Ask a Dean at TCNJ

<p>What (if any) are the core curriculum requirements at TCNJ? Do they differ per school? I have searched the website without luck. Can you provide a link to the appropriate webpage for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences?</p>

<p>Dear Sacchi:</p>

<p>This is a great question because at every college and university, this bundle of requirements may have a different name. At many institutions it’s called “General Education” or “Core Curriculum,” while at TCNJ we call it “Liberal Learning.” In our use of this phrase, the word “Liberal” doesn’t have anything to do with a political characterization. Rather, the word “Liberal” in the phrase “Liberal Learning” means “concerned with broadening a person’s general knowledge and experience, rather than with technical or professional training, broadly construed or understood.”</p>

<p>You can see a description of the Liberal Learning Program at TCNJ on the web at a couple different places, each of which presents a different perspective on our program:</p>

<p>From our Undergraduate Bulletin: <a href=“http://www.tcnj.edu/~bulletin/current/Liberal_Learning.pdf[/url]”>http://www.tcnj.edu/~bulletin/current/Liberal_Learning.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>At our Liberal Learning website:
[Definitions</a> :: Liberal Learning :: The College of New Jersey](<a href=“http://www.tcnj.edu/~liberal/define.html]Definitions”>http://www.tcnj.edu/~liberal/define.html)</p>

<p>One other thing: The Liberal Learning Program at TCNJ is special in part because we have “Liberal Learning Concentrations,” bundles of thematically related courses that fulfill most of the Liberal Learning requirements. Our most popular liberal learning concentrations include “Law and Society,” “Religious Studies,” and “Environmental Studies.”</p>

<p>You can learn more about the Interdisciplinary Concentrations at this website:
[Approved</a> Interdisciplinary Concentrations](<a href=“http://www.tcnj.edu/~liberal/concentrations/index.html]Approved”>The College Core | The College of New Jersey)</p>

<p>At TCNJ all students whose primary (first) major is in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences must complete the following requirements for graduation:</p>

<p>College-Wide Requirements
a) Liberal Learning
b) Community-Engaged Learning experience (see next post)
c) 32 course units
d) Quality of work (minimum GPA)</p>

<p>School-Wide Requirement
Foreign Language to the third-level (successful completion of at least 3rd semester, numbered 103, non-intensive course in French, German, Italian, or Spanish or at least the 2nd semester intensive course, numbered 152, in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese or Russian)</p>

<p>Major Requirements
Vary by major - see the Undergraduate Bulletin for the description of requirements for each major in our School: [Undergraduate</a> Bulletin :: The College of New Jersey](<a href=“http://www.tcnj.edu/~bulletin/]Undergraduate”>Undergraduate Bulletin :: The College of New Jersey)</p>

<p>I hope this information is helpful for you.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>BR</p>

<p>Benjamin Rifkin
Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
The College of New Jersey</p>

<p>I should explain that TCNJ requires community-engaged learning of all freshmen. This is integrated into our freshman seminar (a required experience for all freshmen) or into an activity required of students organized by their residence life staff. </p>

<p>You can read more about it here:</p>

<p><a href=“TCNJ | The College of New Jersey”>TCNJ | The College of New Jersey;

<p>BR</p>

<p>Dear CC’ers:</p>

<p>Whether you’re a HS senior or a junior, feel free to register and come to the TCNJ campus for a Lion’s Day Open House to explore what TCNJ has to offer.</p>

<p>Our first Lion’s Day Open House will be held this Saturday, Sept. 24. </p>

<p>You can read more about the programming we offer at this link:</p>

<p>[Visit</a> :Admissions](<a href=“TCNJ | The College of New Jersey”>TCNJ | The College of New Jersey)</p>

<p>There’s a button on that site to register for the Open House experience.</p>

<p>Other dates this fall for Lions Day Open Houses are:</p>

<p>Sunday, October 9
Saturday, November 19</p>

<p>This weekend, the assistant dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Rosa Zagari-Marinzoli (students call her Dr. Rosa), will be providing the Dean’s Welcome on my behalf. I’ll be running the program on October 9, and Dr. Rosa will be back on 11/19. </p>

<p>At each of these 3 events you’ll find opportunities to talk with faculty about their departments and interdisciplinary programs as well as HSS student panels featuring current TCNJ students majoring in humanities or social sciences talking about what it’s really like to go to college at TCNJ. (No faculty or administrators are in the room for that session, so it’s always very popular.) Of course there are also campus tours and other events (see the website for more details).</p>

