Yeshiva College, established in 1928, is the University's college of arts and sciences for men. Its mission embodies the unique concept that the values of Judaism have a meaningful relevance to the general culture of Western civilization.

The College provides a wide range of educational programs and aims at combining broad training in the liberal arts and sciences with specialized preparation for advanced work in a specific discipline or profession.

In addition to these programs leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts, students participate in programs of Jewish studies providing intensive analysis of classic texts in the Hebrew and Aramaic originals. Designed to deepen ethical and philosophical insight and values, they also afford valuable supplementary training in research methods and independent work. To achieve this end, each student must also be enrolled throughout his stay in YC in a full course of study either in James Striar School (JSS), Yeshiva Program/Mazer School (MYP), Isaac Breuer College (IBC), or Beit Midrash Program (BMP). Students receive transfer credit at YC for their studies in these programs as specified below.

Courses in Bible, Hebrew, Jewish History, Jewish Philosophy, and Judaic Studies are offered at Yeshiva College under the auspices of the Robert M. Beren Department of Jewish Studies.

The College's location at the Main Campus affords stimulating association with several of the University's other undergraduate schools, as well as graduate schools and affiliates, and provides easy accessibility to the major resources of the institution.

All majors at Yeshiva College lead to the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Majors in Accounting and Business & Management, leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science, are offered through the Sy Syms School of Business.

Majors

Each student must select one subject as a major. Students often consult with the senior professor of the subject and other academic advisors for his planned course of study. Subjects in which the student may major are listed below:

Biology

Chemistry

Classical LanguagesComputer Sciences Economics

English

French Hebrew

History

Jewish Studies

Mathematics

Music

Philosophy

Physics

Political Science

Pre-Engineering

Pre-Health Sciences

Psychology

Sociology

Speech and Drama

(Pre-law advisement is offered)

Combined and joint programs in dentistry, engineering, Jewish education, Jewish studies, law, optometry, podiatric medicine, and social work are available.

Regardless of how much transfer credit is granted a student, at least 60% of the required credits in the major must be taken at Yeshiva College; some majors require more.

Only courses in which grades of C or better were earned may be used to meet the requirements in a student's major. (This applies only to courses in the subject itself, and not to correlate requirements.)

The student is expected to achieve a good general knowledge of his major, an objective which usually cannot be met solely by taking courses. He is therefore advised of the importance of self-study and extensive supplementary readings in his area of interest.

Comprehensive examinations in the major, required for graduation (see below), presuppose a broad, general knowledge of all principle subfields of the discipline. Even if no formal distribution is required for a major, the student must prepare himself in such areas.

A student who completes all the requirements for a major in a second subject, including the comprehensive examination, will, at his written request at least a month prior to graduation, have the second major also listed on his permanent record.

The same course may be counted toward two majors, or toward a major and minor, only if it is specified in the Catalog as being required for both. An elective course may not count twice.

Minors

A student may choose a minor subject and have it listed on his permanent record upon his written request at least one month prior to graduation. Subjects in which it is possible to minor are listed below.

American Studies

Art

Biology

Chemistry

Classical Languages

Computer Sciences

Economics

English

French

Hebrew

History

Jewish Studies

Mathematics

Music

Philosophy

Physics

Political Science

Psychology

Public Health

Sociology

Speech and Drama

Students may also select a Business minor offered through the Sy Syms School of Business.

Acceptance of courses taken at other institutions toward the minor is at the option of the senior professor of the subject, but in all cases at least 12 credits must be taken at Yeshiva College. Only courses in which grades of C or better were earned may be counted toward the minor, except that in the first course in a subject a P grade will be accepted.

Degree Requirements

A. Course and credit requirement: Students must complete at least 128 credits including all general requirements (see below), all major requirements, and electives. No more than 8 credits may be taken in Physical Education.

B. Residence Requirement: Students must have attended an institution of higher education for at least eight semesters. Full-time study in a Yeshiva counts toward this requirement. In addition, students must complete a minimum of 84 credits in residence at the Yeshiva College campus in New York. At least 24 of the last 35 credits must be taken at Yeshiva College.

Students who transfer to Yeshiva College after two or more years of full-time study at an accredited degree-granting college or university (not a yeshiva), will meet the residency requirement after being in residence at Yeshiva College in New York for at least four semesters taking at least 12 credits each semester and completing at least 58 credits at Yeshiva College.

