Rules and Policies for Distribution Requirements

Distribution requirements can be filled in any of the following ways, subject to various guidelines:

Approved NU Courses
Courses from Other Institutions
AP/IB Credit
School of Continuing Studies (SCS) Courses
Substitutions for Approved Courses
Interdisciplinary Courses Approved for More Than One Area
Special Rules for Interschool-Transfer and Dual-Degree Students

Approved Northwestern Courses

You must choose your distribution requirement courses from a list approved by a Weinberg College faculty committee. Each year some courses are added to the list and others are deleted; only courses on the approved list for the year you take them satisfy the requirements. Lists of distribution courses approved for each year are available online.

Distribution areas are defined by intellectual criteria, and many departments offer courses in more than one area. For example, in addition to offering many courses that count toward the distribution requirement in Social and Behavioral Sciences, the Anthropology department offers courses that count toward Natural Sciences, Formal Studies, Historical Studies, and Ethics and Values.

Most approved courses count toward just one distribution area. Some Interdisciplinary Studies courses can count toward more than one distribution area, subject to certain rules and limitations.

       Grades in distribution courses. You must earn a grade of at least D in all courses you use to fulfill the Weinberg College distribution requirements. Courses taken P/N may not be used to satisfy these requirements. Courses taken under "target grade" registration (currently available in the Schools of Education, Music, and Communication), even if they result in a regular letter grade, may also not be used to satisfy the Weinberg College distribution requirements.

Courses taken at other colleges and universities

Courses taken at other colleges and universities cannot generally be used to fulfill distribution requirements. However, there are two types of exceptions to this rule, and you can discuss these with your College Adviser.

1. Study abroad. If you study abroad with College approval, you may be able to count a limited number of your study abroad courses toward your distribution requirements. Students who study abroad for a full academic year can typically receive a maximum of two units of distribution credit; these two units may not both be in the same distribution area. Students who study abroad for less than a full academic year can typically count a maximum of one course toward the distribution requirements. For more information, see the College information on going and returning from study abroad. 

Some Northwestern-run study abroad programs offer courses with Northwestern course numbers. You can see if such courses count toward distribution requirements by looking at the lists of Northwestern courses approved for distribution requirement credit. 

2. Transfer students. If you transferred to Northwestern from another college or university, some of your transferred courses may count toward distribution requirements. More information for transfer students is available online.

If you took courses at another college or university before you entered Northwestern as a freshman, these courses cannot be used to fulfill distribution requirements, but they may count toward your degree in other ways. See the guidelines for transfer credits for entering freshmen.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit

A maximum of two of the twelve courses you count toward your distribution requirements can be credits you earned through AP or higher-level IB testing. Each of these must be in a different distribution requirement area. Lists of qualifying AP and IB scores are available online for each entering class.

If you earn sufficiently high scores on AP exams and have your scores sent to Northwestern, then your credits should be posted to your record during the summer before your freshman year. You will be able to access this information through CAESAR, the on-line course information and registration system.

Your AP credits may not be posted on your transcript before you arrive on campus, so be sure to consult with your freshman adviser if this is the case. Your freshman adviser will also be able to help you think about how your AP credits can shape your fall quarter schedule.

 

School of Continuing Studies (SCS) Courses

Some courses approved for distribution requirement credit are also taught through Northwestern’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS). Any course on the list of approved distribution requirement courses counts toward these requirements in the same way, whether you take it through SCS or in another Northwestern school. 

SCS courses not on an approved list are subject to the usual rules for substitutions for distribution requirements.

More information on taking SCS courses is available online.

 

Other Distribution Requirements rules and policies:

Substitutions for Approved Courses
Interdisciplinary Courses Approved for More Than One Area
Special Rules for Interschool-Transfer and Dual-Degree Students

Distribution Requirements
Rules and Policies

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