | Medieval Medicine: The Art and Science of Healing | 3 |
| BREW 1100 | Beer, Brie, and Bread: Preserving the Planet | 3 |
| CHEM 1010 | Chemistry in Our Changing World | 3 |
| CHEM 1070 | Environmental Chemistry | 3 |
| GOVT 2600 | Religion and the Law | 3 |
| HIST 2140 | Darwinian Revolution | 3 |
| MDHS 2600 | Life Cycles: Birth, Death and the History of Medicine | 3 |
| PHIL 2100 | Reason, Faith and the Search for Meaning | 3 |
| PHIL 2110 | Ethical Perspectives | 3 |
| PHIL 2130 | Theology and Philosophy in Dialog | 3 |
| PHIL 2230 | Ethics in America | 3 |
| PHIL 2460 | Religion and the Environment | 3 |
| PHIL 2520 | American Philosophies | 3 |
| PHYS 1110 | Energy and the Environment | 3 |
| PHYS 1120 | Let There Be Light | 3 |
| PSYC 2142 | Social, Affective, and Developmental Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSYC 2144 | Behavioral Neuroscience | 3 |
| RELI 2430 | Religion, Science, and Technology | 3 |
| RELI 2440 | Religion, Medicine, and Ethics | 3 |
| RELI 2450 | Religion, Politics and Violence | 3 |
| RELI 2480 | Geography, Spirit, Traditions | 3 |
| RELI 2650 | Religious Nationalisms | 3 |
Core Competencies
While completing the above Knowledge Areas, students will reinforce the following Competencies. Each of these tags must appear at least once among a student’s Selective Experiences to satisfy the core requirements.
Analytical Reasoning
Take at least one course from the following:
Creative Thinking
Take at least one course from the following:
Critical Reading
Take at least one course from the following:
Cross-Cultural Literacy
Take at least one course from the following:
| AMSL 1102 | American Sign Language II | 3 |
| ANTH 1120 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 2320 | Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ARTH 1120 | Art History I: Prehistory to the Renaissance | 3 |
| ARTH 1130 | Art History II: Renaissance through the 20th Century | 3 |
| CHEM 1892 | The Chemical Industry in Germany | 4 |
| CHEM 1893 | The Chemistry of Japanese Culture | 4 |
| CLAS 2210 | Classical Mythology | 3 |
| ENGL 2131 | Global Literature I | 3 |
| ENGL 2132 | Global Literature II | 3 |
| FREN 1102 | Introduction to French II | 3 |
| GENL 2891 | Dharma: Life, Religion, Music and Literature in Contemporary India | 4 |
| GENL 2892 | The Greek Connection: Culture, Health & Well-being | 3 |
| GOVT 1200 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| GREK 1102 | Elementary Greek II | 3 |
| LATN 1102 | Elementary Latin II | 3 |
| MUSI 1201 | Blues, Jazz, and Rock | 3 |
| MUSI 2210 | Music History and Literature to 1750 | 3 |
| MUSI 3210 | Music History and Literature of the Non-Western World | 3 |
| NAST 2101 | Native American Social Systems | 3 |
| NAST 2450 | History of the Lakota/Dakota | 3 |
| RELI 2260 | Origins, Myths, and Religions | 3 |
| RELI 2430 | Religion, Science, and Technology | 3 |
| RELI 2500 | Religions Global Context | 3 |
| RELI 2540 | Manga, K-Drama, and Religion | 3 |
| RELI 2570 | Exploring Judaism | 3 |
| SPAN 1102 | Introduction to Spanish II | 3 |
| SPAN 2310 | History of the Literature of Spain I: Medieval and Early Modern Literature | 3 |
| SPAN 2320 | History of the Literature of Spain II | 3 |
| SPAN 2330 | History of the Literature of Latin America | 3 |
| SPAN 2891 | Cultural Heritage in Spain and Morocco | 4 |
| THEA 2451 | Theatre History and Literature I | 3 |
| THEA 2452 | Theatre History and Literature II | 3 |
| THEA 2891 | Music and Theatre in Eastern Europe | 3 |
Digital Literacy
Take at least one course from the following:
| HIST 1300 | Becoming a Nation: America's Story to 1877 | 3 |
| HIST 1301 | America Engages the World: US History Since 1877 | 3 |
| HIST 1500 | World History: Traditions and Encounters | 3 |
| HIST 2520 | Cultural History of Mexico | 3 |
| RELI 2610 | Atheisms & Secularism | 3 |
Effective Written Communication
Take at least one course from the following:
Information Literacy
Quantitative Literacy
Take at least one course from the following:
Ethical Reasoning
Take at least one course from the following:
| BIOL 2032 | The Ecology of Food | 3 |
| BIOL 2062 | Neuroscience and Society | 3 |
| BUSI 2080 | Business Ethics | 3 |
| GOVT 2600 | Religion and the Law | 3 |
| HIST 2140 | Darwinian Revolution | 3 |
| HIST 2360 | Confederates in the Attic | 3 |
| MDHS 2600 | Life Cycles: Birth, Death and the History of Medicine | 3 |
| MDHS 2600 | Life Cycles: Birth, Death and the History of Medicine | 3 |
| PHIL 2100 | Reason, Faith and the Search for Meaning | 3 |
| PHIL 2110 | Ethical Perspectives | 3 |
| PHIL 2130 | Theology and Philosophy in Dialog | 3 |
| PHIL 2230 | Ethics in America | 3 |
| PHIL 2250 | Global Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 2310 | Ancient and Medieval Philosophies | 3 |
| PHIL 2460 | Religion and the Environment | 3 |
