Your education is uniquely yours, and planning it should feel clear and empowering.
Every degree has required courses you must complete, but you also have room to explore and make choices along the way. For undergraduate students, that means balancing your major requirements with the Foundations & Transformations curriculum—our take on a liberal arts general education.
These tools help you see your academic roadmap:
✔️ Academic Catalog – Your go-to for a big-picture view of curriculum requirements, with many degrees offering program sequences that show which courses to take and when.
✔️ Student Planning – Your personalized dashboard tracking your degree progress, remaining requirements, grades, and more.
Log into Student Planning and click the checklist icon to view your academic progress.As always, if you're unsure, contact your academic advisor or the Office of Student Success and Academic Enrichment for guidance.
Foundations & Transformations liberal arts education requirements consist of course topics offered by the College of Arts & Sciences that focus on building critical skills while choosing subjects that interest you.
It starts with ASC 101: Thinking Through — a selection of around 40 unique courses that will encourage you to dig deeper into a timely topic, step outside of your comfort zone, and learn something new.
From here, you'll begin to complete courses across the humanities, sciences, and social sciences divisions—including ones with special experiences centered around service learning and diversity and skills-building in writing enriched or lab-focused classes.
Take a look at all of the diverse topics you can explore:
To learn more about Foundations & Transformations general education requirements for undergraduate students, review the Academic Catalog for the year you started your Widener journey and select either "General Education" or "Academic Policies".
The Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs are your official guides to Widener’s programs, majors, and courses. Think of the catalog as your academic roadmap—it outlines the curriculum you need to follow based on the year you entered Widener. Each catalog is updated annually, and past versions remain available for reference.
Your advisor will help you use the catalog to plan your courses and stay on track, but it’s important to review your catalog yourself so you understand your requirements.
Your course plan is more than a schedule—it’s your personal roadmap for growth. Each choice is a chance to explore new ideas, feed your curiosity, and shape an education that excites you. Thoughtful planning helps you stay on track to graduate and discover courses that spark your interests, build valuable skills, or even lead to a minor or certificate.
⚠️ See a hold on your account? Learn how to address holds
👉 Tip: Prepare your plan (and some back-up classes!) before your registration window in case you need support or guidance.
Student Planning is a great place to start! Follow the steps above to see what courses you need to take and the courses that fulfill the requirement.
Once you know what requirements are left to fulfill, click "Academics" then "Course Catalog" to see what's offered in the upcoming semester.
We've also compiled a list of the latest special topics offered for easy exploring! Still unsure what to take? Get the insider scoop on which courses to take by asking your friends, professors, ASC 101 faculty, and advisors.
In Student Planning, you can start mapping out your semester by clicking “Add Course to Plan” next to any class that interests you. Think of this as creating your wish list—it helps you see how different options fit together.
Remember, adding a course to your plan doesn’t reserve a spot; you’ll officially register and confirm your selections when your registration window opens.
Absolutely. Courses outside your major are considered electives—classes you choose beyond your core degree requirements. Electives are a great way to explore new interests, gain fresh perspectives, and even work toward a minor or certificate that personalizes your education and adds depth to your degree.
These #88 "Special Topics" courses fulfill Foundations & Transformations education requirements. As lifelong explorers, our professors are constantly engaged in developing new classes. Here are the latest!
