OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2009-10 [Archived Catalog]

Graduation Requirements – Universitywide

Click on a link to be taken to the entry below.

• Catalog of Entry
• Requirements
• General Education Requirements
• Residency Requirements for Graduation
• In Absentia
• Earning a Second Degree
• Graduation Procedures

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The catalog in effect for the quarter in which you first complete coursework at Ohio University becomes your University and Major Program Catalog of Entry. This catalog defines the Universitywide and college–level academic requirements you must complete and academic policies you must follow for the next five years.

After five years from your initial registration, your college may choose to update either or both catalogs as they pertain to requirements for graduation. Offices responsible for enforcing other University policies, such as graduation with honor, for example, may apply the current Universitywide policies to existing students after five years.

Either major or nonmajor requirement changes made necessary by altered or discontinued courses or by requirements imposed by external accrediting or certification agencies will be resolved on an individual basis by the dean of your college. Whenever possible, new requirements will be implemented with a beginning class or upon the expiration of the appropriate time limit.

In Fall 2012 Ohio University will transition from a quarter to a semester academic calendar. This transition will necessitate changes in the academic requirements for students who do not graduate before this time. Ohio University has made a commitment to work with students so that the transition does not delay graduation or cause increased costs for degree completion. Students making acceptable progress toward a degree who

• maintain a full-time course load,
• earn passing grades and meet minimum grade requirements in courses,
• meet with their advisors and follow advising directives, and
• satisfy graduation degree requirements specified in the catalog

should be able to graduate without delay regardless of the academic calendar transition.

For current information on the transition from quarters to semesters, please see http://www.ohio.edu/Q2S .

Transfer students are governed by the same regulations.

Ohio University has two sets of graduation requirements: Universitywide requirements, which all students must complete, and college–level requirements, which include the requirements for completing a major or minor. Universitywide requirements are discussed in this section. Specific college–level, department–level, and school–level requirements for majors and minors are explained under the appropriate college, department, or school listing. (Some colleges or majors might require transfer students to take additional courses to meet specific major requirements.)

In general, you must have a minimum of 192 quarter hours of credit for a bachelor’s degree, with all other requirements met. (Students who took coursework at Ohio University before fall 1977 may graduate with 180 hours, provided they have met all other requirements.) An associate’s degree requires a minimum of 96 quarter hours.

No more than eight credit hours earned in developmental courses may be applied toward the total hours required for graduation. Developmental courses include CHEM 115, ENG 150, ENG 150A, MATH 101, MATH 102, PESS 100, and UC 110, 110A, 110B, 112, 112A, 112B, and 114.

No more than 20 credit hours earned under the Pass/Fail grading option may be applied toward the total hours required for graduation.

The University recommends a minimum of 24 hours completed in the minor, and has no policy on the minimum requirements for a major. The specific requirements will be determined by your major (and minor, if you have one) department/school. You also must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 (C) on all hours attempted (including work taken at another institution, if you are a transfer student) and in the major or equivalent as determined by your college. Your college may have additional GPA requirements.

All baccalaureate students (except Honors Tutorial College students) also must complete Ohio University’s General Education requirements. Associate’s degree students must complete the freshman English and quantitative skills requirements.

Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS)

A DARS report is issued to currently enrolled students each quarter for priority registration by the college student services office or regional campus student services office. This report includes your Registration Access Code (RAC) and your registration access time. This report helps in determining requirements for graduation by showing progress toward completing those requirements. If you have enrolled at Ohio University Fall Quarter 2005–06 or later, you may view your DARS report online by accessing the Office of the University Registrar Web site, http://www.ohio.edu/registrar , and selecting MyDARS under Online Services.

If you are think ing about changing your major, you may request a “What if” DARS report from the MyDARS site mentioned above, from the student services office of the college that offers the major you are considering, or from your regional campus student services office. This report will help you determine how courses already completed will apply to the new major, as well as what additional courses would be needed to complete that program.

Your official Ohio University transcript lists all courses you have taken or are taking at Ohio University, the grades you have earned, and your official grade point average. These totals are used to determine graduation rank, graduation with honors, financial aid and scholarship eligibility, fees, and total hours earned at Ohio University that may be applied toward graduation from any of the colleges.

Your DARS report shows how these courses and grades apply to the graduation requirements for a particular program. Most of the time the total hours attempted (HA), hours earned (HE), and grade point average (GPA) displayed in the General Graduation requirements section of your DARS report will match those on your transcript. However, legitimate differences may exist. For example, some colleges have limits on such things as the total number of physical education activity hours that can apply toward degree requirements, and some do not. Some have limits on other categories, such as the number of technical elective credits and number of hours with grades of “CR” that can count toward graduation. Also, there are limits on the total number of hours in developmental courses and the total number of hours with P (pass) grades. All of these count in the total number of hours earned at Ohio University on your transcript, but they may or may not count toward graduation, depending upon the program you are completing and other limitations. DARS reflects these idiosyncrasies for each individual program by counting only the hours and grades that are appropriate for that program, thereby giving you an accurate statement of your progress toward completing graduation requirements for that particular program.

Sometimes discrepancies can exist because students take courses they should not take (for example, Math 163A after passing Math 263A and B). In this case, DARS deducts the credit and grade for Math 163A, but Math 163A will still show on the transcript.

If you have questions concerning the DARS report, please contact your college student services office or your regional campus student services office.

Please visit General Education Requirements to learn more about the General Education Requirements.

Like most universities, Ohio University requires that you be “in residence” for a certain number of credit hours in order to graduate. Some colleges have additional residency requirements, so check with your advisor or dean’s office to make certain all requirements are being met.

Residence credit is defined as any credit earned by regular enrollment at Ohio University on the Athens campus or any regional campus or by Ohio University Education Abroad, any approved student teaching, the Independent and Distance Learning Programs in the Division of Lifelong & Distance Learning, or any combination of these options.

Bachelor’s Degree

You must earn a minimum of 48 credit hours while enrolled at Ohio University, and you must earn a minimum of 50 percent of coursework taken to fulfill your major concentration in residence with resident credit as defined above. A college may require more than 50 percent of Ohio University credit to fulfill a major concentration or have other additional residency requirements for a given program.

If you begin graduate study at Ohio University before completing all requirements for a bachelor’s degree, your residency requirement will be reduced by as many hours as credit hours of graduate work completed. The number of hours subtracted also will be credited toward the residency requirement for a master’s degree, if the credit is acceptable in the program approved for graduate work toward a degree. Residence credits used for meeting requirements for one or more bachelor’s degrees may not also be used for meeting the residency requirements for the graduate degree.

The residency requirements apply even if you have been approved for graduation in absentia and are completing your last year in an accredited institution, except that the regulations apply to residence before you leave the University. (See the In Absentia section below.)

Associate’s Degree

You must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours while enrolled at Ohio University, and you must earn a minimum of 50 percent of coursework taken to fulfill your major concentration in residence with resident credit as defined above. A college may require more than 50 percent of Ohio University credit to fulfill a major concentration or have other additional residence requirements for a given program.

To be considered for in absentia status, you must obtain permission from the student services office of your college. If you have been approved for the senior – in absentia privilege, you must complete a full year’s work in an Ohio University–approved professional school and be eligible for advancement without condition to the second year to obtain your bachelor’s degree in absentia . In absentia programs involve preplanned curricula and cannot be arranged on an ad hoc basis. The in absentia privilege does not apply to graduate degree programs.

The official transcript from the school you attend must be submitted to the Office of Admissions, Chubb Hall 120, Ohio University, before the degree conferral date.

Second Bachelor’s Degree

If you plan to earn two bachelor’s degrees, you may meet the requirements either simultaneously or successively:

1. To complete requirements for two degrees conferred on the same date, you must meet the requirements for both degrees and must have completed a total of 13 quarters of college work or its equivalent (208 hours), with a minimum of five quarters of residence, or the equivalent, at Ohio University. When the two degrees are offered by different colleges, you must declare a major program in both colleges and meet the residence requirement the quarter in which the degrees are to be conferred.
2. If you have met the requirements for two degrees, as stated above, and want to have the degrees conferred in successive quarters, you may do so without further credit or residence. For example, one degree may be conferred at the end of one quarter and application made for the second degree in a subsequent quarter.
3. If you want to earn a second bachelor’s degree after receiving the first, you must complete the requirements for the second degree and meet the residency requirement in the college offering the second degree. (See individual college requirements in each college’s section.)

Second Associate’s Degree

You cannot earn the same associate’s degree twice. Furthermore, you are not permitted to earn both the A.A. and A.S. degrees. If you have already earned the A.I.S. degree, you are not permitted to earn either the A.A. or A.S. degree. Although it is possible to complete an A.A.B. or A.A.S. degree with a double major, you can earn the degree only once. If an A.A. or A.S. has been completed previously, you will not be permitted to complete the A.I.S.

Associate’s Degree After a Baccalaureate Degree

Typically, the Associate in Individualized Studies degree is not an appropriate degree program for someone who previously has completed a bachelor’s degree. In special circumstances, a person who has completed a prior bachelor’s degree may petition the director of degree programs in University College to seek permission to complete the A.I.S. degree. The Associate in Arts or the Associate in Science degree will not be granted if you have already earned a baccalaureate degree.

Application

Candidates for graduation must make application and pay the application fee no later than the deadline listed in the academic calendar for the quarter in which graduation is planned. You can apply online at http://www.ohio.edu/registrar/ or receive assistance at Registrar Services, first floor, Chubb Hall or at your regional campus student services office. Questions about applying for graduation should be directed to graduation@ohio.edu . This application initiates the process that informs your college to check for fulfillment of degree requirements. The process culminates with the entry of the college, major, other concentrations (such as minor, dual certification in education, etc.), degree, and date of degree conferral on your permanent academic record. At the end of this process, your graduation grade point average, class rank, and eligibility for honors are determined. They then cannot be changed by completing additional coursework or retaking classes, although taking additional classes will affect your accumulative grade point average (GPA).

The application fee for all degrees is $50. If you fail to meet the requirements for graduation, you may reapply for the quarter in which you plan to complete the requirements. The fee for reapplication is $5. International students in F–1 or J–1 status are encouraged to see an advisor in International Student and Faculty Services during the quarter in which they plan to graduate to discuss their immigration status.

Graduation with Honor

The GPA requirements for graduation with honor are: cum laude (with honor), 3.5 to 3.749; magna cum laude (with high honor), 3.75 to 3.899; and summa cum laude (with highest honor), 3.9 to 4.0. The Latin honors notation will appear on your diploma and in the commencement program. Note: The commencement program honor notation for spring quarter graduates is calculated based on your most recent accumulative GPA prior to spring quarter. After spring grades are calculated the final honor is calculated and will appear on your transcript and diploma.

To be eligible for graduation with honor, you must complete a minimum of 48 hours of coursework with letter grades that affect your GPA in residence at Ohio University. Successful completion of a special honors program of study is noted in the commencement program and on your diploma. Graduation with honor does not apply to associate’s or graduate degrees.

Commencement Ceremony

If you are a candidate for spring quarter graduation, or if you have earned your degree during the preceding summer, fall, or winter quarter, you are eligible to attend commencement, held at the end of spring quarter.

Details concerning commencement will be sent to you after you have applied officially for graduation, provided you indicate your intention to attend the commencement ceremony at the time you submit your graduation application.

Commencement information is available online at http://www.ohio.edu/commencement/ . Direct any questions concerning commencement to the Office of University Events, 740.593.1762.