Elmhurst University awards the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Liberal Studies degrees.


The University also offers 18 graduate programs at the master’s degree level. Please refer to the Graduate Study section of this catalog.

Undergraduate credit at Elmhurst University is awarded in credit units. One unit of credit is equivalent to four semester hours or six quarter hours of transfer credit. All undergraduate courses described in this catalog result in one unit of credit, unless designated otherwise.

Students earn one degree, although they may have up to three majors.

Bachelor of Arts

Students seeking to earn the Bachelor of Arts must complete all Integrated Curriculum, major and minor courses for a letter grade and fulfill all elective course requirements as outlined here and in the Majors and Academic Programs section of this catalog.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Students seeking to earn the Bachelor of Fine Arts in the Department of Art must complete all Integrated Curriculum, major and minor courses for a letter grade and fulfill all elective course requirements as outlined here and in the Majors and Academic Programs section of this catalog. Additionally, they must complete two areas of concentration consisting of eight studio courses at the 300 or 400 level. Areas of concentration are determined by the Department of Art.

Bachelor of Science

Students seeking to earn the Bachelor of Science must complete all Integrated Curriculum, major and minor courses for a letter grade and fulfill all elective course requirements as outlined here and in the Majors and Academic Programs section of this catalog. Additionally, students must complete two college-level mathematics courses. Note: PSY 355 may count as one of the two. Please see individual program pages for exceptions.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

The BSN is a professional program that prepares students for practice as a generalist as a registered professional nurse (RN). The BSN is the foundation upon which advanced education and practice are based. The baccalaureate nursing program is approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Bachelor of Music

Students seeking to earn the Bachelor of Music must complete all Integrated Curriculum, major and minor courses for a letter grade and fulfill all elective course requirements as outlined here and in the Majors and Academic Programs section of this Catalog. Additionally, they must complete at least 16 units of credit (64 semester hours) in music. Specific courses are determined by the Department of Music.

Bachelor of Liberal Studies

Students seeking to earn the Bachelor of Liberal Studies must complete all Integrated Curriculum and program requirements as outlined in the Integrated Curriculum section of this catalog. Students seeking this degree complete 8 to 12 credits (32 to 48 semester hours) for letter grades in two areas of concentration, rather than completing a traditional major (See Liberal Studies section for details).