Course Type Key:
(D)-Diversity (W)-Writing Enriched (H)-Honors
Anthropology (ANTH-288-A): Cannabis Culture
African & African American Studies: (AFAS-288-A): Black Mass Media (D) | This course is an examination of the role mass media plays in the African American community. Ownership, access, and image making are a few of the topics discussed. The aim is to develop an understanding and awareness of how media influences and shapes the opinions of citizens regarding Black existence. Through racialization, a form of propaganda, Black people have been subjected to caricatures of misinformed and exaggerated Black identity not only in the United States but across the African diaspora. Therefore, this course offers a reorientation to Black culture by situating stereotypes in context as an extension of colonialism and Western cultural imperialism. Furthermore, this course provides a grounding of Afrocentric and Black Cinema Theories such as Afrocentricity, Cognitive Hiatus, Location, No Theory and the ideology behind L.A. Rebellion Cinematography. By conclusion of the semester, students will be able to document, provide, and construct sociopolitical and cultural critiques upon the American society in conjunction to Black existence in all societal sectors whether it be entertainment, law, politics, sports, and/or education. |
Art History: (AH-388-A): Art of Latin America (D) | What is Latin American art and what role does visual culture play in shaping how we understand Latin America today? This course examines the art and visual culture of Latin America starting from the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica and the Andes and ending in the present day. Students consider a broad range of artworks and artifacts—including painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, textiles, manuscripts, and devotional objects. Focusing on case studies from Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, the course explores how artmaking has been shaped by Indigenous traditions, European colonization, the transatlantic slave trade, migration, and ongoing cultural exchange within and beyond the region. Students also explore visual culture’s impact on religion, systems of power, and race, class, and gender across the region. |
Art: (AS-188-A): Experimental Drawing | This introductory studio course explores drawing and expands beyond traditional techniques, inviting students to explore diverse and innovative methods for artistic expression. Projects embrace experimentation with materials and alternative processes while introducing key themes within drawing practice and theory. |
English: (ENGL-188-A/B): Drama | Drama is a genre of connection and transformation. Despite the rise of movies and television, drama continues to thrive as an art form, because it offers immediacy, the singular experience, for both performers and audience, of each performance. Through reflections, analysis, panel discussions, and intensive engagement with texts, live performance, and industry speakers, students examine the style and structure of drama across periods and regions, as well as the ways in which the immediacy and uniqueness of each performance creates powerful and emotional experiences. |
| English: (ENGL-388-A): Classic and Contemporary Dystopian Fiction (W)(H) | In early 2025, Publisher's Weekly reported that several dystopian novels, including George Orwell's 1984 (1949), Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (1959), and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985), each saw an impressive spike in sales, as readers sought out books to help them make sense of recent events in the United States, such as the November 2024 elections and the historic wildfires in Los Angeles. But the dystopian genre has long been popular among American readers. In this course, we will explore why these dark, pessimistic narratives are so appealing, among many other questions. In addition to the "classic" texts mentioned above, we will consider contemporary examples, such as Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven (2014) and Helen Phillips's HUM (2024). We will approach all of these texts both as works of speculative fiction and critiques of a wide range of cultural institutions and phenomena, including authoritarianism, climate crisis, consumerism, freedom of expression (and lack thereof), patriarchy, privacy, religious extremism, and both technological progress and overreach. (Honors Colloquium) |
History: (HIST-388-A): Non-Western History Seminar (W) | Topics offered in response to student and/or faculty interest. |
| Music: (MUS-188-A/B): History of Rock and Roll (D) | History of Rock and Roll charts the development of major genres of American popular music — such as rock, pop, R&B, country, hip hop, punk, metal, funk and others — from the 1950s to the present. While the class will focus heavily on music from the US and the UK it will examine how these types of music spread around the world, including to Latin America, continental Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, and examine US-origin popular music as a truly "global" phenomenon. |
| Music: (MUS-388-A): Musical on Film (W)(D) | The Musical on Film will focus on understanding and analyzing film musicals, from the early days of sound film to the present. The class will be glabal in its focus, examining film musicals from countries around the world such as India, France, Russia, Brazil, Germany, the UK, and Japan, as well as the Broadway-Hollywood tradition in the United States. We will also study musicals from animation, television, video games and online media along with live-action feature films. Students will gain an appreciation for the unique challenges of adapting and creating musicals for the screen, and techniques to critique these works. |
