Navigating the Path: Understanding Bachelor Degree Requirements

Earning a bachelor's degree is a significant milestone, opening doors to various career opportunities and personal growth. However, the path to graduation involves fulfilling specific requirements that can vary depending on the institution, the degree program, and even the chosen major. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the common requirements for bachelor's degrees, offering guidance for students as they navigate their academic journey.

General Education: Building a Foundation

General Education Requirements (GERs) are a cornerstone of most bachelor's degree programs. They are designed to provide students with a broad base of knowledge across various disciplines, enhancing critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. These requirements encompass areas of knowledge common to associate and bachelor degrees and thus represent the minimum standards for general education. The specific courses required may vary, and students should consult the degree requirements section of their catalog to determine which courses should be taken as part of the minimum general education requirements. If required courses are not taken as GERs, they must be taken as requirements or electives.

Core Areas of General Education

Typical areas covered by general education requirements include:

Humanities: Exploring literature, philosophy, history, and languages to understand human culture and values.
Social Sciences: Examining human behavior, social structures, and political systems through disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science.
Natural Sciences: Investigating the natural world through biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science.
Mathematics: Developing quantitative reasoning and problem-solving skills through courses in algebra, calculus, and statistics.
Arts: Cultivating creativity and appreciation for artistic expression through visual arts, music, theater, and dance.

Any given course may be counted as fulfilling more than one requirement in a degree program but the credit hour can only be counted once.

The "Golden Four"

Some institutions emphasize the importance of completing foundational courses early in a student's academic career. The “Golden Four” classes are a set of foundational learning classes that set the stage for future learning within GE and within the major programs. As such, students are encouraged to complete these four courses within the first year. These courses are all three courses within Area 1 plus lower-division Area 2: Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning. The three courses within Area 1 provide instruction and practice in writing, speaking, and critical thinking. Completion of one or more courses within this area is often a prerequisite for other GE courses. All Golden Four subareas require students to earn a grade of C- or…

Major Requirements: Deepening Expertise

The major requirements form the core of a bachelor's degree, providing in-depth knowledge and skills in a specific field of study. These requirements typically consist of a set of core courses, as well as elective courses that allow students to specialize in a particular area within the major.

Declaring a Major

Students may declare a major at the time of initial admission or add a major at a later date through the change of major/degree process. Incoming students may not know which degree they would like to pursue. Students need time to explore, gather information and identify and examine alternatives. Undeclared students are advised in the Student Resource Center. As an undeclared or deciding applicant, students who have not selected a specific degree program when they arrive, will choose a degree by working with their advisors and exploring career options.

Double Majors and Concentrations

Students with diverse interests can often pursue a double major, allowing them to earn a degree in two different fields of study. B.S. and B.A. degree-seeking students may graduate with two majors provided both majors are for the same type of degree. For example, a student may graduate with a double major in Marine Biology and Mathematics as they are both majors for a B.S. degree. For another example, a student may graduate with a double major in Art and English as they are both majors for a B.A. degree. A double major is earned by completing all general education and all degree requirements of both majors. Students must apply for and be accepted into both majors. The degree requirements must follow a single catalog for both majors. You many not double major within the same discipline such as B.S. Biology and B.S.

A concentration is an area of emphasis within a student’s major. Only majors listing concentration areas require a student to declare a concentration prior to graduation. Concentrations may only be added to majors that explicitly include them in their program requirements. A student may only earn one degree in a specific discipline once. Using different concentrations within a degree program to count as a different degree is not allowed. Double concentrations may be permitted with departmental approval.

Senior Project

All Cal Poly undergraduate students shall complete a senior project as part of their baccalaureate degree program requirements. Definition: A capstone experience is a high-impact educational practice in which students (a) integrate and evaluate the knowledge and skills gained in both the General Education (GE) and major curricula and (b) demonstrate career or postgraduate readiness. As a bridge from college to career/postgraduate success, the senior project at Cal Poly is a capstone experience with achievable outcomes that culminates in a self-directed final production or product carried out under faculty direction. Senior projects analyze, evaluate, and synthesize a student's general and discipline-specific educational experiences; relate to a student's field of study, future employment, and/or postgraduate scholastic goals; and include an element of critical, self-reflectiveness to facilitate student development and promote the metacognitive awareness that leads to lifelong learning.

Senior projects may be research-, project-, and/or portfolio-based; individually supervised or course-based; independently completed or team-based; discipline-specific and/or interdisciplinary. They may take forms including, but not limited to, the following: an experiment; a self-guided study; a student-generated research project; participation in a faculty-generated research project; engagement in an industry-driven project; a report based on a prior or concurrent co-op/internship or service learning experience; a design or construction project; a portfolio of work documenting the results of creative practices, and/or a public presentation or performance.

Credit Requirements: Accumulating Academic Progress

Bachelor's degrees typically require the completion of a minimum number of credit hours, usually around 120. These credits are earned by successfully completing courses, with each course assigned a specific number of credits based on its workload and duration.

Residency Requirements

Most universities have residency requirements that call for a certain number of credits toward a degree to be earned at the degree-granting school. A student may complete degree requirements in effect and published in the UAF catalog in any one of the previous seven academic years in which the student is enrolled as a degree student for a bachelor’s degree. A student is considered enrolled in a degree program when they have completed the registration procedure.

Transfer Credits

Students who have completed coursework at other institutions may be able to transfer those credits toward their bachelor's degree. However, transfer credit policies vary widely, and students should consult with their academic advisor to determine which credits will be accepted. A maximum of 70 units of coursework from community colleges can be applied to the total units required for the degree.

Limits on Certain Types of Credits

Note: A maximum of 12 units of internship and cooperative education coursework can be applied to the bachelor's degree.

Read also: Student Guide to Majors

Grade Point Average (GPA): Maintaining Academic Standing

Maintaining a satisfactory GPA is crucial for graduation. Most institutions require a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher for all coursework, as well as in the major field of study. Students must earn at least a 2.000 GPA in all three of the following: 1) all Higher Education units earned (all college-level work), 2) Cal Poly cumulative units earned, and 3) the major (the courses used to meet Major Courses, see the curriculum display for the major; support courses do not count toward major GPA).

Additional Requirements: Fulfilling Institutional Missions

Some institutions may have additional requirements that reflect their unique mission or values. These requirements may include:

Diversity Courses: Courses that explore issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and social justice. The Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement has been enacted to ensure that all graduates of UAS programs have a basic level of knowledge when it comes to the Indigenous peoples of Alaska. This requirement does not add to the total number of credits required for General Education Requirement (GER) or degree completion. Although the Alaska Native themed course requirement is separate from GERs, some ANKGR courses are also GERs. Coursework completed at UAA, UAF, and their affiliate campuses that fulfills the Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement at those institutions is transferable. Students may petition to have coursework that is not currently listed as ANKGR courses count towards this requirement, provided that it meets the Student Learning Outcomes listed below specific to Alaska Native Knowledge.
Writing Intensive Courses: Courses that emphasize the development of writing skills across various disciplines. All General Education courses must have an appropriate writing component. In achieving this objective, writing in most courses should be viewed primarily as a tool of learning (rather than a goal in itself as in a composition course), and faculty should determine the appropriate ways to integrate writing into coursework. The writing component may take different forms according to the subject matter and the purpose of a course. GE areas 1A, 1B, Upper-Division 3, and Upper-Division 4 are designated as Writing Intensive. All courses in these areas must include a minimum of 3,000 words of writing and base 50% or more of a student’s grade on written work. GE area 3B is also designated as Writing Intensive, but all courses in this area must include a minimum of 2,000 words of writing and base 50% or more of a student’s grade on written work. All Writing Intensive courses must include process-oriented writing instruction in which faculty provide ongoing feedback to students to help them grasp the effectiveness of their writing in various disciplinary contexts.
Senior Project or Thesis: A culminating research project or creative work that demonstrates a student's mastery of their chosen field.

Graduation Procedures: Completing the Final Steps

Once all degree requirements have been met, students must apply for graduation and complete any necessary paperwork. The actual date of graduation (degree conferral) is the end of the semester in which all requirements have been met. Graduating students receive one complimentary diploma. Additional diplomas may be ordered from the Office of the Registrar’s Online Diploma Service. The diploma is not ordered until all degree requirements have been completed. Concentrations and minors are not noted on the diploma; they are noted on the transcript.

Commencement

The Commencement Office provides graduates and guests with a memorable and meaningful graduation experience that symbolizes the culmination of their academic achievements. Students who wish to participate in a commencement ceremony other than the one for which they are scheduled and in which they are eligible to participate must complete a Commencement Request Form.

Seeking Guidance: Navigating the Academic Landscape

Navigating the requirements for a bachelor's degree can be complex, and students are encouraged to seek guidance from academic advisors, faculty members, and other resources. Advice is available from faculty advisors, college advising centers, the Office of the Registrar, and students’ online Degree Progress Reports. Students should plan their degree programs carefully and review them frequently with their advisors. Students are strongly encouraged to access their Degree Progress Report frequently, including after they register each semester to verify that courses in which they enrolled are fulfilling requirements as expected. They are also encouraged to address any unanticipated deficiencies in the information shown on their Degree Progress Report, while realizing that recently received substitutions, transfer credit, etc., may not yet be reflected in the Degree Progress Report.

Second Bachelor's Degree

A second bachelor degree requires completion of a minimum of 24 semester hours of credit beyond the first bachelor degree. All general University requirements, degree requirements, and requirements of the major must be met for both degrees.

UAF graduates who want to earn a second bachelor’s degree must complete at least 24 hours of credit beyond the first bachelor’s degree. Students who earned a bachelor’s degree from another college or university must be accepted for admission as transfer students. All general university requirements, including residency, degree and major requirements, must be met.

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