Professional Option: A superior student who is admitted to a professional school at the end of his junior year at Yeshiva College will be eligible for a bachelor’s degree from the College upon satisfactory completion of the first year of the the professional school program, provided that he is admitted to the Professional Option plan and satisfies the 84 credit on-campus requirement.

C. Grade requirement: An average of 2.0 or better in all studies and a grade of C or better in all courses presented for the major requirement is required for graduation.

D. Comprehensive examinations: To be eligible for graduation, each senior must pass a comprehensive examination in his major. These are described in an announcement available from the Office of the Dean of the College.

E. Administrative requirements:

1. Approbation of the faculty and the President.

2. Filing of an Application for Degree during the registration period of the semester in which the student completes all requirements.

General Course Requirements

Students normally complete the degree in four years, and can take no more than six years from the semester of admission to the College, excluding time lost. The following are required of all students:

I. Basic Skills

a. English 1101-1102. 4 credits.

These courses are a prerequisite for all English literature courses and should be completed during the first year on campus. No senior will receive credit for them. (If necessary, they can be taken during the senior year, but without credit.) Foreign students must take ENG 0011 unless exempt by placement.

b. One approved course in Mathematics or Computer Science, or Statistics. 3-4 credits.

c. Physical Education. 1-2 credits.

Should be completed no later than sophomore year. Two PED courses are required of all students, but no more than 8 credits in PED may count toward the bachelor’s degree. Students with physical disabilities are not necessarily exempted. Students may not register for more than one PED course a semester without written approval of the Dean.

II. Humanities

a. Two semesters of literature courses. The first course must be chosen from English 2003, 2004, 4201, 4202, or foreign (not Hebrew) literature; the second course may be chosen from any of the courses listed above or any approved literature course offered in the college, including Hebrew literature. 6 credits.

b. Two courses selected from courses in History, Philosophy, or foreign language other than Hebrew. 6 credits.

c. One course selected from Art 1052A, Music 1111A, or foreign language other than Hebrew. 2-3 credits.

III. Social Science.

Two courses chosen from Economics, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology. 6 credits.

IV. Science.

Two semesters of a laboratory science, preferably one of the two-semester sequences in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics or PHY 1021 and CHE 1025. 6-10 credits.

V. Jewish Studies.

a. BIB 1015A, plus three additional 2-credit Bible courses, including at least two text courses numbered above 2000. 8 credits. (BIB 1015 must be taken during the first year of study at YC and no more than one course in BIB may be taken before completing BIB 1015A.)

b. HEB 1205-1206. 6 credits. Should be taken no later than sophomore year.

c. Jewish History – two courses chosen from 1200, 1300, 1400, 1829, 1830, 1833 or 1834. 6 credits.

Exemption examinations are available in Bible, Hebrew, and Jewish History. For further information, consult the Office of the Dean of Yeshiva College.

Note that students in Isaac Breuer College and James Striar School satisfy these requirements with courses in those schools with some modifications, particularly for JSS students. Students in the Mazer Yeshiva Program and Beit Midrash Program take these courses in Yeshiva College.

Requirement Notes

1. Students must take at least one Bible course for each semester in residence (on campus) including 1015A and two text courses.

2. All students are urged to take Hebrew Language (HEB 1205, 1206) as early as possible in their college careers. Students should be aware that Hebrew language will in the future be a prerequisite for many of the other Jewish Studies courses.

3. In order to receive credit for foreign language, a student must complete two semesters.

Isaac Breuer College

Transfer credit for courses taken at IBC is listed on the YC record as HES 1200 through 1299.

Students in IBC must transfer a minimum of 18 credits to YC and/or SSSB in four years. Credit is transferred at the rate of 3 each semester the first three years of attendance, unless written permission for a change is received from the Dean of IBC and the Dean of YC or SSSB, and filed in the Office of the Registrar.