Philosophy: (PHIL-388-A): The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence | Examining artificial intelligence through a philosophical lens, this course asks what these systems are doing to our attention, our knowledge, our skills, and the institutions we share. Students begin with general philosophical accounts of technology and its effects before turning to particular problems raised by AI, including privacy, manipulation, discrimination, labor, and the concentration of power, and close by asking who holds the standing to govern these systems and to whom those decisions are answerable. |
| Computer Science: (CSCI-288-A): Intermediate Web Design | This course introduces students to the design and development of websites using HTML, CSS, and basic JavaScript. It covers both visual design principles - such as layout, color, and typography - and some programming concepts to make websites interactive and user-friendly. No prior coding experience is needed. The course focuses on the creative and practical side of web design. No prerequisites. This course fulfills the science general education requirement. Course is under review to fulfill the science lab general education requirement |
| Computer Science: (CSCI-388): AI-driven Software Project Lab | In this lab course, students will design and build software projects using AI tools to generate code. The focus of the course will be on design and validation rather than programming. Students will gain experience generating, evaluating, and adapting AI-written code. Prior experience with object-oriented programming is required. |
| Biology: (BIOL-388-A): Molecular Biology of Aging | This course for pre-medical students and biology and biochemistry majors focuses on the current understanding of cellular and molecular structure and function. Emphasis is placed on specific cellular processes and the molecular interactions that govern them. The consequences of cellular dysfunction due to aging and age-related diseases will be emphasized. The course employs primary journal articles, and discussion revolves around the analysis of experimental results. |
| Biology: (BIOL-388-B): Marine Ecology | This course will examine the ecology of marine systems with particular focus on the midatlantic region. Beginning with an overview of oceanography, ecology, survival and reproductive strategies, the physical challenges of the ocean environment, and adaptations of intertidal organisms will be considered. Marine fisheries and associated regulations will also be discussed. Students will have an opportunity for hands-on activities and research into a marine organism of interest to them. |
| Biology: (BIOL-188-A): Service Learning Biology Lab | This inquiry-based lab complements BIOL 172 by focusing on the practice of inquiry-based experimental science through a service-learning lens. Students master the scientific method -- from hypothesis formulation to data analysis -- and then apply these skills by teaching STEM experiments to 5th graders at Stetser Elementary School. Lab topics span the chemistry of life, energy transformations (including circuits, magnets, motoes, and solar cells), and Earth’s systems (Geosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, and Biosphere). Using the school’s 22 raised bed garden as an outdoor classroom, students explore ecology, evolution, and human environmental impacts. This course aims to solidify biological understanding while enhancing communication skills and promoting community STEM accessibility and community well-being |
| Math (MATH-188-HY1): Intro to Data Science | This course is designed to introduce basic elements of data collection and preparation for data visualization. The topics will allow student to gain a proficiency in statistical principles for data analysis. We will explore essential data analysis techniques tailored for business contexts to apply effective data visualization methods. Students will develop critical thinking skills to analyze real-world data and make informed business decisions. This course will have a strong focus on software application. It will introduce the use of Excel and Tableau for data analysis. |
| Anthropology (ANTH-288-A): Cannabis Culture | This course explores the complex and multifaceted relationship between humans and cannabis across time and space. Through an anthropological lens, students will examine how diverse cultures around the world have cultivated, consumed, and conceptualized cannabis for spiritual, medicinal, economic, and recreational purposes. By analyzing historical and contemporary case studies, the class will investigate the cultural dimensions of cannabis use. Students will critically evaluate shifting global attitudes, challenge ethnocentric assumptions, and explore the diverse ways this highly debated plant continues to shape human experience, ritual, and cultural identity. |
| Anthropology (ANTH-288-B): The Gray Zone: Anthropology of Conflict and Violence | This course examines the role of conflict and violence in society as understood from an anthropological perspective. Topics include overt forms of political violence, such as war, genocide, femicide, and crimes against humanity. We will also consider more discreet everyday expressions of violence and conflict, such as state neglect, inaction and unequal/uneven distribution of risk. Through an exploration of the key ideas and theories on this topic (such as Primo Levi’s “The Gray Zone”) we will address questions such as: What is violence? How do different forms of violence manifest in society? And how does this understanding of violence relate to narrative of human rights? Lastly, this course will also consideration methodological implications for conducting research in conflict-ridden field sites. No pre-requisites. |
