STERN COLLEGE FOR WOMEN
Majors
Minors
Bachelor's Degree Requirements
General Studies Requirements
Associate in
Arts
Placement
School Regulations
Honors Program
Stern College is the University's college of arts and
sciences for women. It was established in 1954 through a major
gift by the late Max Stern, a prominent community leader and
honorary chairman of the University's Board of Trustees, in
memory of his parents, Emanuel and Caroline Stern.
Stern College is
a unique institution offering curricula designed to prepare
modern young women for careers, professions, graduate study,
and increasing responsibilities in the community, while also
embodying the unique concept that the values of Judaism have a
meaningful relevance to the general culture of Western
civilization.
As part of the
curriculum leading to the bachelor of arts degree, students
participate in programs of Jewish studies, offered through the
Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies, which provide intensive
analysis of classic texts in the Hebrew and Aramaic originals.
Designed to deepen ethical and philosophical insight and
values, these programs afford valuable supplementary training in
research methods and independent work. Students also may receive a Hebrew teacher's diploma and an associate in arts
degree in Jewish Studies.
Mindful of its
responsibilities as a liberal arts college in an urban center,
Stern College has incorporated a broad set of educational
programs, student services, and extracurricular activities to
meet the needs of the individual student. It is aware of the
opposing pressures of a society driving toward greater
specialization and technology, and of the student seeking
order and purpose for herself and a totality of meaning for
her life. Students, faculty, and administration are in search
of sophisticated solutions to these increasingly complicated
problems.
Bachelor of Arts
All majors at Stern 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 Sy
Syms School of Business.
Majors
Each student must select one subject as a major. Subjects in
which the student may major are listed below. Additional
information and updates are available in the Office of
Academic Advisement.
The University
offers Pre-Law and Pre-Health advisement.
Combined and
joint programs in business administration, dentistry,
engineering, Jewish education, Jewish studies, occupational
therapy, optometry, podiatric medicine, and social work are
available.
Regardless of
how much transfer credit is granted a student, at least 60
percent
of the required credits in the major and at least 84 credits
in total must be taken at Stern College.
The approval of
both the senior professor of the subject in which the student
is majoring and the Office of the Dean are necessary for a
substitution of one course for another in the requirements for
the major.
Only Stern
College courses in
which a student has earned grades of C- or better may be used to meet
the requirements of her major (this applies only to
courses in the subject itself, and not to correlate
requirements) .
Minors
A student may choose a minor
in a discipline
and have it listed on her permanent record upon her written
request at least a month prior to graduation.
Areas in which
it is possible to minor are listed below:
Students also may
select the Business minor offered through Sy Syms School of
Business.
At least 60
percent of
the credits toward a minor must be taken at Stern College.
Only courses in which the student has earned grades of C- or better may
be counted toward the minor.
Bachelor's Degree Requirements
a. Credit
requirement: 128 credits.
b. Residence
requirement
Students must be in residence full-time at Stern College
in New York at least 4 semesters. Students graduating from
high school May 1998 or later must complete at least 84
credits at Stern College. At least 24 of the last 35 credits
must be taken at Stern College. The normal amount of time for
the completion of the degree is four years; students are
expected to complete all work within six years of the date of
admission, excluding time lost because of illness.
c. Grade
requirement
An average of 2.0 or better in all studies,
including
the major and/or minor and a grade of C- or better in all
courses used to meet the major and minor are required for
graduation.
d. Exit
requirement
To be eligible for graduation, each senior must pass an
exit examination or complete a research paper or a project in
her major. These are described in an announcement available
from the Office of the Dean.
e.
Administrative requirements
Each student must receive approbation of the faculty and
the president, and must have filed of an
Application for Degree during the registration period of the
semester in which the student completes all requirements.
f. Course
requirements
All students are required to complete courses in General
Studies, Hebrew Language, Literature and Culture, and in
their majors.
General Studies Requirements
Basic Courses 10
credits
English 1100 3
credits
Except for
unusual circumstances, all students are expected to complete
ENG 1100 in their freshman year. International students
(non-native English speakers) must first pass English as a
Second Language.
