Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
The Woods College offers undergraduate students the atmosphere of a small college within the environment of a large, world-class university. Our staff has experience helping both new and returning college students arrange a realistic program of study that allows them to complete their bachelor's degree on their schedule and budget–on campus, online, or hybrid.
With a focus on degree completion, students receive personal attention while enjoying access to the many resources of Boston College. A flexible admission process coupled with academic advising allows a student to select the most appropriate program based on his or her individual interests and career objectives. Courses are ordinarily scheduled between the hours of 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. The Woods College does not offer on-campus housing.
The Woods College offers an affordable B.A. option. Tuition for the 2024-2025 Academic Year is $2,520 per course (4 credits) and $1,890 per course (3 credits) during the summer session. If the majority of courses are taken during the academic year (for example, 108 credits over fall and spring and 12 credits in the summer), a student could earn a bachelor's degree from the Woods College at Boston College for less than $76,000. Transfer students can apply up to 60 credits from another institution to complete a B.A. for even less.
Woods College students have the opportunity to add minors to their programs of study, pursue learning in areas of interest, and expand their ability to make connections across disciplines. Learn about our minor options:
A distinguishing characteristic of liberal arts education is a required core curriculum. The Bachelor of Arts programs require the following core courses:
- The Examined Life
- 2 English courses:
- College Writing
- Literary Works or other core literature course - 2 Philosophy courses (one of which should be an Ethics course)
- 2 Theology courses
- 2 Social Science courses
- 2 History courses (1 must be non-Western)
- 1 Quantitative Reasoning course
- 1 Natural Science course
- 1 Arts course
- 1 Cultural Diversity Course
- Designing Your Career
Degree candidates must fulfill all core curriculum and major requirements as part of earning the minimum of 120 credits. Students are required to achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 1.67 to be eligible to graduate.
Admission as a transfer student is also available. A minimum of 60 credits must be completed at Boston College to satisfy residency. A maximum of 60 credits may be transferred into a student’s program from regionally accredited institutions. Courses with an earned grade of C or better will be accepted in transfer; however, courses transferred from schools within Boston College may be accepted with grades of C- or better. A minimum of three semester hours is required for a transferred course to satisfy a program requirement.
For students in the degree program, the maximum course load is three per semester. Authorization for one additional course will be given only if a student has completed three courses, each with a grade of B or better, in the previous semester.
1. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving:
Students will be able to:
- Observe, examine, and dissect the assumptions and conventions of different areas of study, while addressing complex questions, problems, materials, and texts of all types with creative solutions and analytical processes (Degree Qualifications Profile, 2014).
- Respond to problems from an interdisciplinary perspective, informed by their courses and co-curriculum.
2. Quantitative Reasoning:
Students will be able to:
- Evaluate a numerical expression of information while ethically drawing meaning from the underlying data.
- Discover, define, and demonstrate functional relationships between variables.
- Interpret quantitative data to support an argument.
3. Communication and Information Literacy:
Students will be able to:
- Find, appraise, organize, use, and convey information and their ideas, both individually and collaboratively, through oral, digital, and written forms.
A. Information Literacy:
Students will be able to:
- Evaluate large quantities of information, purposefully select a range of information sources, understand how information is produced and valued, incorporate multiple resources using technology responsibly, and participate ethically in communities of learning (Association of College and Research Libraries, 2015; Information Literacy VALUE Rubric; CSU Monterey Bay, Threshold Concepts).
B. Written Communication:
Students will be able to:
- Construct logical and persuasive arguments, reflective narratives, or explications of issues, problems, or technical processes.
- Address both specific and general audiences through different genres in their writing.
C. Oral and Digital Communication:
Students will be able to:
- Speak clearly and effectively, listen and resolve conflicts with empathy, and use visual representations to communicate data to specific and general audiences.
- Foster understanding, or promote change in listener attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors (AAC&U, 2009).
- Analyze or produce ideas using digital media and digital storytelling techniques (Bryn Mawr Digital Competencies Framework, 2016).
D. Collaborative Communication and Teamwork:
Students will be able to:
- Understand the value and process of working with others, develop critical perspectives and skills needed to co-create knowledge, and value content and contributions made by others (Bryn Mawr Digital Competencies Framework, 2016).
- Establish professional working relationships through group-process and interpersonal work.
4. Acting as Men and Women for and with Others:
Students will be able to:
- Expand their perceptions of commitment, civic engagement, love, and the world beyond themselves.
- Analyze local and global problems, they will identify issues of social justice, human rights, and equity, formulated through the eyes of others.
- Apply ethical reasoning, students will discern personal and professional responsibilities in dismantling unjust social structures and taking courageous action.
5. Integrative Learning:
Students will be able to:
- Assess their personal values and reflect on connections among ideas and experiences; between disciplinary, personal, technological, and community life to synthesize and transfer their learning to new and complex situations (AAC&U, 2009).