| Anthropology (ANTH-288-C): Film as Social Change | Sometimes change can start with a story. Telling stories on film is an effective way to capture an audience’s minds and hearts, inform change and inspire action. As such, this course will focus on documentary shorts and full-length features that create awareness about social issues around the world. Topics covered include culture, gender, race, homelessness, indigeneity, family, mental health, labor, and immigration. Students will engage in critical thinking and classroom discussions in which they aim to demonstrate a nuanced understanding of shared responsibility and a common sense of humanity. No pre-requisites. |
| Anthropology (ANTH-288-D): Cultural and Historical Landscapes | The concept of “landscape” has long been fundamental to understanding the way that human societies occupy specific places and utilize specific resources within the natural environment. Archaeologists focusing on regional-scale problems have recognized that patterns of human settlement within a landscape are outcomes of continuous interaction between humans and the land and resources they exploit. Yet, in the last few decades, the landscape concept has been transformed by a multiplicity of new perspectives, and by a more sophisticated and nuanced appreciation that human landscapes are not merely adaptational and economic, but also exist in the realms of ideas, social relations, and culturally constructed meanings. These divergent perspectives, which we may group heuristically under the rubric of “landscape archaeology,” are the subjects of intense current debate in the discipline. An important theme of this course is that multiple and diverse perspectives can be integrated into a more holistic archaeology of landscapes. |
| Political Science (POLS-288-A): Politics and Social Justice | In order to challenge discrimination and oppression, it is vital to understand how systems of discrimination develop and are perpetuated and how these are challenged. This class will familiarize students with key concepts and issues in social justice, including: social construction, discrimination, privilege, systemic oppression, implicit bias and social activism. Because issues of social justice span the globe, this class will emphasize the links between both American and global social justice issues. |
| Sociology (SOC-288-B): Sociology of Tourism | This course introduces students to key sociological concepts and theories relevant to tourism in modern society, while considering how tourism intersects with a range of social issues. Topics also cover various developments and controversies related to tourism, including over-tourism, authenticity, and commodification. Students will have the opportunity to visit an international destination to observe and apply the material learned in class. This course carries an additional fee separate from tuition for all costs associated with travel to the international tourist destination. |
ASC 401-A: From the Pride to Purpose Through examining noteworthy films, and other learnings, we will examine major questions that shape human experiences and how your Widener experiences informed your future endeavors. | Through examining noteworthy films, and other learnings, we will examine major questions that shape human experiences and how your Widener experiences informed your future endeavors. Film is one of the most influential storytelling forms of modern life. Through powerful narratives, films help us grapple with questions about relationships, justice, ambition, community, violence, faith, technology, and the future. In this course, students will analyze films that explore major dimensions of the human experience. Students will reflect on how liberal arts and their different fields of study approach these questions and how their own education at Widener has prepared them to engage with complex social and personal challenges. As a capstone experience, the course encourages students to synthesize their academic learning while considering the lives, careers, and communities they hope to participate in after graduation. |
ASC 401-B: Utopian and Dystopian Futures (W) We will investigate the promises and problems of so-called perfect societies through your individual learning experiences by collectively exploring the dilemmas facing our world and what role your disciplines play in determining whether our future is utopian or dystopian. | We will investigate the promises and problems of so-called perfect societies through your individual learning experiences by collectively exploring the dilemmas facing our world and what role your disciplines play in determining whether our future is utopian or dystopian. |
ASC 401-C & D: Restorative Justice, Restorative Communities (W) In this course, we will examine how restorative justice is used as a transformative tool to build community, encourage listening and dialogue, resolve conflict, interrupt violence, and create a path to healing for victims, offenders, and communities. | This section of Thinking Forward focuses on restorative justice. Restorative justice advocates believe that a crime is not just a violation of a law or rule; it is a violation that harms human beings and communities. Restorative justice offers practical ways to address harm that may provide healing and promote restorative communities. In addition, while those who have harmed others must be held accountable for their actions, the harm that they caused must also be repaired and the reasons for the offense addressed—with the hope of curbing re-offense. We will meet in class as a peace circle to discuss readings and course materials that look deeply into the theories and practices of restorative justice. Restorative justice insists on listening and narrative, and we will listen deeply to each other and to multiple narratives of victims and co-victims of crime, offenders, and harmed communities to consider how restorative justice promotes healing and peace. |