Physical
Education 1 credit
Two semesters of
PED activity-type courses. A maximum of 8 credits in PED may
count toward a bachelor’s degree, except in the case of a
shaped major in physical education.
Speech 1010 3
credits
One additional
course chosen from Computer Science, Mathematics, or
Statistics. 3 credits
Humanities 12
credits
Chosen from
courses in foreign language (other than Hebrew and Yiddish),
Art, English, Music, and Philosophy as designated in the
course schedule. No more than 3 credits may be taken in Art,
no more than 3 credits in Music, and no more than 6 credits in
any other discipline.
Social Sciences
9 credits
Chosen from
courses in Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology,
and Sociology as designated in the course schedule. No more
than 3 credits may be taken in Psychology and no more than 3
in Sociology, and no more than 6 in any other discipline.
Natural
Sciences
8 credits
One year of one
laboratory science (Biology, Chemistry, or Physics).
Restricted
Courses 9 credits
Foreign language
other than Hebrew and Yiddish, and/or courses in disciplines
other than that of the student's major, as designated in the
course schedule. See also Foreign Language Study in
Placement.
Hebrew
Language, Literature, and Culture 32-50 credits.
Stern College
has extensive offerings in the field of Hebrew language and
literature and Jewish culture and civilization (hereafter
called Jewish Studies) offered through the Rebecca Ivry
Department of Jewish Studies. Courses are available for
students with little or no background, for those with some
background, and for those with an extensive background.
The courses in
the disciplines of Bible, Hebrew, Jewish Education, Jewish
History, Jewish Philosophy, and Judaic Studies offered at
Stern College constitute the Jewish Studies Program. The
Jewish Studies requirement consists of 6 Core segments plus 14
additional Jewish Studies credits. These requirements are
modified for transfer students who spend less than four years
at Stern College, and for students in combined or joint
programs. Consult the Office of the Registrar for details.
Regardless of
transfer credit, a minimum of 18 credits in Jewish Studies
must be taken at the College. A minimum of 2 credits in Jewish
Studies is required in each semester of full-time study at
Stern College.
A. Core segment
(18-36 credits)
The Core segment
is a unit of three Jewish Studies classes consisting of eight to
nine hours of lecture per week. It is required during each of
the first six semesters of full-time attendance at Stern
College.
A separate
permanent record is maintained for the Core segment, on which
each course and its grade are recorded. The average of these
grades is transferred to the Stern College transcript for
between 3 to 6 credits as determined by the student at the
time of registration, under the heading Hebraic Studies (HES).
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
B. Additional
credits
Each student
must complete a total of 14 additional Jewish Studies
credits.
C. Distribution
requirements
Distribution
requirements may be fulfilled through the Core segments and
the 14 additional Jewish Studies credits.
b. Residence
requirement
The
student must have simultaneous or prior receipt of a bachelor's
degree from Yeshiva University.
c. Grade
requirement
The
student must complete Jewish Studies requirements at Stern
College on the advanced level with an average of 2.800 or
better.
d. Examinations
The
student must pass a comprehensive examination in Bible, a
proficiency examination in Hebrew (or HEB 1409-1410), and a
comprehensive examination in Jewish
History (or JHI 1001-1002 or
equivalent).
e. Administrative
requirements
Each student must receive approbation of the
faculty and the president, and must have filed an Application
for Degree during the registration period of the semester in
which the student completes all requirements.
Placement
Placement
Examination in Hebrew
Before
registration, each student has a placement evaluation and is
assigned to the appropriate level of study: elementary,
intermediate, or advanced. (A student will not receive credit
for courses on a level lower than the one to which she has
been placed.) Even the elementary-level courses presuppose the
student's ability to read Hebrew text out loud and to write
the Hebrew alphabet in cursive script.
English
Placement
Foreign students
will be assigned to English as a Second Language based on a
placement examination upon entrance. Other students may be
required to write a placement essay during Orientation.
Mathematics
Placement
A placement
examination, taken during Orientation, is required of all
students wishing to study biology, chemistry, mathematics, and
physics.
