Chris L. Foote, associate professor of economics and director for undergraduate studies for the department, says the economics concentration is fine the way it is.

"We've talked about this and basically we don't feel that the economics requirements are that onerous, especially compared to other departments," he says. "Other departments are probably concerned that students get all of the tools they need in the discipline, but we feel that students can learn plenty in the courses they are required to take."

Foote says that the economics concentration, which includes three related-field half-courses in its 13 half-course non-honors requirements, offers enough freedom for students to get a diverse education within the concentration itself.

"You can get three related fields just by getting up in the morning," Foote says.

Concentrations such as physics and social studies have also not found the need to reduce requirements, with head tutors noting that their disciplines demand a strong background in and deep understanding in the field.

Administrators of the classics and linguistics concentrations also see no need to reduce requirements, noting that the departments already offer the chance to fully explore a liberal arts education within the concentration's framework.

Other departments that are not planning on reducing requirements for undergraduates include the Mathematics and History Departments, which require 12 half-courses for non-honors candidates, and the Government Department, which requires 13 half-courses for the non-honors track.

While some concentrations are content to cap requirements, administrators in at least one department say wish they could expand requirements.

William M. Gelbart, professor of molecular and cellular biology and head tutor of the biology concentration, said in an e-mail message that, although they are still evaluating the biology requirements, he does not foresee any changes.

"There is nothing that has come out of the discussions to date that suggests that the total number of required concentration courses will diminish," he says. "Indeed, given the explosion of information in the bio-medical sciences that is occurring now, I regret that we cannot require even more concentration courses of our concentrators."

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But while some concentrations have been hesitant to adjust, others have willingly taken steps to reduce or cap requirements, but making sure that educational quality does not decline.

Along with women's studies and Slavic languages and literatures, the Departments of Germanic Languages and Literatures (GLL) and of Romance Languages and Literatures (RLL) have reduced concentration requirements.

The GLL Department was the first to take the plunge, Burgard says, approving and submitting a reduction in concentration requirements during the last academic year. The Educational Policy Committee approved the change last spring, and the policy went into effect for all new concentrators.

After cutting four requirements from the books, the German literature track now stands at nine half-courses, while the honors track requires 11.