ASC 401-F: Gender Identity and Diversity (W) Often college allows students to gain a better understanding of gender identity and gender diversity. This course will look at how their traditional higher education experience encourages a broadening students’ understanding of gender diversity, including their own. | Many colleges and universities require that their students take general education classes—classes outside your major. Did you ever consider why? Have you considered how that impacts your understanding of those who are different from you, especially when their gender or gender identity is what is different? We will explore why general education is valuable in (creating) a well-educated student, whether that education has added value to your experience, and how that education helps you better accept and understand those who have different genders/gender identities than yours. |
ASC 401-G: Migration Borders and Boundaries In this class we will explore migration, borders, and boundaries, both in the U.S. and beyond. Students will learn how borders shape our world today and gain insight into the migrant experience. | In this class we will explore migration, borders, and boundaries, both in the U.S. and beyond. Students will learn how borders shape our world today and gain insight into the migrant experience. |
ASC 401-H: The Criminal Mind In this class we will use real true crime cases to explore how understanding human behavior can help investigators solve crimes and reveal deeper truths about the people behind them. | In this class, we use real true crime cases to explore how understanding human behavior can help investigators solve crimes and reveal deeper truths about the people behind them. Students will reflect on connections between disciplines, integrate diverse methods, and synthesize this knowledge into their capstone project. |
ASC 401-HY1 & 2: Political Violence Students will be guided through the process of developing and investigating their own original pressing questions related to the topic of political violence. | With an emphasis on both the past and present, this team-taught Thinking Forward seminar asks you to think in new ways about the use of violence by political and social movements. What role does political violence play in the world we live in? How well do you understand that role? How have the courses you have taken so far helped you develop that understanding? Emphasizing the value of critical thinking in a changing world, you will gain knowledge and insights on the significance of political violence, taking into account your current knowledge of and preconceptions about the topic. A variety of assignments will ask you to express your understanding of the nature and role of political violence in the modern world. |
ASC 401-J: Making Meaning - Designing Life We humans make meaning out of the key events in our lives, so how can we parlay that into designing our personal futures? | Through interaction with a variety of people, arts, disciplines, methods and current events, we will examine how and why we make meaning from the key events of life, including our years at Widener. We'll learn and use Design Thinking tools and mindsets to parlay that meaning into possible personal futures. In the process, we'll create community and gain some tools that will be helpful throughout your career and life. Much of the work will be done in Life Design Teams of 4-5 individuals, so come prepared to share and contribute. |
ASC 401-K: Is College Worth it? (W) Investigate the true worth of college by examining its benefits, controversies, and future reforms to reach your own reasoned conclusion. | Scholars, politicians and the public are questioning the value of a college education. Defenders of traditional higher education claim that college produces broadly educated and well-rounded citizens capable of adapting to diverse global and domestic work environments, as well as the shifting nature of work in an era of technological disruption. Critics argue that college is too expensive, doesn’t teach the skills necessary to compete in the job market, indoctrinates students, and that students are accumulating crushing loan debt. |
ASC 401-M: Power and Knowledge How does power shape what people and societies know? | Through an interdisciplinary exploration of power and knowledge, students examine how different fields frame questions, produce knowledge, and address social issues from distinct perspectives. Through readings, discussion, reflective assignments, and applied social actions, students critically analyze the dynamic relationship between power and knowledge while developing a deeper understanding of how diverse ways of knowing inform their personal, professional, and civic lives. |
ASC 401-N: Health and Power This course will explore a wide range of health topics that include medicine, exercise, food, technology and how power plays a role in access to these areas. | This course will explore a wide range of health topics that include medicine, exercise, food, technology and how power plays a role in access to these areas. We will watch documentaries, talk to a variety of health professionals, listen to podcasts, watch science animations and take a nature walk in the Taylor arboretum. The course will be discussion and reflection based, and students will be asked to choose a topic they are interested in exploring as a final project. |
ASC 401-P: Environmental Solutions What are the major environmental challenges facing us and what can we do? | Humans and the Earth are facing a number of serious environmental challenges like climate change, pollution, and limited resources. We will not just look at these challenges but we will look at ways we can address these challenges. Use the research, problem solving, and communication skills you learned at Widener to find out what we can do to address these challenges. |