The grade given for the transfer credit is based on the composite average achieved in IBC that semester. The composite average is transferred as follows:
3.668-4.000 = A
3.334-3.667 = A-
3.001-3.333 = B+
2.668-3.000 = B
2.334-2.667 = B-
2.001-2.333 = C+
1.668-2.000 = C
1.334-1.667 = C-
1.001-1.333 = D+
0.668-1.000 = D
0.334-0.667 = D-
0.000-0.333 = F

Students in the third year at IBC may either (a) transfer a composite grade that is listed as HES 1200 through 1299 or (b) choose any course or courses totaling exactly the transfer credits (at least 3 credits) from among Bible, Hebrew, Jewish History, and Jewish Philosophy for transfer. A designated single course transfer is valid only if the student achieves a passing grade in at least two other nontransfer IBC courses taken that semester. If such is not the case, a composite is taken.

Students in the fourth year may voluntarily transfer either a composite (as HES 1200 through 1299) or specific courses, as above, to a maximum of 6 credits a semester.

Students attending IBC may not take any courses in Jewish Studies at any other school without prior written permission of the Dean of IBC and the Dean of YC.

James Striar School

Transfer credit for courses taken at JSS is listed on the YC record as HES 1000 through 1099.

Credit is normally transferred at the rate of 4 each semester the first three years of attendance and 1 each semester the fourth year. The student must transfer at least 1 and may transfer as many as 6 credits per semester to suit his scheduling needs. Permission of the Deans of JSS and YC is required for fewer than 4 credits during the first three years.

The grade given for the transfer credit is based on the composite average achieved in JSS that semester. The composite average is transferred as indicated above.

Students attending JSS may not take any courses in Jewish Studies at any other school without the prior written permission of the Dean of JSS and the Dean of YC.

Yeshiva Program/Mazer School Students in MYP may elect to transfer 1, 2, or 3 credits a semester to YC for their studies in MYP. Such courses appear on the YC record as HES 1100 through 1199.

Beit Midrash Program Transfer credit for courses taken at BMP is listed on the YC record as HES 1600 through 1699.

English Placement
Foreign students will be assigned to English as a Second Language based upon a placement examination upon entrance. All other students may be required to write a placement essay during Orientation.

Foreign Language Study
A student who wishes to continue a foreign language taken in high school should use the following general rule: one year of high school study is equivalent to one semester of college study.

Students will not receive credit for college courses that duplicate what they have studied in high school.

A student who has graduated from a foreign secondary school in which the language of instruction was other than English or Hebrew should consult with the Office of the Dean about what level of the language to continue with, and about what exemption from requirements can be received for such knowledge.

Regulations pertaining to Yeshiva College alone are given here; those uniformly applicable to all undergraduate schools are given in the section University Regulations.

Attendance

At the start of the semester each student must report in person to the instructor of each class in order to learn the specific attendance, examination, and other requirements of that course. A student who does not meet these requirements may be dropped from the course.

A record of each student's attendance in each class is kept by the instructor. In performance courses (such as laboratory, public speaking, music, language, and physical education) attendance is required at all class sessions. Attendance is compulsory for freshmen, sophomores in their first semester on campus, students admitted provisionally, and students on probation. During the first week of the semester, the instructor in any course must specifically notify his or her classes of the attendance policy for all other students, and should allow a number of absences at least equal to the normal number of class sessions per week.

Generally a student's attendance record is taken into account whenever there may be occasion to determine his status in the University.

Absence without excuse where attendance is required will result in the student receiving a grade of G, which may cause him to be placed on probation and to receive academic dismissal from the College.

Grades: P or N System

Each student above the freshman year who is in good standing is permitted to select one course each semester to be graded P or N. This is for the purpose of stimulating students to take course work outside their area of specialization; therefore, the course may not be one required for graduation or required or recommended for the student's major. Students must apply for such a course, during the period specified in the academic calendar. Regulations and the limitations applicable to the choice of a course on the P or N system are available in the Office of the Registrar.

Upholding Academic Integrity

The normal number of credits for a full semester's work is 15.5 to 16.5 credits. A full-time student is defined as one who is enrolled for at least 12 credits during a 15-week semester.

Under no circumstances will any student be given permission to register for more than 17.5 credits per semester at Yeshiva College (including any credit transferred from any other school of the University or from another institution).

Students with low averages are subject to restrictions on their work load as described in the section Academic Retention, Probation, and Dismissal.

Students who are employed may be required to limit their programs. Unless required to reduce their programs as described on page 18, students may not take less than 12 credit any semester without written permission of the Office of the Dean.