6. Engaging with Diverse Perspectives:
Students will be able to:
- Recognize their own bias and privilege.
- Critically analyze the roles of intersectionality and power within institutions and systems, and dialogue about differences with these nuanced understandings.
- Relate to others as globally-minded citizens and professionals based on an interpretation of diversity as an aspect of individual and community identity, and in relation to political, economic, and social dynamics (Intercultural Competence and Knowledge VALUE Rubric, AAC&U; "Toward a Renewed Core," Oct 2013
Find Your Program
Applied Liberal Arts
The Applied Liberal Arts degree consists of six major requirements and either five or six courses within a specific discipline.
Choose from six concentrations:
- English
- History
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Sociology
Think critically, learn deeply, and analyze a myriad of problems across various different contexts and situations. You'll gain a strong academic foundation, an invaluable skillset for today's world, and a depth of spirit that will help you act as an empathic problem solver.
Advertising & Public Relations
Journalist
Research Analyst
Educator
Archivist
Public Policy
Law
Business
Students graduate with a skillset that’s agile, wide-ranging, and informed by data. With a solid foundation in data analysis, project managment, communications and more, students are ready to step forward as socially responsible, ethically-oriented business leaders.
Requirements:
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Digital Marketing Strategy
- Principles of Economics
- Project Management
- Financial Accounting
- Management and Organizational Behavior
- Corporate Communication
- Principles of Finance
- Business Law
- Strategic Leadership
In this Business bachelor’s degree program, you will build the communication expertise all employers need, as well as in-demand skills including critical thinking, ethical leadership, quantitative analysis, project management, and risk management.
Financial Manager
Purchasing Manager
Human Resource Manager
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/business
Criminal & Social Justice
B.A.
Students graduate understanding the processes through which criminal laws are made and enforced, the major theories of criminality, and the economic and psychological factors that underpin criminal behavior. They will apply social scientific research methods to particular case studies while honing their written and spoken communication skills.
Sample courses:
- Introduction to Criminology
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Justice
- Research Methods for the Social Sciences
- Two upper-level sociology and/or psychology courses
Explore the social, economic, and psychological factors of criminal behavior and understand how criminal justice operates in modern society. You’ll also assess political, legal, and judicial institutions and the ethical issues surrounding criminality and punishment.
Police Officer
Probation or Parole Officer
Special Agent
Paralegal
Criminal Defense Lawyer
District Attorney
Law Student
Social Work Student
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/criminal-justice
Cybersecurity
With some 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs around the world, our expert-taught program provides core competencies that will enable you to protect both public and private organizations from today’s urgent threats. Through in-person, online, and hybrid course options ranging from Computer Networks to Ethical Hacking, our curriculum emphasizes risk management, risk tolerance, and risk mitigation.
Want to join the fight against cyberattacks and work in one of the world’s fastest-growing fields? This flexible B.A. program provides a robust foundation that will prepare you to meet the surging demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals and succeed in the ever-changing cyber ecosystem.
Cyber Risk Analyst
Information Security Engineer
Security Operations Analyst
FBI Special Agent
Risk Compliance Analyst
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/cybersecurity
Digital Communications
B.A.
Through this major, students hone their spoken and written communication skills and examine theories of interpersonal, relationship, group, organizational, and mass communication. Students will apply social scientific research methods to case studies and consider the ethical implications of mass communication in society.
Acquire an in-depth understanding of the many ways communication affects—and is affected by—modern societies. Ranging in focus from interpersonal communication to how advertisers, political campaigns, and the media employ mass communication, this major or certificate equips you to analyze information across several facets of life.
Communication Professional
Public Relations Specialist
Advertising
Editor
Underwriter
Technical Writer
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/communication
Economics
Students aiming to become bankers, business managers, market researchers, budget analysts, or others working in careers where they need to know the intricacies of economies will be well-suited for success with this degree. Students learn to differentiate between market structures and analyze case studies using theories of economic growth, unemployment, and inflation.
Required courses:
- Principles of Economics: Micro
- Principles of Economics: Macro
- Macroeconomic Theory
- Microeconomic Theory
- Elementary Economic Statistics
- Your choice of three upper-level Economics electives
Want to understand how consumers and businesses behave? For students aspiring to master the theory and practical skills central to our market-driven world, this program provides a 360-degree understanding of economic dynamics in modern societies.
Banker
Business Manager
Market Researcher
Budget Analyst
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/economics
English (Applied Liberal Arts B.A.)
Learn the narrative and stylistic techniques employed by classic writers of fiction and nonfiction in order to:
- Write at an advanced level
- Distinguish between different periods in American and British literature
- Interpret literature through the lenses of class, race, gender, and historical context
- Thoughtfully criticize works of literature
- Imaginatively inhabit the perspectives of others
In addition to courses in British, American, and World literature, the curriculum requires four additional English electives, as well as two writing courses.
