Undergraduate Degree Completion Program

The online Undergraduate Degree Completion Program (UDCP) is a unique, completely online curriculum for those prepared to finish the second half of a bachelor’s degree. This distance education program provides an interdisciplinary, liberal arts degree for working adults who meet Boston University’s selective admissions standards.

Students in the UDCP undertake a balanced curriculum of social science, humanities, and natural science courses. Two seven-week courses are offered sequentially by semester, offering a forum for active learning within a structured and participatory format. Students work with faculty and other students in sections of less than twenty students. Successful completion of the program will result in the Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) in Interdisciplinary Studies from Boston University’s Metropolitan College.

Graduates of the UDCP:

  • gain detailed knowledge of classical and contemporary liberal arts in certain representative areas of the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences;
  • acquire an understanding of sciences, literature, and history through focused themes;
  • gain full proficiency in writing through individual and collaborative work; 
acquire a thorough liberal arts education;
  • understand the relationship between the real world and liberal learning.

Admissions Information

The Undergraduate Degree Completion Program seeks candidates for admission who are academically well qualified and fully prepared to successfully maximize the unique pedagogical approach presented in this program. The program is designed for mature and motivated adult learners who desire to complete their undergraduate liberal arts degree within a virtual community of similarly high-achieving individuals. Candidates for admission should be ready to make a commitment to this selective program and participate in rigorous courses with students like themselves.

The admissions process looks at the whole person, not just a composite of transcripts, and will admit mature, motivated students prepared to make a commitment to this concentrated, highly structured program. While there is a requirement of 52–64 previous transferable academic credits, the admissions committee considers far more than prior academic records to select a cohort that meets our ideals.

The admissions committee will review candidates and will look for:

  • strong overall academic preparation,
  • the equivalent of a freshman-level English writing course and a college-level course in mathematics or a related quantitative area,
  • work/professional activities indicating maturity and appropriate motivation,
  • demonstrated commitment to complete this special program.

Additionally, successful applicants will present a clear, well-written application essay as part of the formal application.

The admissions committee will also consider the applicant’s life experiences and professional activities as an indication of preparedness to commit and engage in this special program.
The admissions committee meets regularly and makes decisions on a rolling admissions basis.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 16 courses (64 credits) to include:

  • MET IS 308 Exploring Philosophy through Film: Knowledge, Ethics, and Personal Identity
  • MET IS 312 Food Stuff: A Taste of Biology
  • MET IS 325 Explorations in the Essay: History, Theory, Practice
  • MET IS 327 The Meaning of America: People, Identity, and Conflict that Built a Nation
  • MET IS 333 Manipulating Life: The Ethics and Science of Biotechnology
  • MET IS 345 Rethinking the Classics: Contemporary Takes on the Canon
  • MET IS 350 Nature and the Divine in Myth, Literature, and Art
  • MET IS 360 Literature, Film, and the American Dream
  • MET IS 362 Mathematics that Matter in the Twenty-first Century
  • MET IS 367 Jobs, Wages, and the Global Economy
  • MET IS 370 China, the Emerging Superpower: A Model for Development?
  • MET IS 380 Landscape, Climate, and Humans
  • MET IS 385 Interior and Exterior Landscapes: Understanding Native American Cultures
  • MET IS 419 The Holocaust and Music
  • MET IS 420 The Moral Self: Psychological, Religious, and Spiritual Perspectives
  • MET IS 421 The Art of Rhetoric in Life and Work
  • MET IS 450 Botany without Borders
  • MET IS 460 Romanticism and Its Offshoots: Countering the Enlightenment in Philosophical Literature and the Visual Arts
  • MET IS 470 Biblical Archaeology: Methods, Theories, Contexts
  • MET IS 480 Physics of Motion

Contact Information

Further Information on the UDCP can be obtained by contacting Undergraduate Student Services, 755 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, 617-353-2980; email: metuss@bu.edu.