<p>I hope you can join us for one of our Open House events. If you’re there on Oct. 9, please say hello and tell me that you read this thread on College Confidential.</p>

<p>Best wishes to all,</p>

<p>BR</p>

<p>Benjamin Rifkin
Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences
The College of New Jersey</p>

<p>Dear CC’ers:</p>

<p>This Sunday, October 9, I will be working at the Lions Day Open House at the College of New Jersey and will be happy to see you. This is the only Lions Day Open House that I will personally be attending, because the November date conflicts with one of my professional conferences.</p>

<p>If you would like to meet the Dean of the School of Humanities & Social Sciences at The College of New Jersey - Oct. 9 is a great opportunity. Of course, weather can change on a dime, but at the moment they’re calling for a warm sunny day on Sunday, 10/9, with a high around 84 degrees.</p>

<p>The Open House starts at 11 am and ends by 3 pm. I’ll give giving two Dean’s Welcomes that day, both in the Mayo Concert Hall. </p>

<p>If you’re interested, I encourage you to register for the event at this website:</p>

<p><a href=“TCNJ | The College of New Jersey”>TCNJ | The College of New Jersey;

<p>When you arrive, you’ll get a campus map. </p>

<p>You will also have the opportunity to hear presentations by faculty from all of our departments and programs and to learn more about the college more generally, as well as some panels with our students talking about their experience.</p>

<p>It’s a great day to be a lion, so please come visit us on October 9.</p>

<p>With best wishes to all,</p>

<p>Ben Rifkin
The College of New Jersey</p>

<p>How many nursing freshman do you admit each year?
Is there any nursing information session?
Is it true, TCNJ does not do “rolling” admission this year?</p>

<p>Dear Wtuan:</p>

<p>Admissions to our Nursing program is on par with the rest of The College. That program has an acceptance rate of about 43%. During our Lion’s Day, faculty from all of the departments at TCNJ will be on campus to give information about their programs. The last Lion’s Day for this fall is on Saturday, November 19th. If you are free, this would be a great day to attend because not only will you be able to speak with Nursing faculty, but you’ll also have the opportunity for a campus tour, and perhaps a tour of the nursing labs. You can register for the day by clicking the following link: [Visit</a> | Admissions](<a href=“TCNJ | The College of New Jersey”>TCNJ | The College of New Jersey)</p>

<p>TCNJ only offers two ways to apply: early decision and regular decision. Early decision is the binding contract, meaning if we admit you ED, we expect that you would withdraw all your other applications and enroll at TCNJ. Applications for early decision are due November 15. The regular decision deadline is January 15th. </p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>BR</p>

<p>Thank you. I register for the Nov 19 Lion Day event.
I heard Rutgers admits only 20 nursing freshmen. How many nursing freshmen will TCNJ admit next fall? I just worry there are not a lot of nursing spots for us.
Does TCNJ offer merit scholarship as the way Rutgers do? For the students with 2250+ SAT and top 5 or 10% of the class (GPA), is there any merit based scholarship?</p>

<p>Dear WTUAN:</p>

<p>I’m sorry for the delay in my response to your query. There are indeed a limited number of spots in our nursing program; this limitation is designed to make sure that all our nursing students have the opportunities they need to have both the required classroom and practica experiences. There are merit scholarships at TCNJ, but I cannot guess as to what the SAT scores or GPAs are of the students given merit scholarships. </p>

<p>It’s now February: I imagine you’ll be getting your answers within a month or so. Accepted Students Day will be on March 31, so you’ll have your answer in hand well before that date in order to make your plans to visit campus on March 31 (assuming th answer is a good one). I wish you success in all your college applications.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>BR</p>

<p>Benjamin Rifkin
Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
The College of New Jersey</p>

<p>Hey DeanRifkin,</p>

<p>I applied to TCNJ as a transfer student, since I’ll be graduating from Essex County College with my A.S. in Social Sciences, I was wondering when the decision letters would be mailed out?</p>

<p>Dear Lopez792:</p>

<p>Decision letters are being sent out in February and March this year. Accepted Students Day is March 31, so we will want all students to have their acceptances in hand by then. I know it’s hard to wait, but I encourage you to take a deep breath and try to focus on the classes you’re taking now. </p>

