Experience different ways of knowing and engage with the world through Princeton’s general education requirements. While you will major in a specific discipline, exposure to a variety of disciplines and other kinds of knowledge will enhance your ability to discern which questions can be answered using methods within your field and which require other approaches. Broad exploration not only helps you identify the right intellectual tools for the task at hand; it also deepens our collective respect for the variety of ways humans seek to understand our shared world. More than a set of requirements, the general education requirements offer you the chance to develop both intellectual rigor and humility by considering the possibilities and limitations of all forms of academic inquiry. Fulfill Requirements Courses that fulfill specific distribution areas are identified by alphabetical letters that appear with the course information in Course Offerings. Normally, students fulfill requirements by the end of junior year. However, don't feel compelled to rush. Most students find that they are met simply through electing courses in a variety of departments and programs. Requirements by Degree Program A.B. Students As an A.B. student, you will generally complete 10 distribution requirements, as well as a writing seminar and the language requirement. Writing Seminar 1 course Language Up to 4 semesters of language are required, depending on placement. Some students fulfill the language requirement through placement testing, standardized test scores, or other demonstration of native proficiency (see your assistant dean for studies). Culture and Difference (CD) 1 course CD is the only requirement that may be satisfied simultaneously with another distribution area. All other courses with a dual designation may satisfy only one of the two distribution requirements. Epistemology and Cognition (EC) 1 course Ethical Thought and Moral Values (EM) 1 course Historical Analysis (HA) 1 course Literature and the Arts (LA) 2 courses Quantitative and Computational Reasoning (QCR) 1 course Science and Engineering (SEL/SEN) 2 courses At least 1 must be a science and engineering course with laboratory (SEL). You may elect a second laboratory science course, or a non-laboratory science course (SEN). Social Analysis (SA) 2 courses Summer Courses A maximum of two outside courses may be used to fulfill A.B. distribution requirements, and only one per distribution area, in the following areas: literature and the arts (LA), social analysis (SA), non-laboratory science and engineering (SEN). Learn more about approvals and criteria for taking courses for transfer credit. B.S.E. Students As a B.S.E. student, you will take 7 courses across the humanities and social sciences, in addition to the basic B.S.E. basic math and science requirements and writing seminar. These 7 courses can include a language class (107/108 level). Math Up to 4 courses are required, depending on placement, and 2 courses must be multivariable calculus and linear algebra. Physics 2 courses Chemistry 1 course (For the Class of '26 and beyond, MOL214 may be substituted for chemistry.) Computer Science 1 course Writing Seminar 1 course in the first year Humanities and Social Sciences A minimum of 7 courses distributed across at least 4 areas. Fulfilling the B.S.E humanities and social science courses As a B.S.E. student, your humanities and social science courses must include at least one course in four of the seven areas listed below: Culture and Difference (CD) Epistemology and Cognition (EC) Ethical Thought and Moral Values (EM) Language (at the 107/108 level or above) Historical Analysis (HA) Literature and the Arts (LA) Social Analysis (SA) Students majoring in Chemical and Biological Engineering are required to fulfill one distribution area with a course in Ethical Thought and Moral Values (EM). Dual-Designation Courses If you choose to use a dual-designation Culture and Difference course for one of your humanities/social science distribution requirements, you may not use it to satisfy another requirement simultaneously. Important Notes P/D/F Courses Courses elected on a pass/D/fail basis will satisfy distribution areas. You may not P/D/F a writing seminar or most introductory language courses. Normally, you may not PDF a departmental prerequisite or requirement. Study Abroad You may, with proper approvals, fulfill up to two distribution requirements abroad. Dual-Designation Courses You don’t need to choose how to use a course to fill general education requirements. TigerHub will update your degree progress automatically, filling requirements alphabetically and adjust degree progress based on your enrollments. For example: If you take a course with a dual designation of HA and LA, you will see the HA requirement satisfied first. If you then take another course with the HA designation, the system will retroactively adjust the earlier course to satisfy the LA designation. Additional Resources Your Path to Princeton Connect to a range of resources focused on learning and living at Princeton. Course Offerings Find complete information about undergraduate and graduate courses by term. Undergraduate Announcement Review academic regulations, programs of study, and undergraduate course offerings in this publication released each August. Distribution Areas Learn more about the philosophy underpinning these categories.
