In the College of Letters & Science, students are not permitted to earn two undergraduate liberal arts degrees. Thus the likelihood of a student obtaining permission to pursue a second undergraduate degree in L&S is not a strong one if the student already has a liberal arts undergraduate degree (BA or BS) from UW-Madison or another institution. The intent is to make sure that seats are not taken away from eligible Wisconsin residents who have not yet earned their first undergraduate degree.
Students interested in earning a second undergraduate degree must consult an academic dean in the College of Letters & Science Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services. An academic dean will be looking to see if a student’s second degree is substantially different from the first degree.
Students who have already earned a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree within the College of Letters & Science at UW-Madison or elsewhere are not able to earn another BA or BS since two-thirds of their coursework for the second degree will be the same. Thus, a student who has a liberal arts degree (BA or BS) with a major in Journalism or English is usually not considered a likely candidate for a second undergraduate degree in the College of Letters & Science if the student wants to come back to do a second liberal arts degree (BA or BS) with a major in Computer Science or Zoology. Students who have earned a Music degree (MUS) or a degree from a non Letters & Science program (e.g., BBA, Nursing, etc.) might be able to earn a BA or BS.
NOTE: Currently the Computer Science major does not admit any second-undergraduate-degree candidates, regardless of the nature of their prior degree. Computer Science recommends that students explore the Professional Capstone Certificate Program or the Professional Master's Program. Contact the Professional Programs Coordinator for more information: pcp-admissions@cs.wisc.edu, 608-264-0712.
For detailed information about applying for a second undergraduate degree in L&S, please see L&S Second Undergraduate Degree and Second Undergraduate Degree in the Guide under Degrees.