The English concentration builds upon skills that are first introduced in the College Writing and Literary Works core requirements. Honing these technical skills and developing a strong base in the English language will allow you to translate those skills into any future discipline.
Journalist
Speech Writer
Grant Writer
Development Officer
Research Analyst
Copy Editor
Copywriter
Public Relations Officer
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/english
History (Applied Liberal Arts B.A.)
Our curriculum encompasses European, American, pre-modern, and non-Western history. As critical thinkers, students apply tools and concepts of historical inquiry and communicate research results clearly and effectively.
Major requirements:
- Modern History I
- Modern History II
- Two American History courses
- One Pre-Modern History course
- One Asian, African, Latin American, or Middle Eastern History course
- Four History electives
Deepen your understanding of the present through an immersion in the events and cultures of the past. Our curriculum encompasses European, American, Latin American, African, Middle Eastern, and Asian history ranging from premodernity to the present day.
Educator in Elementary and Secondary Schools
Researcher in Historical Organizations
Archivist
Records Manager
Law Student
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/history
Information Technology
B.A.
This major emphasizes technical and theoretical issues in information technology. From project management to collaborative computing, the curriculum prepares you to program computer applications and employ software and technology related to security.
You'll begin with an immersion in the basic tools and concepts of computing, then move on to examine programming, modern computer and web-based applications, and advanced software and hardware development.
Today's organizations depend on information technology expertise. Students pursuing this degree or certificate prepare to fill that role by working their way from simple computer applications toward advanced software and hardware development.
Database Administrator
Information Systems Manager
IT Consultant
Systems Developer
Network Engineer
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/information-systems
Interdisciplinary Studies (Applied Liberal Arts B.A.)
This flexible program allows you to choose courses in consultation with your advisor. You’ll graduate with a comprehensive, multifaceted understanding of our contemporary times and be prepared to:
- Address a variety of research problems using an interdisciplinary approach
- Design research projects that respect the ethical boundaries inherent in the study of humans
- Communicate effectively in writing and orally
- Collaborate meaningfully with your peers and faculty
Critically examine our rapidly changing society through this dynamic program. In the Interdisciplinary Studies concentration, you will work with your academic advisor to design a course of study that allows you to draw upon the other disciplines within the ALA major.
Teacher
Marketing Manager
Education Administrator
Human Resource Associate
Development Officer
Residential Counselor
Social Work Student
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/social-science
Philosophy (Applied Liberal Arts B.A.)
This major is ideal for students who seek to understand the world around them at its deepest level. You'll learn to address fundamental questions about knowledge, goodness, and the nature of human experience in a clear, systematic fashion. With a curriculum anchored in the great works of antiquity and the Enlightenment, this program introduces students to the major fields of philosophical inquiry including political philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of science.
Who are we, and why are we here? What is the nature of knowledge, truth, and justice? This concentration explores these and other enduring questions that form the basis of our shared humanity while sharpening your critical thinking and analytical skills in the process.
Paralegal
Nonprofit Administrator
Journalist
Writer
Educator
Law Student
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/philosophy
Political Science (Applied Liberal Arts B.A.)
Students graduate from this major with a strong grasp of the intricacies of political life, able to analyze political processes and institutions from a variety of theoretical perspectives.
Requirements:
- Fundamental Concepts of Politics
- Social and Political Philosophy
- Comparative Politics
- International Relations
- Research Methods for the Social Sciences
- Gender Politics
- Law and Morality
- Two courses in American Politics
- Two upper-level Political Science and/or Law electives
Explore the concepts underpinning the U.S. political system before broadening and applying that knowledge to politics as a whole. You'll be exposed to other forms of political systems found throughout the world while honing your analytical and communications skills.
Public Policy
Campaign Worker
City Manager
Lobbyist
Foreign Service
Office Paralegal
Law Student
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/political-science
Psychology
This major is ideal for students who want to analyze human behavior through the lenses of developmental history, social sciences, cognitive psychology, and civil society. You'll study with leading practitioners and industry experts as you learn to apply key theories from the field of psychology to solve real-world issues at work, in your community, and in society.
Requirements:
- Introduction to Psychology
- Research Methods for the Social Sciences
- Developmental Psychology
- Applied Statistics
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychology in Context
- Six Psychology electives
Do you wonder why we do what we do and what makes us tick? Seek the answers through this flexible program, which covers aspects of many applied areas in psychology. Courses are offered nights, online, and in a hybrid format.
Community Service Manager
Health Educator
Market Research Analyst
Social Services Advocate
Case Manager in Human Services
Employee Experience Specialist
ABA Therapist
Strategic/Brand Planner
Sociology (Applied Liberal Arts B.A.)
