Hazel Sive, PhD, Dean
Brent D. Nelson, PhD, Senior Associate Dean, Undergraduate Affairs
Rachelle Reisberg, Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Curriculum and Students
Dean’s Office
617.373.5085
cos@northeastern.edu
Student Services Office
617.373.4475
COSAdvising@northeastern.edu
The College of Science offers instructional programs that are at the forefront of discovery, invention, and innovation in the physical sciences, life sciences, linguistics, and mathematics. Our programs are designed to give students a deep understanding and hands-on experience in traditional and emerging interdisciplinary fields such as chemical biology, cognition and neuroscience, marine science, biochemistry, nanoscience, and network science.
The college places a strong emphasis on the experiential learning model and seeks to provide students with a wide array of opportunities to explore innovative, interdisciplinary collaborations through cooperative educational work assignments, service-learning, undergraduate research, internships, study-abroad programs, and active participation in our award-winning student chapters of professional associations. The college seeks to provide students with the best possible foundation for achieving their goals, whether they seek to attend graduate school, professional school, or immediately pursue a career upon graduation.
The college offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Science/Master of Science (PlusOne programs) degrees in a number of majors and emphasizes the value of a solid general education through NUpath. Students may choose a four- or five-year experiential learning plan in most programs. Either plan offers co-op opportunities, often in an area related to the student’s chosen academic area.
PlusOne Programs
Many programs and departments offer academically strong students the option of obtaining their BS and MS degree in five years.
College Requirements
All students in the College of Science must successfully complete the university requirements of NUpath. In addition, students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree must fulfill the BA requirements.
Academic Advising
The College of Science has an academic advising system that consists of professional advisors and faculty advisors located in the college’s department and program offices. Detailed advising information is available on the college website. PreMed and PreHealth Advising, as well as Pre-Law Advising, are also available.
Graduation Clearance Process
Students in the College of Science are required to meet with an academic advisor in the College of Science to determine their remaining graduation requirements. This should be completed in the junior year to ensure ample time to complete any outstanding requirements.
Academic Progression Standards
In addition to meeting university progression standards, it is expected that full-time science students enroll in four (3- or 4-credit) courses with appropriate labs and recitations and successfully complete at least 12 semester hours each academic semester with an acceptable grade-point average as noted below.
Students are only eligible for an exception to this course load requirement in one of the following circumstances:
- Students in their final semester with less than 12 semester hours needed to meet all program requirements are eligible for a reduced course load. Students are required to request this with their academic advisor before the start of their final semester.
- Students who have been approved for reduced course load accommodation after proper evaluation by Disability Access Services. This is not evaluated or approved by a students’ academic advisor.
Pass/fail courses are restricted to electives outside of the major, minor, and NUpath requirements.
Graduation Requirements
A minimum cumulative GPA requirement of 2.000 in major courses and a minimum cumulative GPA requirement of 2.000 overall are required for graduation. Note: The university requires a minimum grade of C for First-Year Writing and Advanced Writing requirements.
Criteria for Academic Probation
Full-time students in the College of Science will be placed on academic probation effective for the following academic semester for any of the reasons noted below. A notation of the academic probation action will appear on the internal record but not on the permanent transcript.
First-year Students:
- Not maintaining a semester GPA of at least a 1.800 at the end of each full-term semester (fall, spring) of the first-year curriculum
- Not earning at least 12 semester hours at the end of each fall and spring semester of the first-year curriculum
Upperclass and Transfer Students:
- Not earning at least 12 semester hours in the academic full-term semester (fall, spring) just completed
- Not maintaining an overall cumulative GPA of at least 2.000 at the end of each full-term academic semester (fall, spring)
Academic Dismissal from Major
Students can be dismissed from their major for not maintaining a GPA of at least a 2.000 in the major at the end of the second academic full-term semester of the curriculum and at the end of each full-term academic semester (fall, spring) thereafter. Students may also be dismissed from the major for accumulating three total outstanding course deficiencies (grades of F, I, W, NE, U, or missing grades) without successfully completing the course(s) in a later semester. Students may be dismissed by failure to follow a program of study approved by the student’s academic advisor. Students dismissed from their major, but otherwise eligible to remain an active student within the university, are allowed to continue within the College of Science as a transitional student for up to two semesters. If the student does not find a new major after two transitional semesters, they may be dismissed from the college.
Academic Dismissal from University
Students who remain on probation after two full-term academic semesters may be dismissed from the university. This action may appear on the transcript at the end of the second probationary semester. In addition, students who have below a 1.000 GPA or fewer than 4 earned semester hours in any semester or cumulatively may be dismissed at the discretion of their college. Students may appeal this decision to the Academic Standing Committee. International students must consult with an advisor in the Office of Global Services to discuss the impact of an academic dismissal as it relates to nonimmigrant visa status.