Each school at UVA has its own set of requirements, even though there are a few things that all or most of the schools have in common. Majors have separate sets of requirements in addition to the school’s general requirements, which can be viewed on the individual department websites. Read on for a primer on how general requirements work at UVA.
College of Arts and Sciences
Because of wide variety of majors represented in the College of Arts and Sciences, the general requirements in that school are broader. UVA changed its approach to general requirements in the College in 2018 by introducing two main “Pathways,” called Engagements and Disciplines. Students in the Engagement Pathway satisfy general education requirements by taking courses across three components while students in the Disciplines Plus take courses across two components (“components” being different categories of classes). There is also an option that students can opt into called Forums, which allow students to tailor a group of courses around a specific theme, problem or topic.
For more information on the College’s general requirements framework, please visit the College of Arts and Sciences website and their page on Pathways.
Other Schools
The Nursing, Kinesiology, Architecture, and Engineering schools all have structured general requirements that serve as the basis of all subsequent classes and learning for those students. And the prerequisites for McIntire, Batten, and the College of Education are different from those of the other schools.
For more information about general requirements of the different schools, please use the links below:
- School of Engineering
- School of Architecture
- School of Nursing
- School of Education and Human Development, Kinesiology Department
- McIntire School of Commerce
- Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
And if you’re a transfer student or if you’ve taken AP credit or Dual Enrollment, don’t worry — you can use those at UVA. Dual Enrollment or AP credits can help you bypass general requirements or move you to a higher-level course; visit UVA’s AP or college credit pages or their page on Dual Enrollment to see how your credits would transfer. The benefit of fulfilling general requirements early on is that you get more time to focus on your specific interests.
Sometimes it might seem like general requirements are just an obstacle between you and your major, but that’s not the case! Chances are you’ll learn something amazing — about yourself or the subject — no matter what class you’re in, and you might even find a new thing you’re good at.