Policies

The policies and requirements below apply to all students in the Kennedy College of Sciences (KCS). Some policies are specific to KCS students while others are university policies that apply to all students at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML).

Degree Requirements

Candidates for a baccalaureate degree in the Kennedy College of Sciences (KCS) must satisfy all general university requirements for graduation, complete all courses and credits as required by their specific program of study, and meet the academic requirements of the college as specified below.

All Bachelor of Science programs in the Kennedy College of Sciences require the following:

  • A minimum of 60 credits from college department offerings. These can be required or elective courses for majors in those departments or courses specifically designated as appropriate for science majors.
  • At least two courses in mathematics at the level of calculus I or above. In addition, no math course below the level of precalculus can be presented towards the minimum degree requirement of 120 credits.
  • Two Natural Science lecture courses with co-requisite laboratories are required. These must be selected from offerings in the departments of Biology, Chemistry, EEAS, or Physics and must be at a level appropriate for science majors.

Beyond university and program specific requirements, there are no college-level requirements for Bachelor of Arts programs offered by Kennedy College of Sciences.

Undergraduate science students must also satisfy all course requirements applicable to their major and area of concentration. Students must also meet the academic standards, program credit totals, and mandatory Grade Point Averages (GPA) established by their governing department, and each of these standards may be higher than the university minimum requirements outlined below.

Finally, to qualify for a University of Massachusetts Lowell baccalaureate degree, all university-level requirements must be satisfied. To this end, all undergraduate candidates are required to earn a minimum GPA of 2.000 (C) for their total course of study; complete a minimum of 120 credits; fulfill the minimum residency requirement designated for university day courses; and satisfy the Core Curriculum requirements. Students are also subject to the university major field requirements. For more details on university requirements, please refer to the undergraduate academic policies.

Declaring and Changing Major

Students matriculating for a degree from the Kennedy College of Sciences are required to select a specific major from among the 10 degree options and over 30 concentrations offered by the college. Students should declare their major as soon as possible to ensure they remain on track for timely graduation. Regardless, the university requires all students to declare a major by the end of their sophomore year. For further information please review the university procedures for declaration of major.

Students interested in changing their major to one of the programs in the college of sciences should reach out to the relevant departmental contact person (s): KCS program changes.

Declaring a Second Major

Candidates for degrees within the College of Sciences may be permitted to elect additional majors either within KCS or majors offered by other colleges at the university. Students who elect academic majors in more than one college are candidates for one degree only, and they are considered to be degree candidates in the college of their initial major unless they indicate to the contrary at the time they make a declaration of second major by filing for intercollegiate transfer. Accordingly, a student who pursues academic majors in the Kennedy College of Sciences and another college is subject to all degree requirements as specified by the college of his or her initial major and is subject only to major course requirements (including any collateral and prerequisite courses for the major) as specified by the department of his or her second major. For a complete statement of university policy on second majors, refer to the undergraduate catalog: declaration of second major.

Transfer Policies

The Kennedy College of Sciences accepts qualified transfer students from other colleges at the university or from other institutions. Previously completed courses will only be accepted if equivalent to courses specified by the curriculum of the chosen major or if deemed applicable to particular KCS degree requirements.

A student who transferred from another institution to UMass Lowell and who then subsequently seeks an intercollegiate transfer to KCS, will have all previous courses and transfer credits reviewed to determine their applicability to KCS degree requirements. Regardless of any previous recognition by the UML Office of Admissions, Registrar’s Office, or other colleges of the university; these courses and credits may be rejected and made inapplicable to any KCS degree requirements including free electives. In addition, courses of a professional nature not relevant to the academic orientation of the student’s major program may be rejected and thus not creditable to the minimum degree requirement of 120 credits.