Credit Limitations

Advanced Placement, International Placement Credits, and Pre-Matriculation Credits do not count toward the general education requirements (Areas of Knowledge and Modes of Inquiry) and only two of them may be counted at matriculation toward the 34 needed to graduate.

Independent study courses count toward the 34 course credits needed for graduation, the Small Group Learning Experience (SGLE), and, if coded R, the Research requirement. Students who matriculated at Duke in May 2002 or thereafter may submit one independent study course coded R toward the requirement of writing-intensive courses (W) in the discipline. Independent study courses do not carry Areas of Knowledge or Modes of Inquiry codes, other than R or W as noted above.

Premajor students are not allowed to take courses pass/fail, unless the course is only graded on a pass/fail basis (e.g., physical education courses, house courses, etc.). After students declare a major, they may take one course each semester pass/fail with the consent of the instructor. However, taking a course pass/fail should be done judiciously since you cannot take a course pass/fail in your major, minor, or certificate program. A course taken on a pass/fail basis may not be taken again later for a letter grade.

Generally, courses from a professional school (e.g., business, engineering, law, medicine, environment courses numbered 200 or above) may not count toward the general education requirements, though there are some exceptions to this rule.

Courses taken elsewhere by a Duke student after matriculation (including inter-institutional and transfer courses) and approved for Duke credit can count toward the Areas of Knowledge requirement and may, if approved, count toward the Modes of Inquiry requirement.

A course, whether or not cross-listed, may satisfy requirements of two or more majors and/or minors. Students electing to satisfy the requirements of a certificate program may use for that purpose no more than two courses that are also used to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or other certificate program.

Thirty-four (34) course credits are required for graduation, of which may be counted no more than:

Two transfer courses taken at another U.S. 4-year college or university
Ten transfer courses taken either on study abroad or in combination with the allowable number of domestic transfer credits
Two courses with a grade of D
One credit of physical education activity (=2 half-credit courses)
Four credits of dance performance/American Dance Festival course work (=8 half-credit courses)
Two credits for house courses (=4 half-credit courses)
Six credits from a Duke professional school, including 200-level ENVIRON courses
Four credits in military science
One credit from academic internships