ASC 401-Q: Can Cities be Sustainable? (W) We will examine the urban environment, from green spaces and biodiversity to energy, water, and waste flows. | Cities are complex, dynamic socio-ecological systems, and this course investigates the global challenge of making cities, where most people live, healthy and sustainable. We will examine the urban environment -- from green spaces and biodiversity to energy, water, and waste flows -- as a vital social-ecological system. Students will engage with the ecological, economic, and socio-political principles required to design and propose interdisciplinary solutions that foster more resilient, equitable, and successful urban futures. |
ASC 401-R & S: Cadence of Community (W) What do the creative arts teach us about community, and why should we listen? | The creative arts invite us to recognize our communal needs and to transform our communities accordingly. As we study the rhythms that sustain our coexistence, we will reflect on the communities we've found and forged in our own lives, both at Widener and beyond. How can we apply our creativity and critical thinking to support community resilience? |
ASC 401-T: Friendship, Family, Community, and Love This class will explore the nature of love and how it underlies the social structures of friendship, family, and community. We will consider representations of this idea in philosophy, literature, and art. | When things are going well, we love ourselves, our friends, our families, and our communities. What kind of love underlies these social structures? Philosophers, authors, and artists have sought to answer this question. They have also raised related questions, among them: Is self-love selfish? What do we owe our friends? What counts as a family? Can we love those who harm us? How does love relate to devotion, responsibility, and human flourishing? By examining the work of others, and taking inspiration from it, we will seek our own answers to these and other questions. |
ASC 401-U: Self-Authorship: Creating a Life for Yourself What does it mean to create a life for yourself, and when does someone else's role in that process cross from influence into interference? | This course asks what it means to create a life for yourself, and when someone else's hand in that creation crosses from influence into interference. We'll begin by examining the major philosophical conceptions of personal autonomy on offer. From there, we'll trace how those same conceptions surface in film and fiction, using select movies and novels as case studies for the abstract theory. Along the way, we'll ask how other people can rightly shape our choices without compromising our freedom to create a life of our own. |
Holds are alerts in Student Planning that signal something you need to resolve before registering. Take care of them early so they don’t block your schedule.
👉 Tip: Check for holds before your registration window opens to give yourself the best chance at the classes you want. This is what a hold alert looks like:
⚠️ What to Do If You Have a "Bursar's Hold":
This means there is a financial balance due to the Bursar's Office. The Bursar’s Office will work with you to develop a payment plan strategy to release your registration hold. To address the hold:
- Contact the Bursar’s Office at 610-499-4161
- Email busoffmc@widener.edu, or
- Visit Lipka Hall for an in-person conversation
⚠️ What to Do If You Have a "Financial Aid Document Hold":
A financial aid hold typically means you have documents you need to submit or you need to complete steps to have your federal loans disburse. Don't worry, the Student Financial Services Office can help!
- Contact the Student Financial Services Office at 610-499-4161
- Email finaidmc@widener.edu, or
- Visit Lipka Hall for an in-person conversation
⚠️ What to Do If You Have a "Health Forms Hold":
Health form holds means the Student Health Services Office is missing required health forms, but don't worry, this is an easy fix!
- Contact the Student Health Services at 610-499-1183
- Email studenthealthservices@widener.edu, or
- Visit Student Health Services for an in-person conversation
Academic faculty advisors are here to help you navigate your academic journey, translating your goals and interests into a successful educational experience. They assist with understanding and navigating academic requirements, policies, and procedures, guiding you in course selection.
Some of the most exciting ways to customize your unique academic journey—like co-ops/internships, studying or interning abroad, pursuing a minor or certificate, or a 4+1 accelerated master’s program—require planning ahead. These opportunities can affect your course sequencing, so it’s important to talk them through with your advisor early.
Your advisor can help you:
The earlier you start these conversations, the more flexibility you’ll have to take advantage of everything Widener offers.
Course registration is your chance to shape the semester ahead—and Student Planning makes it simple to do online.
When is Course Registration
To find your unique registration time, log into Student Planning and look for a blue alert like this:
For additional support with course registration, view the additional FAQs below or contact the Office of Student Success and Academic Enrichment.
If Student Planning isn’t letting you register, don’t worry—it will display an error message explaining why. Common reasons include:
👉 Tips:
Still stuck? Contact the Office of Student Success and Academic Enrichment at studentsuccess@widener.edu.
You can add or drop a course during the first week of each semester. After this add/drop period, any schedule changes should be discussed in a supportive meeting with your advisor.
To withdraw from a class or take a break, schedule an appointment with your advisor or the Office of Student Success and Academic Enrichment to review your options and next steps.
To drop a course in Student Planning, select the "Drop" button next to the course in the Schedule tab on the Plan & Schedule page.
Some instructors may “publish” the course in Canvas a week or two before the semester begins, so you have time to purchase books and review the syllabus. View required textbooks—even if the course is not yet published—through the Widener bookstore.
You can view your current and upcoming class schedules in Student Planning, found in your self-service portal. Once you log in, navigate to Student Planning → Plan & Schedule to see your course list, meeting times, and locations.
You have unique goals that you’re working to achieve through education—and we’re here to support your journey. That’s why Widener offers several options for you to customize your educational experience. Your academic advisor can further help you decide which degree path is right for you.
👉 Tip: In addition to the opportunities below, your specific degree program may offer specializations, dual degree options, and other ways to customize your degree path unique to the program.
Explore all programs on widener.edu
Review the online catalogs
Widener's 4+1 program—or, as we call it, Accelerated Advantage—is available to any major and allows you to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree in five years, rather than the typical six years.
You’ll spend four years as an undergraduate, followed by one year in grad school. You'll learn the same material as you would on a traditional path, but during your junior and/or senior years, you'll take courses that count toward both your undergraduate and graduate degrees.
If you’re interested in fields such as medicine, law, or health sciences, pairing your major with a pre-professional pathway can prepare you for that next step—and your future career.
In fact, students in our pre-physical therapy and pre-occupational therapy pathways benefit from preferred admission to Widener’s PT and OT doctorate programs, while pre-law students are eligible for special admissions programs to Delaware Law and Widener Law Commonwealth.
Looking to expand your horizons? Pursuing a double major or a dual degree lets you customize your education by studying more than one field in depth. Whether you want to combine complementary interests or explore two distinct disciplines, you’ll graduate with a competitive edge and a broader perspective.
Explore all programs on widener.edu
Review the online catalogs
Minors and certificates let you customize your education by adding depth, variety, or specialized skills beyond your major. These options give you the flexibility to explore new interests, strengthen your career preparation, and add more versatility to your education to set you apart in today’s job market.
Undergraduate minors and certificates
Adult and continuing studies minors and certificates
Did you know that first-year students may be invited into the honors program? You’ll engage in intellectually stimulating coursework, engage in academic and leadership activities, and interact with motivated peers.
We also offer discipline-specific programs in business, engineering, nursing, and more.
Pair military science courses in our College of Arts & Sciences with your full-time undergraduate program of choice.
While you can pursue any major, nursing, engineering, and computer science programs complement specific skills and training that will help you excel in a plethora of leadership and military careers.
Trust your gut and know there's always room to change your mind. Only you can decide what's most important to you.
For support and guidance, your academic advisor, Career Design and Development Office, and Student Success and Academic Enrichment Office are also here to help you think through your interests, career goals, and timeline so you can choose the best fit.
Yes! Many students pair these opportunities. It all comes down to intentional scheduling and maximizing your Foundations and Transformations general education electives when possible to advance your studies and ensure you stay on track.
Your advisor will help make sure your schedule works to support your goals and provide transparency if your aspirations may require additional time (e.g., summer courses).
Widener’s Accelerated Advantage program lets you take select graduate courses during your junior and senior years that count toward both your bachelor’s and master’s degrees. This not only helps you finish in five years instead of six, but also saves you money—you’ll pay the standard undergraduate tuition rate for those graduate courses, rather than the higher graduate per-credit rate.
If interested in pursuing a 4+1, consult with your academic advisor at the start of your junior year. As long as you meet the academic requirements, you can apply for one of the qualifying master’s degree programs.
You can make many changes directly in Student Planning, such as adding courses or switching sections, but some changes—like adding a minor or certificate, or choosing a double major, etc.—may require approval from your academic advisor or the department.
To pursue a 4+1, you will need to submit a graduate application for one of the qualifying master's programs during your junior year.
Always check with your advisor first to ensure your plan stays on track for graduation.
Unsure which to choose? Widener hosts minor and certificate fairs each fall and spring, during which you can explore all our academic areas and the many opportunities available to enrich your educational experience.
You can also explore minor and certificate offerings on widener.edu:
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