Every student is required to take at least one course in eight different areas to satisfy the general education requirement. The eight areas are Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding, Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning, Culture and Belief, Science of Living Systems, Ethical Reasoning, Societies and the World, Science of the Physical Universe and the United States and the World. Usually, students take four courses each term.
This one course is taken by students during their first year at Harvard College. This class is required for all students, and cannot be tested out of or replaced with other writing courses. The goal of the class is to teach students to analyze texts and develop their own writing style in a manner that is clear and easy to read. Classes are limited to 15 students, and students are expected to produce between forty and fort-five pages of work. For students that are exceptionally challenged by writing, there is an Introduction to Expository Writing, which is then followed by the standard Expository Writing.
Harvard offers more than 40 concentrations, also known as fields of study. Concentrations are not available to freshmen, and each student develops their concentration at their own pace. Class sizes are generally small, often ten or fewer students. Tutorials are part of the course offerings in concentrations, and these tutorials help students to develop their own approach to academic disciplines. Just a few of the concentrations offered are Anthropology, Chemical and Physical Biology, Folklore and Mythology, Religion and Psychology.
Before students can start their junior year at Harvard they must demonstrate knowledge of a foreign language. Unlike other requirements, this one can be met before ever entering the school. If a student scores 700 or higher on a college board language assessment test, a 5 on an advanced placement test or a 7 on the appropriate baccalaureate higher level exam, he need not take additional foreign language classes at the college. The language requirement is also waived for students whose native language is not English, provided they are proficient in English. Languages offered at Harvard include French, German, Italian, Scandinavian and many others.