<p>Best wishes to all,</p>

<p>BR</p>

<p>Dear Mr. Rifkin, </p>

<p>I am a senior in high school and was recently accepted into TCNJ. I have been trying to figure out what classes I took in high school will be counted towards credit at TCNJ. I am currently taking sociology at ECC and from what I have heard I will receive credit that is transferable to any state school in NJ (so TCNJ too?). But, if I already am taking AP Psychology do the Sociology credits not count because the Psych class already counts for credit in the liberal learning requirement? Also, I am taking a college class at my school that is part of a program with UMDNJ. If I am not going into a medical field, would I still receive credit for this class or are the credits for this class not accepted by TCNJ? If you cannot answer these questions who would be the appropriate person to ask?</p>

<p>Congratulations on your acceptance. I hope to see you in person at Accepted Students Day on March 31. </p>

<p>You can find comprehensive information about transferring in courses through qualified scores on Advanced Placement exams to TCNJ at this website:</p>

<p>[Advanced</a> Placement :: Records & Registration :: TCNJ](<a href=“http://www.tcnj.edu/~recreg/policies/advancedplacement.html]Advanced”>TCNJ | Records and Registration)</p>

<p>Just download and open the AP legend from that page.</p>

<p>There is a lot of room for electives in all the majors in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. There might be less wiggle room in some of the other majors at TCNJ, especially in Engineering, for example. You should consult with the department chair of the department to which you’ve been accepted to get a better picture of how these courses would work (or not) for you.</p>

<p>With best wishes,</p>

<p>BR</p>

<p>Benjamin Rifkin
Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
The College of New Jersey</p>

<p>Dear Mr. Rifkin,</p>

<p>My son applied to 7 year med program. Will the results be available by accepted student’s day on March 31st? I was told it will be no later then the 1st week of April.
How will he find out the results? Will it be a phone call or a letter or an email?</p>

<p>I’ve got this one, Dean Rifkin…</p>

<p>Momworried- Your son may not hear about the 7 year program in time for Accepted Students Day, but he will hear about his alternate major choice before then so he can attend. All 7 year students will receive a letter letting them know of their final decision on the 7 year program. As you mentioned, it should be coming around the first week in April.</p>

<p>Does TCNJ have a Biomedical Engineering Program? If so, please elaborate on it.</p>

<p>Indeed, the College of New Jersey’s School of Engineering does have a Biomedical Engineering Program. You can read more about it at </p>

<p>[Biomedical</a> Engineering :: School of Engineering :: The College of New Jersey](<a href=“http://www.tcnj.edu/~engsci/biomedical/index.html]Biomedical”>Biomedical Engineering | The College of New Jersey)</p>

<p>Once you read about the program on the web, you can contact the faculty or department administrator with your questions. As Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, I really can’t say much about this program except to say that I’m very impressed with what I hear. You will get more concrete information from the faculty and staff of the program than I could possibly offer.</p>

<p>Best wishes to all,</p>

<p>Benjamin Rifkin
Dean of the School of Humanities & Social Sciences
The College of New Jersey</p>

<p>Can I change my major/school when I get to TCNJ. I was accepted 3 weeks ago.</p>

<p>Right now I’m deciding between TCNJ and Rutgers NB, I was at a college fair and the TCNJ rep told me that if i wanted my bachelors in accounting i needed to take 150 credits to qualify to get my CPA, and it was very difficult to get approved to double major in both accounting and finance. Is there any truth to this can i take the normal amount of credits in accounting and then take a finance double major.</p>

<p>Good luck with your choice, Firefighter22. Here’s information from the TCNJ Accounting Program (Undergraduate Bulletin):</p>

<p>Students are required to take 34 course units to graduate with an accounting degree. Ten of these course units are in accounting. For students interested in the Certified Public Accountant’s (CPA) license, a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy qualifies students to take the CPA exam in the state of New Jersey. However, to qualify for a CPA license, students need to take an additional three and one-half course units (=14 credits) to satisfy the state-mandated 150-hour requirement.</p>

<p>The question of whether accounting majors can double major in finance is a good one and you should direct it to someone at the School of Business. If you come to Accepted Students Day (if you’re already accepted at TCNJ) you can ask the question at that time. If you’re earlier in the application process (Class of 2017 or 2018), then I would encourage you to go to the School of Business website and get the email address of the assistant dean to write with your questions directly to someone who is in the know. </p>

<p>The website for the School of Business at TCNJ is:</p>

<p>business.pages.tcnj.edu</p>

<p>With best wishes to all,</p>

<p>Benjamin Rifkin
Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
The College of New Jersey</p>