• Students begin the BLS program with a minimum of 18 previously earned college credits.
• Students can transfer up to 75 credits of previously completed college work.  Of the total 120 credits required to earn your Fairfield University degree, a minimum of 45 credits must be earned at Fairfield University.
• Transfer credits OUTSIDE of the major—in core and elective courses-- may be over 10 years old. All credits  IN your major must be less than ten years old and must have been taken at Fairfield University. Note that major courses should be upper level (200 and 300 level) rather than 100 level introductory courses. As long as they are not “intro” courses, however, it is possible to count 100-level courses in your major.

• All students concentrate in liberal studies, and they are also able to fulfill core, elective, and major course requirements by taking courses in the Dolan School of Business related to marketing, management, accounting and more, as well as courses from the other professional fields of education, nursing and  engineering.  

• BLS students complete a different CORE  from full-time undergraduates in other majors. There are no foreign language requirements, though foreign language courses can be used to fulfill course requirements in core, elective, and major. Also distinct from the core for other majors, BLS students complete a total of four math/science courses with flexibility in that they need at least one from each area. (ex., a student could take 3 science classes and 1 math class, or 3 math classes and 1 science class).

• BLS students may attempt to receive CLEP (Exam credits and Credit request) and portfolio credit (work experience), but the seeking and awarding of these credits should take place BEFORE the student’s final 30 credits. As with all Fairfield students, the final 30 credits should be taken at Fairfield University. 

• Upper level classes: The 9 MAJOR classes (note the 10^th major class is GS 399‌) should be upper level rather than introductory courses. While “Intro to Sociology,” for example, can be used to fulfill elective and core credit (as a social science), it will not count towards your major coursework. Upper-level classes are typically courses at the 200 and 300 level, though another 100 level sociology such as “Criminology” could count as an upper level major course, and ideally students will take 200 and 300 level courses to fulfill the BLS major. ALL CLASSES COUNTING FOR MAJOR MUST BE TAKEN AT FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY WITHIN A TEN-YEAR PERIOD.  (Exception: If a BLS student has been unable to take enough upper level classes to fulfill the major due to limited evening or online offerings, we can substitute introductory courses as needed.)

• Areas: The 9 MAJOR classes must be taken in at least two areas (The Humanities; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Mathematics and Science; Professional Programs).
• Subjects: The 9 MAJOR classes must include at leastfour different subjects (examples include courses in subjects such as Religious Studies and Communication)from at least two areas.NO MORE THAN 4 COURSES can be taken in any ONE subject.  

BLS students can complete internships for credit.  An internship can be used to fulfill one of your required major or elective classes in the BLS program. Your regular full-time or part-time employment will not fulfill the requirements of an internship, but seeking placement in a business, corporate, lab, law firm, nonprofit organizational and other settings can be used to fulfill a for-credit internship experience. You will typically work 10 – 15 hours per week on site while Fairfield faculty in your major/department of interest will serve as coordinators. 

Eligibility for an internship requires good academic standing as well as the prerequisites prescribed in the major department, such as a specific GPA and prior coursework. If you’re interested, your BPS advisor will work with you and the internship coordinator in the department/program where your interest lies to determine how you can qualify for earning internship credit and invaluable experience. 

If a BLS student comes to the major primarily interested in Studio Art, they could take one Studio Art class to satisfy one of their classes required in their “Area IV” core Visual and Performing Arts requirements, use one or more introductory Studio Art classes to fulfill their “Area V” core Humanities electives (and to fulfill required intro level classes needed for entry to upper level Studio Art classes), and take Studio Art classes to count toward their 8+ required elective classes. As far as the major, as per the above guidelines on “Areas and Subjects” in the major, they could take up to 4 Studio Art classes in the major, take one Social Science course (an area different from Studio Art, which is in the Humanities area) such as a Communication, Sociology, Psychology or Economics course, or courses in Math, Science, or the Professional Programs such as Marketing (which are also all areas different from the Humanities area), and then take their remaining major courses in at least 2 other subjects (to have a total of at least 4 different subjects in all). As an example, the Studio Art focused BLS student might have a major completion that looks like this, with 3 different “Areas” (at least 2 different areas are required) and 5 different subjects (at least 4 different subjects are required).

1. SA 231: Printmaking II
2. SA 233: Photography II
3. SA 235: Advanced Drawing
4. SA 304: Studio Internship
5. AH 292: Museums, Art, Ethics & the Law (Art History)
6. CO 337: Visual Communication
7. MK 212: Consumer Behavior (Marketing)
8. PY 262: Sensation & Perception (Psychology)
9. EN/W 323: Photojournalism I (English Writing)
10. GS 399: Senior Capstone Research Project (required as the 10^th major course for all BPS majors) 

Please work with your advisor to determine a plan of study that makes the most sense for your life and career goals.  

• In consultation with your advisor, we can suggest courses based on your interests and life/career goals, and guide you in which courses you would prefer to have count as major and elective classes. All the courses counting as major courses, as per above, need to be taken at Fairfield U. within a ten year time period.
• If we don’t inform the registrar’s office regarding a your wish to have particular courses counted for the major or electives, the registrar’s office and degree tracking system will automatically code particular courses as major or elective courses based on the attributes that are picked up in the system. Your advisor can request that the registrar’s office change those attributes as needed.
• Your advisor will send to the registrar’s office the requested changes for how your courses are to be counted and which degree requirements they fulfill by sending your name, ID #, the course number and CRN and where particular courses should be placed within your online degree evaluation.   

Students who take the majority of their major classes in Mathematics and Science and/or Professional Programs earn a BS degree. Students who take the majority of their major classes in The Humanities and/or Social and Behavioral Sciences earn a BA degree. The registrar does not indicate a specific number of courses needed to fulfill a BA or a BS degree, but will assess globally whether a student’s program of study aligns more with a BA or BS.  Students are welcome to pursue a particular degree in consultation with their advisor who will then work with the registrar to ensure the student’s plan of study aligns with their preferred degree.   

Some classes which fulfill core requirements and may be of special interest and particularly well-suited to our BLS students:

Math and Natural Science – 4 classes in all, at least 1 math.

For math, most BLS students are advised to take:

• MA 15: Mathematics: An Exploration
• MA 17: Probability and Statistics.

For science, the following courses are suggested (note: This is not an exhaustive listing.):

• BI 70 – Science, Technology, and Society
• BI 74—Biology of Food
• BI 75 – Ecology and Society
• BI 78 – Marine Science
• BI 96 – God and Modern Biology
• AY 110 – Biological Anthropology (counts as a natural science)
• PY 261—Biological Bases of Behavior (counts as a natural science) 

History—2 classes in all.

• HI 10 (formerly HI 30) is required.
• For the second required history elective, students may take a 200-level history course, OR they may use the following to fulfill the 2^nd history requirement:   CL 115 or CL 116 – Greek and Roman Civilization.
• Students may opt to take both CL 115 (fall offering) and CL 116 (spring offering) to fulfill the two course history requirement. In other words, the HI requirement can be fulfilled in part or in full by taking Classics courses.