University associate degree graduation requirements
Undergraduate programs
All students enrolled in an associate degree program must fulfill the following university requirements to graduate.
Credit requirements
A minimum of 60 credit hours is required to graduate with an associate degree. Students should check the program's graduation audit and major map or curriculum checksheet for graduation requirements.
Grade point requirement
A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 for all courses taken at ASU is required to graduate. Some programs may require a cumulative GPA higher than 2.00; students should refer to the specific program's graduation audit and major map or curriculum checksheet for graduation requirements.
General studies requirement
All students enrolled in an associate degree program must satisfy the university-required minimum number of approved lower-division general studies courses. Students should refer to the general studies policy for more information.
Completion of general studies and composition requirements at a domestic institution accredited by an organization recognized by ASU as certified on the official transcript fulfills ASU’s lower-division general studies and composition requirements. Certification of completed general studies curriculum may include students' completion of a general education package (e.g., AGEC, CSUGE, IGETC), an Associate of Arts degree, a bachelor’s degree or comparable, as documented on an official transcript. If students transfer from an Arizona community college without completing the AGEC or from another accredited postsecondary institution, they receive credit for general studies based on course-by-course equivalency. Students should review the Arizona General Education Curriculum page.
Mathematics requirement
All associate degree-seeking students are expected to fulfill the university's mathematics requirement by the time they have accumulated 30 credit hours in residence at ASU. Any student who has more than 30 credit hours and has not fulfilled the mathematics requirement must enroll in a mathematics course or an appropriate prerequisite course and continue to do so every semester until they meet the mathematics requirement . A waiver may be granted for continuous enrollment if there are scheduling conflicts detrimental to the student's academic progress.
First-year composition requirement
All students must meet the university first-year composition requirement through completion of both ENG 101 and ENG 102, or ENG 105 with a grade of "C" (2.00) or higher. Students whose native language is not English should complete ENG 107 and 108 with a grade of "C" (2.00) or higher to satisfy this requirement. All incoming students are placed in ENG 101 or an appropriate first-year composition course based on submission of test scores, exam scores or transfer credit.
Transfer credit
Composition courses transferred from other postsecondary institutions may require evaluation. After consultation with an advisor, if evaluation is necessary, the student should submit a request for evaluation through the ASU Transfer Guide. The process should be completed upon transfer of coursework to ASU so the student is able to enroll in additional courses if required to do so. Students who are required to take first-year composition must enroll in their first required composition course within the first year and continue to enroll in required composition courses every term until they meet composition requirements.
Credit by exam
A student pursuing an associate degree may earn no more than 30 hours of credit by examination, including ASU comprehensive and proficiency exams, for any or all programs.
Resident credit requirement
Resident credit refers to a course completed at ASU in a regular semester or summer session. Credit earned through ASU comprehensive examinations also is included when calculating ASU resident hours. Credit earned through independent learning, Advanced Placement testing, the College-Level Examination Program or an International Baccalaureate exam are excluded when calculating ASU resident hours.
Every candidate for an associate degree is required to earn a minimum of 15 credit hours in resident credit courses at ASU.
Definition of a catalog year
The ASU Academic Catalog is published annually. A catalog year runs from fall through summer, and a student who enters during the fall or spring semester follows the policies and requirements in effect for that catalog year. For example, catalog year 2024–2025 applies to students who enter in fall 2024 or spring 2025. Students who enter for the first time during the summer term follow the requirements in effect for the subsequent catalog year.
In most cases, a student’s catalog year is the year in which they started at ASU. Students may be in a different catalog year for a variety of reasons, including:
- change of major
- continuous enrollment in an Arizona community college or public university
- student request to move to a newer catalog year
- significant changes to curriculum due to either accreditation or rapid changes to subject matter
More information and conditions of continuous enrollment can be found at guidelines for determination of catalog year.
Transfer credit
Students can review the general transfer credit requirements.
Application for graduation
Students can review the ASU graduation website for information on how to apply for graduation, and associated fees and deadline dates.
Petition for variance from degree
Any student wishing to have a college or university degree requirement variance must petition the standards committee of the college in which the student is enrolled. All petitions must originate with the student's advisor.
The University Undergraduate Standards Committee advises the Office of the University Provost regarding undergraduate student petitions that concern university-level academic requirements. These include requirements on the amount of transfer credit, graduation requirements, and limits on credit by examination. To petition for a variance from such university requirements, the University Undergraduate Standards Committee petition is used. Most petitions heard by the University Undergraduate Standards Committee start at the college level and are forwarded for final review and decision to the university-level committee.
Overview of graduation requirements
Students in the AA program in military studies, AA program in organizational leadership or AS in logistics (maritime) should refer to the credit requirements for U.S. Naval Community College programs.
The associate degrees comprise four parts: university requirements, college/school requirements, major requirements and electives.
University requirements include general studies and first-year composition requirements. Some colleges and schools at ASU have college-specific requirements applicable across all degrees offered within that academic unit. Major requirements represent the majority of the disciplinary content of the degree. Some degrees may also have room for electives, allowing students to complete credit hours toward the minimum number of credits required for graduation while they explore areas of personal and professional interest. Some students choose to declare a certificate, which typically adds 15–25 hours of coursework; this can also be used for elective credit. Students are encouraged to consult with their academic advisor in planning a program to ensure it meets all requirements.
Associate degrees are 60 credit hours. Some courses may fulfill two or more types of requirements, but other courses fulfill only one requirement. As such, the size of the circle segment attributed to each requirement category in the graphic below does not necessarily correspond to the exact number of credits required for each.
Changing majors
Some majors may have specific requirements that a student must meet to be eligible for acceptance to the new major. A degree-seeking undergraduate student may view the requirements for changing majors on Degree Search and visit the Changing your major site for more information and resources on major exploration.
Changing from an associate degree to a bachelor’s degree program may impact financial aid.
Graduation with academic recognition
Graduation with academic recognition is applicable only to bachelor's degree programs.
Concurrent degrees
If prior approval is given by the colleges or schools offering the degrees, more than one associate degree may be pursued concurrently. Students may receive concurrent degrees if they meet the minimum requirements for both degrees. Specific combinations of degrees may be deemed inappropriate because of high curricular overlap. Pursuing concurrent degrees may impact financial aid disbursement.
Associate degree programs offered in partnership with the U.S. Naval Community College
Associate degrees offered in partnership with the U.S. Naval Community College have been jointly designed with ASU specifically for enlisted personnel in the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.
Overview of graduation requirements specific to U.S. Naval Community College programs
The associate degrees developed in partnership with USNCC comprise four parts: the Naval Studies certificate courses, the professional certificate courses, general education requirements and university requirements. As illustrated in the graduation requirements diagram below, some courses may fulfill two or more types of requirements, but other courses fulfill only one requirement. The total credit hours needed to graduate are represented by the largest circle. The university minimum is 60 credit hours for an associate degree.
Minors and certificates
Students enrolled in an associate degree offered in partnership with the U.S. Naval Community College are not permitted to add a minor or additional certificates.
Changing majors
Students enrolled in associate degree programs offered in partnership with the U.S. Naval Community College may only change to another USNCC associate degree program. Changes must be made in coordination with approval by USNCC.
Disestablished programs
A disestablished program is a major, minor or certificate that the institution has chosen to discontinue. Upon the effective term and year of disestablishment, ASU may choose to stop admitting new students to the program. This includes current ASU students seeking to change to the disestablished major, to add the disestablished major as a concurrent degree, or to add the disestablished minor or certificate. Active students in a disestablished program have a period of four academic years to complete the program requirements. This includes active, not enrolled students typically eligible for quick re-entry. Students who choose quick re-entry to the institution after a period of nonenrollment cannot re-enroll in a disestablished program if four academic years have passed since the effective term of disestablishment.
Students who have not completed the requirements for a disestablished program four academic years after disestablishment are changed administratively to a different major, or have the minor or certificate removed from their record.
Nondegree credit
Some individuals may be interested in studying in a nondegree status, either through pre-college summer programs or for their own personal learning experience. An undergraduate nondegree-seeking student is one who has not attended ASU as a degree-seeking student, has not earned an associate or bachelor's degree, is not attending full time, and is not currently applying to a degree program.
- Once admitted to a degree program, a student is not permitted to register in a nondegree status.
- Nondegree-seeking students may enroll in eight credit hours each fall or spring semester, seven credit hours for each six-week summer session, and nine credit hours for the eight-week summer session with a maximum limit of 24 credit hours over the course of the academic year.
- Nondegree-seeking students may apply up to 15 credit hours taken in nondegree status to a degree program if they choose to pursue an undergraduate degree in the future.
- Nondegree-seeking students are not eligible for financial aid.
- Students in a nondegree status may not be eligible for academic advising.
Exceptions to these guidelines may be made for specific programs or partners with approval from the Office of the University Provost. Students enrolled in ASU Prep may apply 30 credit hours earned at ASU while in a nondegree status toward a degree program.
Additional policies
Students enrolled in these degree programs are held to all other ASU and appropriate college policies, including: