Proposing your area

As part of your application, you will propose an Area of Concentration (AOC)—a focused plan of study built from courses offered across CUNY.

Your proposal helps us understand:

• What you want to study
• How you plan to study it
• How CUNY BA can support your goals

You do not need to have everything finalized—your proposal will be refined after admission with your faculty mentor— but it should be realistic.

What Makes a Strong AOC?

• A Clear Theme: Your title and courses should align around a central idea.
• Thoughtful Course Selection: Courses should build depth and progression in your topic.
• Interdisciplinary Thinking: Strong AOCs often combine fields like:

• politics + sociology
• media + technology
• science + public policy
• A Purpose: Your proposal should connect to your academic or career goals.

Important Things to Know

• Your course list is a proposal, not a contract
• Your courses will likely change over time
• You will finalize your AOC with faculty guidance after admission

Choose a Clear Focus

• Your AOC should center on a specific topic, issue, or theme.
• It can combine multiple disciplines—but it should feel intentional and connected.

Plan Your Courses

The Guidelines

Your area of concentration (AoC) proposal should include:

• 8 intermediate and upper-level courses/ 24 credits in a single AoC or
• 6 intermediate and upper-level courses/18 credits in dual AoCs

As a general guideline, to be considered intermediate or upper-level, courses must have at least one pre-requisite within the same discipline. There are exceptions to this:

• In the natural sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) we consider the first two levels (General 1 and 2) to be introductory for the purpose of an AoC.
• In foreign languages, we consider the first four levels (Beginner 1 and 2 and Intermediate 1 and 2) to be introductory for the purpose of an AoC.

All courses in an AoC must:

• be taken at a senior college (or in a graduate school); no community college courses can be included in an AoC
• be taken in a department that offers a bachelor’s level major (or in a graduate department)
• be taken for a letter grade 
• be completed with a grade of C- or better

AoCs may include:

• up to two independent study or internship courses
• up to two graduate level courses

At least 50% of the minimum requirements for an AoC must be completed in residence, meaning taken in CUNY while a CUNY BA student (at least 4 courses in a single AoC and at least 3 courses in a dual AoC). These can be complemented with transfer courses.

How to find courses

You can look for courses using:

• CUNY Transfer Explorer
• CUNY Global Search
• Explore Academic Programs

After You Apply

Your proposal is a starting point, not a final contract.

If you are admitted to CUNY BA, you will:

1. Receive feedback from the CUNY BA academic director
2. Work with a CUNY BA advisor
3. Select a faculty mentor
4. Refine and submit your Area of Concentration for formal review by the end of your first semester

Need Help Getting Started?

If you’re unsure how to shape your idea, start by asking:

• What topics am I most interested in?
• What kinds of courses excite me?
• What do I want to do after graduation?