Artium Baccalaureatus

The Artium Baccalaureatus, the A.B. degree, is the traditional bachelor’s degree conferred by the College of Charleston and remains the College’s most prestigious degree. Since the founding of the College in 1770, the study of Greek and Latin has been a core component of the undergraduate curriculum.

The A.B. degree is a well-recognized program, but prestige is not the only benefit. High-level training in Greek or Latin provides linguistic and critical thinking skills that will improve your writing, communication, and research skills.

Graduate schools and employers receive hundreds, sometimes thousands, of applications from students with high GPAs and similar majors. The A.B. makes you stand out from the crowd. Only a few historical colleges and universities still offer this program of study (for instance, Harvard University, Princeton University, Bryn Mawr College).

Explore the course catalog for specfics. 

Earning an A.B. Degree

Students in any major can earn the Artium Baccalaureatus (instead of a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science). In recent years, students from a wide range of majors (including biology, chemistry, computer science, English, historic preservation, history, mathematics, political science, and psychology) have elected to pursue an A.B. degree.

The chief requirement is to demonstrate competency in an ancient language by completing two 300-level courses in either Latin or Greek. To prepare for these upper-level courses, students must complete the four-semester sequence in either Latin or Greek, which fulfills the College of Charleston’s four-semester General Education requirement for language.

Two courses in classical civilization are also required, but these are easy boxes to check as so many courses can “double count” for General Education requirements.