University Graduation Requirements

UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS

All students enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program must fulfill the following university requirements to graduate.

Credit Requirements

A minimum of 120 semester hours is required for graduation with a baccalaureate degree. A minimum of 45 semester hours in upper-division courses is required for graduation. Some programs may require more than 45 upper-division semester hours for graduation; refer to college graduation requirements for the specific number required.

Not more than 60 semester hours in correspondence courses and/or earned by comprehensive examination (including AP, CLEP, and IB exams) are accepted for credit toward the baccalaureate degree.

Grade Point Requirement

A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 for all courses taken at ASU is required to graduate with a baccalaureate degree.

General Studies Requirement

All students enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program must satisfy a university requirement of a minimum of 35 semester hours of approved course work in General Studies. General Studies courses are listed in the course descriptions, in the Schedules of Classes, and in the Summer Sessions Bulletin.

Students transferring from Arizona community colleges with the Transfer General Education Core Curriculum (TGECC) have met all lower-division General Studies requirements.

First-Year Composition Requirement

Completion of both ENG 101 and 102 or ENG 105 with a grade of "C" or better is required for graduation from ASU in any baccalaureate program (see "University Testing Requirements"). International students from non-English-speaking countries may meet the First-Year Composition requirement by completing ENG 107 and 108 with a grade of "C" or better.

New or Transfer Students. Before new students or transfer students can register for the first time at ASU, they must determine what courses to take to complete the university First-Year Composition requirement; the students must then enroll immediately in composition courses and continue to do so every term until composition requirements are met. College offices may grant waivers to the immediate and continual enrollment requirement when there are scheduling conflicts detrimental to the student's academic progress. Transfer students from other Arizona colleges or universities can determine the acceptability of their composition courses by referring to the most recent Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education Course Equivalency Guide in consultation with an academic advisor. Composition courses transferred from out-of-state institutions must be evaluated and approved by advisors specifically designated for this purpose by the dean of each college.

The transfer student must file an application in the student's college for Equivalency of First-Year Composition Requirements, along with a transcript and catalog descriptions of the composition courses to be transferred. The application, available in each college, should be filed immediately upon transfer of course work to ASU so that the student is able to enroll in an additional composition course, if required to do so.

For more information, the student should go to the appropriate college or school.

Resident Credit Requirement

Resident credit refers to a course that is offered in a regular semester or summer session. Credit earned through correspondence study, advanced placement, the College-Level Examination Program, or an International Baccalaureate Diploma/Certificate are excluded when calculating ASU resident hours.

Campus Resident Credit Requirement. Every candidate for the baccalaureate degree is required to earn a minimum of 30 semester hours in resident credit courses at the ASU campus from which the student will graduate.

Guidelines for Determination of Catalog Year

The General Catalog is published biennially. Department, division, school, college, and university requirements may change and are upgraded often. In determining graduation requirements, an undergraduate student may use only one edition of the General Catalog but may elect to follow any subsequent catalog. Students maintaining continuous enrollment at any public Arizona community college or university may graduate according to the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of initial enrollment or according to the requirements of any single catalog in effect during subsequent terms of continuous enrollment. Students may maintain continuous enrollment whether attending a single public community college or university in Arizona or transferring among public institutions in Arizona while pursuing their degrees.

Students transferring among Arizona public higher education institutions must meet the admission, residency, and all curricular and academic requirements of the degree-granting institution.

A semester in which a student earns course credit is counted toward continuous enrollment. Noncredit courses, audited courses, failed courses, or courses from which the student withdraws do not count toward the determination of continuous enrollment for catalog purposes. See the "Continuous Enrollment––Example A" and "Continuous Enrollment––Example B" tables.
Students who do not meet the minimum enrollment standard stipulated in number 1 during three consecutive semesters (fall/spring/fall or spring/fall/spring) and the intervening summer term at any public Arizona community college or university are no longer considered continuously enrolled. These students must meet requirements of the public Arizona community college or university catalog in effect at the time they are readmitted or of any single catalog in effect during subsequent terms of continuous enrollment after readmission. See the "Continuous Enrollment––Example C" and "Continuous Enrollment––Example D" tables.

Note: Students are not obligated to enroll and earn course credit during summer terms, but summer enrollment may be used to maintain continuous enrollment status.
Students admitted or readmitted to a public Arizona community college or university during a summer term must follow the requirements of the catalog in effect the following fall semester or of any single catalog in effect during subsequent terms of continuous enrollment. See the "Continuous Enrollment––Example E" table.
In areas of study in which the subject matter changes rapidly, material in courses taken long before graduation may become obsolete or irrelevant. Course work that is more than eight years old is applicable to completion of degree requirements at the discretion of the student's major department. Departments may accept such course work, reject it, or request that the student revalidate its substance. The eight-year limit on course work applies except when program accreditation agencies limit the life of course work to fewer than eight years. Departments may also require students to satisfy current major requirements rather than major requirements in earlier catalogs, when completing earlier requirements is no longer possible or educationally sound.
Enrollment by Arizona community college students in nontransferable courses still constitutes enrollment for purposes of determining whether the student has been continuously enrolled. For example, if a student takes two semesters of cooperative education classes, which are not transferable to the university but constitute continuous enrollment at the community college, the university should consider it continuous enrollment.
Exceptions made by an institution apply only to the institution that made the exception. For example, if the community college departments accepted credit that was more than eight years old, the university department to which the student transfers has the right and the obligation to reevaluate any credit more than eight years old.

Inquiries about these guidelines may be directed to the student's academic advisor.

Program of Study Requirements

A student must file an Undergraduate Program of Study for graduation within the semester the student earns his or her 87th semester hour. The Program of Study guides the student in accomplishing successful completion of degree requirements in a timely manner. Students who have not met the above requirement are prevented from further registration.

Program of Study forms and procedural information are available from the Graduation Section, SSV B113A, or any registrar site.

Application for Graduation Requirements

The following steps are required to complete the graduation process:

Register for the final semester.
Pay the graduation fee at the Cashiering Services.
Submit the fee receipt to the Graduation Section, SSV B113A, and apply for graduation. The Program of Study is reviewed at this time and the graduation date and eligibility to graduate are verified.
Complete all course work listed on the Program of Study by graduation date.

For more information about application for graduation requirements at ASU West, contact ASU West Admissions and Records, UCB 120.

Students must comply with the above requirements to graduate.

The Application for Graduation along with the Program of Study is reviewed to verify graduation eligibility.

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. In addition, variance from university degree requirements must be approved by the University Standards Committee.

All petitions must originate with the student's advisor. Refer to the college sections of this catalog for college and department requirements.

University Standards Committee. This committee advises the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost regarding undergraduate student petitions that concern university-wide academic requirements. These requirements include but are not limited to requirements on the amount of transfer credit, graduation requirements, limits on credit by examination, and requirements for a second baccalaureate degree. To petition for a waiver of such university requirements, the normal department, division, school, and college forms and procedures are used. Only petitions that have been denied are forwarded to the University Standards Committee.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The separate units of the university, such as colleges, schools, and departments, have specific requirements for graduation that must be satisfied for a baccalaureate degree. For those requirements, see the appropriate General Catalog section. Students are encouraged to consult with an academic advisor in planning a program to ensure that it meets the various requirements. A well-planned program may enable a student to concurrently satisfy a portion of the General Studies requirement together with a portion of a college or major requirement.

OVERVIEW OF GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

At ASU, students take classes that fulfill four types of requirements. As illustrated in the "Graduation Requirements Venn Diagram" below, some courses can fulfill two or more types of requirements, but other courses fulfill only one requirement. The total semester hours needed to graduate are represented by the largest circle. The university minimum is 120 semester hours. Some majors, however, require more than 120 semester hours.

Although the three shaded circles are equal in size and the white circle is larger than all three, the total number of semester hours for each type of requirement may vary.

University Requirements. The light gray circle represents university requirements. The General Studies requirement and the First-Year Composition requirement are among the university requirements, described below. For General Studies, a minimum of 35 semester hours in five core and three awareness areas is required. For more information, see General Studies.

College Requirements. The medium gray circle represents college requirements. Some colleges and schools have additional requirements, especially the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It is important that you understand the requirements of your college.

Major. The dark gray circle represents the requirements of the major. The semester hours required for a major may be as low as 30 hours or as high as 63 hours.

Electives/Minor. The white circle represents electives and the requirements of a minor. A minor typically adds an additional 18 to 25 semester hours. Though every student must eventually declare a major, a minor is not required. Some courses, while providing semester hours toward graduation, fall outside the shaded circles and are not required in your program for graduation. These courses are electives. Some majors leave no room for electives within the minimum 120 semester hours required to graduate.

