Liberal Arts & Sciences Requirements for Certification

Artistic expression is required to fulfill the breadth requirement. This can include courses in studio art, theater, acting, art history, music history, music theory, drama, and dance.

To fulfill a missing prerequisite in artistic expression, you may use a studio course in art, music, or theater, or a course in the history or theory of art, music, dance, or theater. You may fulfill this prerequisite with ARTS 500N Experiments in Art: the Artistic Process offered through our Continuing Professional Studies office.

Social science is required to fulfill the breadth requirement. This can include courses in anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology.

Submit documentation of eligible coursework within the disciplines listed above. Courses need to be taken for credit at a regionally accredited institution and you must receive a grade of at least a C (if taken at the undergraduate level) or a B (if the course is taken at the graduate level). If you’re sending in certain College Board test scores (such as the SAT, AP, or CLEP), our code is 8028.

Instruction in the humanities is required to fulfill the breadth requirement. This can include courses in literature, philosophy, anthropology, psychology, art history, music history, and religion.

Submit documentation of eligible coursework within the disciplines listed above. Courses need to be taken for credit at a regionally accredited institution and you must receive a grade of at least a C (if taken at the undergraduate level) or a B (if the course is taken at the graduate level). If you’re sending in certain College Board test scores (such as the SAT, AP, or CLEP), our code is 8028.

Foreign Language is required to fulfill the breadth requirement. This can include coursework in a language other than English, as well as American Sign Language.

To fulfill a missing prerequisite in foreign language, you can take one term of college-level foreign language or American Sign Language, or three one-credit courses in American Sign Language offered during Summer 2 at Bank Street College. You can also fulfill this by taking a CLEP exam which is offered in Spanish, French, or German, and can award up to 9 credits. For those that went to high school in New York State, if you passed the Foreign Language Regents exam or took 3 years of a foreign language in high school, can receive the equivalent of a 3 credit class.

Science is required to fulfill the breadth requirement. In biology, this includes courses in cell biology and biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, genetics and evolution, biological diversity, human biology, and zoology. Courses in nutrition are acceptable only if they are in cell nutrition. In chemistry, this includes courses in matter and atomic structure, energy, chemical bonds and molecular structure, chemical reactions, and quantitative relationships. Courses in geochemistry are generally applied science courses, so they are not acceptable. In earth science, this includes courses in space systems, atmospheric systems, geological systems, and water systems. In physics, this includes courses in mechanics and heat, electricity and magnetism, waves, sounds and light, and quantum theory and the atom. Applied science courses, such as environmental science, conservation and wildlife management, and agriculture are not acceptable.

You may fulfill this requirement by taking SCIE 510 Explorations of Nature in the summer through Bank Street (in which you would need to earn a grade of B or better); by completing one of the SCIE 500, 501, 502, 503 science courses offered at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), or by completing a 3-credit process-oriented science class at any accredited two- or four-year college with a grade of C or better.

Note: In order to receive Bank Street elective credits for the AMNH courses, you must enroll through our Registrar’s Office. As noted above, not all science courses will count. Contact the Registrar’s Office with a list of science courses you are hoping to take to confirm it will meet the breadth requirement.

Mathematics is required to fulfill the breadth requirement. This includes courses in mathematical reasoning, quantitative methods, number theory and concepts, algebra, analytic geometry, calculus, geometry, trigonometry, data analysis, probability, and discrete mathematics. Courses in computer science, accounting, finance, and studies in which mathematics is applied to solving problems, such as engineering or architecture, are not acceptable.

One way to fulfill this prerequisite is to complete a college-level math course at any accredited college with a grade of C or better. You may also meet this requirement by demonstrating that you earned at least 620 on your SAT or at least 150 on your GRE exam, a 28 on the math section of your ACT, or by earning a score of 50 or better on the CLEP exam. Pedagogical courses such as Math for Teachers will not count toward the requirement. You can also use a course in logic (within the philosophy department) to fulfill the prerequisite.

Coursework involving written analysis is needed to fulfill the breadth requirement. A literature course, philosophy course, or any other course the requires extensive written analysis or composition can count toward this requirement.

Submit documentation of eligible coursework within the disciplines listed above. Courses need to be taken for credit at a regionally-accredited institution and you must receive a grade of at least a C (if taken at the undergraduate level) or a B (if the course is taken at the graduate level). If you’re sending in certain College Board test scores (such as the SAT, AP, or CLEP), our code is 8028.

The depth requirement is fulfilled by taking 30 credits in one liberal arts major or concentration. We have provided clarification below of what is and is not considered an area of the liberal arts and sciences.

Courses that are generally considered to fall within the liberal arts:

• Anthropology, cultural studies, economics, geography, government, history, political science, psychology, and sociology
• Criminal justice: introductory and broad survey courses
• Communications: interpersonal communication, mass communication, public speaking, speech, and rhetoric
• English: composition, creative writing, history of language, journalism, linguistics, literature, literature in translation, and playwriting
• Fine arts: art appreciation, history, and theory
• Foreign languages: composition, conversation, grammar, history of the language, literature of the language, reading, and translation studies
• Music: music appreciation, history, and theory
• Philosophy: comparative philosophy, history of philosophy, logic, and schools of philosophy
• Religion: comparative religion, and history of religion
• Theater: dramatic interpretation, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, history of drama, and playwriting

Courses that are generally not considered to fall within the liberal arts: