As of next semester, Belmont students will see a reduction to their required BELL Core courses, according to an email sent to students by BELL Core Director Noel Boyle.
“I have great news. We are streamlining the BELL Core. No student will have any additional requirements. Some requirements are reduced or eliminated, but none are being added,” the email stated.
These changes, which have been in the works for the last year, should take effect before advising begins on Feb. 23.
The BELL Core will now be structured differently, broken down into three distinct categories — signature courses like First and Third Year Writing, foundations courses like lab sciences and humanities and degree cognates, which vary by degree type.
Bachelor of Arts students can expect to have three less hours in both humanities and social sciences and expect foreign language classes at the 1020 level to count toward humanities requirements.
Students working toward a Bachelor of Science can expect to need three less hours in science and social sciences.
Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music students will see the three hour general education elective eliminated, and the Bachelor of Social Work will have its degree requirements reorganized, but not actually changed.
Students who want to double major across different degree types will now have the option to do so without needing to take the general education courses for both degrees. Instead, they will choose one ‘primary’ degree to complete general education courses for.
Other notable changes to the BELL Core include the replacement of Math 1020 and 1080 with a new math course titled Quantitative Literacy and Reasoning and the elimination of Global Studies and Experiential Learning designations.
For students with concerns about the changes, town hall forums will be held on Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. in the Vince Gill Room, and on Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. in the Lila D. Bunch Library Multimedia Hall.