General Graduation Information

Graduation with Academic Recognition. An undergraduate student must have completed at least 60 semester hours of resident credit at ASU to qualify for graduation with academic recognition for a baccalaureate degree.

Cumulative GPA
Academic Recognition

3.40–3.59 cum laude
3.60–3.79 magna cum laude
3.80–4.00 summa cum laude

The cumulative GPA for these designations is based on only ASU resident course work. For example, ASU correspondence course grades are not calculated in the honors GPA. All designations of graduation with academic recognition are indicated on the diploma and the ASU transcript. Graduation with academic recognition applies only to undergraduate degrees.

A student who has a baccalaureate degree from ASU and is pursuing a second baccalaureate degree at ASU (with a minimum of 30 hours of resident credit) is granted academic recognition on the second degree based on the semester hours earned subsequent to the posting of the first degree. If fewer than 60 semester hours are completed at ASU subsequent to completion of the first ASU degree, the level of academic recognition can be no higher than that obtained on the first degree. If 60 or more semester hours are completed at ASU after completion of the first ASU degree, the level of academic recognition is based on the GPA earned for the second ASU degree. Inquiries about graduation with academic recognition may be directed to the Graduation Section, 602/965–3256.

Second Baccalaureate Degree. The student seeking a second baccalaureate degree must meet admission criteria for that degree. After conferral of the first degree, a minimum of 30 semester hours in resident credit must be successfully completed at the ASU campus from which the second baccalaureate degree will be awarded. The student must meet all degree and university requirements of the second degree.

Concurrent Degrees. More than one baccalaureate degree may be pursued concurrently if prior approval is given by the standards committee(s) of the college(s) offering the degrees. Students may receive concurrent degrees if they meet the minimum requirements for both degrees.

Graduate Degrees. See the "Graduate College" and "College of Law" sections for graduate degrees offered and statements of requirements for graduate degrees. A Graduate Catalog may be obtained from the Graduate College.

Continuous Enrollment––Example ABack to referencing paragraph.

Student's Activity Semester/Year Status
Admitted and earned course credit at an Arizona community college Fall 1996 Active

Continued at an Arizona community college Spring 1997 Active Fall 1997

Transferred to an Arizona university Spring 1998 Student enrolled under 1996–98 or any subsequent catalog

Continuous Enrollment––Example BBack to referencing paragraph.

Student's Activity Semester/Year Status
Admitted and earned course credit at an Arizona community college Fall 1995 Active

Enrolled but earned all "Ws," or "Es" Spring 1996 Inactive

Enrolled in audit courses only Fall 1996 Inactive

Nonattendance Spring 1997 Inactive

Transferred to an Arizona university Fall 1997 Student enrolled under 1996–98 or any subsequent catalog

Continuous Enrollment––Example CBack to referencing paragraph.

Student's Activity Semester/Year Status
Admitted and earned course credit at an Arizona community college Fall 1994 Active
Nonattendance Spring 1995
Fall 1995
Spring 1996 Inactive

Readmitted and earned course credit at an Arizona community college Fall 1996 Active

Transferred to an Arizona university Spring 1997 Student enrolled under 1996–98 or any subsequent catalog

Continuous Enrollment––Example DBack to referencing paragraph.

Student's Activity Semester/Year Status
Admitted and earned course credit at an Arizona community college Fall 1995 Active

Nonattendance Spring 1996 Inactive
Readmitted and earned course credit at an Arizona community college Summer 1996 Active

Nonattendance Fall 1996
Spring 1997 Inactive

Transferred to an Arizona university Fall 1997 Student enrolled under 1996–98 or any subsequent catalog

Continuous Enrollment––Example EBack to referencing paragraph.

Student's Activity Semester/Year Status

Admitted and earned course credit at an Arizona community college Summer 1994 Active

Continued at an Arizona community college Fall 1994
Spring 1995 Active

Nonattendance Fall 1995 Inactive

Readmitted and earned course credit at an Arizona community college Spring 1996 Active

Transferred to an Arizona university Summer 1996 Student enrolled under 1996–98 or any subsequent catalog

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Cumulative GPA	Academic Recognition
3.40–3.59	cum laude
3.60–3.79	magna cum laude
3.80–4.00	summa cum laude

Student's Activity	Semester/Year	Status
Admitted and earned course credit at an Arizona community college	Fall 1996	Active
Continued at an Arizona community college	Spring 1997	Active Fall 1997
Transferred to an Arizona university	Spring 1998	Student enrolled under 1996–98 or any subsequent catalog