This program will introduce you to classical and contemporary sociological theories and challenge you to apply these theories in evaluating social phenomena. By the time you graduate, you’ll have a firm grasp on the complexities of behavior and interaction in modern societies.
Requirements:
- Introductory Sociology
- Sociological Theories
- Research Methods for the Social Sciences
- Qualitative Methods
- Class, Power, and Social Change
- Three upper-level Sociology courses
- Two upper-level Political Science and/or Psychology electives
Develop the skills necessary to apply a sociological lens to everyday life in addition to scholarly research. You will learn to analyze and critique social, structural, and cultural factors that influence those experiences with a particular focus on using these skills for the betterment of the human condition.
Social Worker
Student Criminologist
High School Teacher
Policy Analyst
Demographer
Survey Researcher
Statistician
bc:schools/wcas/program-browser/cards/sociology
Cost of a Boston College Degree
$76,000
Approximate Total Cost of B.A. at the Woods College
108 credits over fall and spring and 12 credits in summer (based on Academic Year 2024-2025 tuition)
Deadlines
- Fall Enrollment
- August 1
- Spring Enrollment
- December 1
- Summer Enrollment
- April 15
- Rolling Admission
- After deadlines, as space permits.
Application
If you are mailing hard copies of application materials, please send them to:
Boston College
Woods College of Advancing Studies Admissions Office
St. Mary's Hall South
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
*Current Woods College Undergraduate degree students interested in adding a certificate to their plan of study should not use the online application.
Academic transcripts
Submit the following:
- Official high school transcript with degree conferral date or official GED
- Official college transcript(s) from all previously attended colleges or universities
If you have been conferred your associate's degree, you may submit an Attestation Form in lieu of an official high school transcript. The completed form can be sent to wcasadm@vbj4.com.
Please mail transcripts to:
Boston College
Woods College of Advancing Studies Admissions Office
St. Mary's Hall South
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
If your academic institution provides electronic transcripts please indicate wcasadm@vbj4.com as the recipient.
Applicants whose Native language is not English are required to demonstrate English language proficiency, for required scores, visit our International Student page.
Essay
To be uploaded to your online Application Form.
Please submit one essay by responding to one of the topics listed below. The essay should be typewritten, double-spaced, and should be limited to 500 – 750 words in length.
The essay is essential to the Admissions Committee as it allows the committee to assess your personal goals, your reasons for choosing the program to which you are applying, your commitment to your educational goals, and your writing ability.
- Discuss your reason(s) for applying to the B.A. program at the Woods College of Advancing Studies at this time. Support your reasons with specific examples.
- Discuss your academic goals and how they apply to your planned career and/or life goals.
The essay must be uploaded as part of your online application.
Application Fee
Application fee: $45
- Paid through online application.
Recommendations
Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required. Letters must be sent directly from the recommender through our online application portal or sent directly to Woods College (wcasadm@vbj4.com).
Please note: Letters of recommendation should be provided by recommenders who can speak to your professional or academic abilities.
If you are having difficulty securing a second letter of recommendation, please email wcasadm@vbj4.com to schedule an interview with the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions. This interview will serve in lieu of the second letter of recommendation.
International Students
1. Demonstrated English Language Proficiency required (minimum TOEFL score of 90-100)
For additional information about scores, visit our International Student page.
2. Interview
For all international students and non-native English speakers, interviews are conducted as part of the application process.
The purpose of the interview is for the admission committee to gain a better sense of an applicant and how the program fits his or her academic and vocational needs. Additionally, the interview provides the committee an opportunity to assess a student’s specific information and to address the unique needs one may have in transitioning to Boston College. The interview will last no more than 15 minutes. Interviews will only be scheduled once an application has been submitted.
3. Transcript Evaluation
All students who have, or are currently attending, an institution outside of the United States must provide a detailed, course-by-course transcript evaluation indicating the following:
For BA applicants: conferral of a secondary school degree that is equivalent to a U.S. high school’s degree from an accredited institution.
For MS applicants: conferral of an undergraduate degree that is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
This evaluation is not just an English translation, but a document provided by an accredited evaluating agency that shows all grades, course titles, credit hours, United States degree equivalency, grade-point average (GPA), and date of degree conferral.
This detailed, course-by-course transcript evaluation must be submitted to complete the application.
Please request a detailed, course-by-course transcript evaluation for all international institutions where a degree was conferred from one of the following agencies:
Educational Credential Evaluators | Center for Educational Documentation | SpanTran |
World Education Services Inc.
|
Financial Aid & Scholarships
For Financial Aid and Scholarship information please click the link below
Financial Aid and Scholarship Information
Questions
Schedule an appointment with an admissions counselor through our online calendar.