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. The
first semester of an elementary course is open only to
students with no previous coursework in the language.
Students will
not receive credit for college courses that duplicate what
they have studied in high school.
School
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,
students on probation, and all students in classes where the
instructor requires attendance.
Generally, a student's
attendance record is taken into account whenever there may be
occasion to determine her status in the University.
Grades: P or N
System
Each student is permitted to select one course each semester
to be graded P or N. This is for the purpose of stimulating
students to take coursework outside their area of
specialization. Students must apply for such a course with the
Office of the Registrar. Regulations and
limitations applicable to the choice of a course on the P or N
system are available from the Office of the Registrar.
Internships
In several
disciplines, apprenticeships are available in a setting
complementary to academic coursework in the field. The
internship must be supervised and approved by a faculty
advisor. Internships are listed on the student's record as
'(Subject) 4941.' (A second term is 4942, etc.) Credit depends
on the number of hours devoted. Regulations governing
internships are available in the Office of the Registrar.
Work Load
The normal
number of credits for a full semester's work toward the
bachelor's degree is 15 1/2 to 18 1/2 (this includes those
credits transferred to the degree from the Jewish Studies
Program). No more than seven courses, including approved
courses taken outside the College, may be taken in a semester.
A full-time
student is defined as one who is enrolled for at least 12
credits during a 15-week semester.
Students with
low averages are subject to restrictions on their work load as
described in the section
Academic Retention, Probation, and
Dismissal.
S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program
The S. Daniel
Abraham Honors Program at Stern College stresses writing and
critical analysis, creativity, cultural enrichment, research,
and individual mentoring. The program gives high-achieving
students an added dimension of responsibility for their own
education and allows them to enjoy a greater measure of
challenge and opportunity.
Students acquire
the ability to synthesize different branches of knowledge and
modes of thought, to express themselves articulately, to find
new solutions to problems from different points of view, and
achieve greater depth in their studies.
Admission to the
Program
Students in the
program usually apply to and are accepted into the honors
program prior to their arrival at Stern College. The
application process is very competitive. Typically,
successful applicants will have a combined SAT score of at
least 1300 and an A or A- high school average.
Prior to their
arrival at Stern College, students
complete —
in addition
to the regular application for acceptance
— an application
titled “Application for Academic Scholarships and the S.
Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College for Women,”
available from the Office of Admissions. The application
requires two special essays, two special letters of
recommendation, information about the applicant's
extracurricular activities and interests, SAT scores, and high
school transcripts. These components are all carefully
considered and affect admissions decisions. Students
applying for the Honors Program also may be eligible for one
of the academic scholarships available to applicants who show
outstanding promise.
In addition, a limited number of spaces are also available
each year for students already on campus; such students may apply in the
spring for acceptance the following fall. Eligible students
must attend Stern College for at least four more semesters,
have a GPA of at least 3.6, and submit a complete
application. The application for
students already on campus is available in the office of the
director of the Honors Program. It is not the same
application completed by students entering Stern College.
The Program
Honors
courses. Students take at least seven honors courses chosen from
offerings in the humanities, Jewish studies, natural sciences,
and social sciences, as well as interdisciplinary seminars.
Cultural
enrichment. Each semester students in the program attend
concerts, operas, and ballet; enjoy walking tours and guided
trips to museums; and visit such “only in New York”
destinations as the United Nations.
Leadership sessions. Students participate in workshops that
explore contemporary challenges in areas such as ethics,
communal responsibility, and interpersonal relations.
Speaker
series. A variety of speakers drawn from a broad array of
fields, including the arts, politics, education, media, and
medicine, are invited each semester to address the honors
students.
Mentors.
Faculty serve as mentors for the honors students and help plan
their academic programs, including summer independent study,
research, and internship opportunities.
Senior
project. Throughout her senior year, each honors student
works on a senior project under the close supervision of her
mentor, completing the project prior to graduation.
Students who
fulfill all requirements have the honors distinction
noted on their diplomas and transcripts.
Advisement
The director of
the Honors Program oversees the progress of all honors students. Students meet individually with the
director upon entrance, and receive
ongoing guidance and support thereafter.