| PHIL 2520 | American Philosophies | 3 |
| PHIL 2540 | Asian Philosophies | 3 |
| RELI 2210 | Scriptures, Sci Fi, & Fantasy | 3 |
| RELI 2220 | Wisdom Traditions | 3 |
| RELI 2230 | Examining the Prophets | 3 |
| RELI 2410 | Gender, Sexuality, & Religion | 3 |
| RELI 2430 | Religion, Science, and Technology | 3 |
| RELI 2440 | Religion, Medicine, and Ethics | 3 |
| RELI 2450 | Religion, Politics and Violence | 3 |
| RELI 2480 | Geography, Spirit, Traditions | 3 |
| RELI 2500 | Religions Global Context | 3 |
| RELI 2510 | Islam & Christianity | 3 |
| RELI 2540 | Manga, K-Drama, and Religion | 3 |
| RELI 2630 | God, Suffering, and Evil | 3 |
| RELI 2650 | Religious Nationalisms | 3 |
| RELI 3580 | Conversation in Hinduism and Buddhism | 3 |
Informed engagement with diverse value systems
Take at least one course from the following:
| BIOL 2032 | The Ecology of Food | 3 |
| CHEM 1892 | The Chemical Industry in Germany | 4 |
| CHEM 1893 | The Chemistry of Japanese Culture | 4 |
| FREN 3300 | Francophone Literature Topics: | 3 |
| GENL 2891 | Dharma: Life, Religion, Music and Literature in Contemporary India | 4 |
| GOVT 1100 | American Government | 3 |
| GOVT 1200 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| GOVT 2600 | Religion and the Law | 3 |
| HIST 1450 | The People of Early America: Red, White, Black | 3 |
| HIST 1500 | World History: Traditions and Encounters | 3 |
| HIST 2520 | Cultural History of Mexico | 3 |
| HIST 2521 | History of Latin America 1450-2010 | 3 |
| NAST 2101 | Native American Social Systems | 3 |
| PHIL 2250 | Global Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 2520 | American Philosophies | 3 |
| PHIL 2540 | Asian Philosophies | 3 |
| RELI 2210 | Scriptures, Sci Fi, & Fantasy | 3 |
| RELI 2230 | Examining the Prophets | 3 |
| RELI 2410 | Gender, Sexuality, & Religion | 3 |
| RELI 2510 | Islam & Christianity | 3 |
| RELI 2560 | Jesus in Islam and Christianity | 3 |
| RELI 2610 | Atheisms & Secularism | 3 |
| RELI 2620 | Hope, Apocalypse, Future | 3 |
| RELI 2630 | God, Suffering, and Evil | 3 |
| RELI 3580 | Conversation in Hinduism and Buddhism | 3 |
| SPAN 3300 | Hispanic Literature Topics | 3 |
Civic knowledge or engagement
Take at least one course from the following:
Care for community or the world
Take at least one course from the following:
Signature Experiences
During their time at Augustana, all students will participate in at least two of the following signature experiences
(these may be satisfied by the same course).
Upper-Level Writing-Intensive Course
Take one Upper-Level Writing-Intensive course. This is normally taken in a student's major.
Experiential Course
Take at least one course from any one of the following categories.
Capstone Course
Senior Seminar and Capstone courses will satisfy this requirement.
The following is a list of approved courses for the designation of Senior Seminar or Capstone:
Research
All directed and independent research courses will satisfy this requirement.
- Courses designated as 392x or 492x will count.
- In addition, Independent Study 3999 or 4999 may count with department chair approval.
Study Away
All Interim or Semester-length study away courses satisfy this requirement.
- Courses designated as 18xx, 28xx, 38xx, 48xx that are 3 or more credit hours.
Vocational Experiences
Courses in this area include Internships, Student Teaching, Practica, Curricular Practical Training.
Courses from any department with the following numbering will count for this:
- Any course designated as 394x or 494x
- Any course designated as 3950 or 4950
- Any course designated as 2960
C. Requirements for the Major
The requirements for each major are listed in the academic program section of this catalog.
A student must earn a C- or higher in the minimum number of credit hours required for the major. Courses which are listed as supportive courses need only to be passed. Some departments have requirements which are more restrictive than this requirement. In those departments, the departmental requirements must be met.
Transfer students must take a minimum of 50% of the courses required for their major at Augustana. Some departments require a higher percentage.
D. Minor Requirements
A minor is not required for graduation. A grade of C- or higher is required in all courses in the minor. See the listings under academic programs for the courses required for the minor. Transfer students must take a minimum of 50% of the courses required for their minor at Augustana.
E. Electives
The courses remaining after core curriculum and major requirements have been fulfilled are to be chosen by students in consultation with their advisor from any of the courses in the catalog for which they qualify. Students are encouraged to use electives to explore areas of study other than their majors.