Graduation Requirements

GRADE-POINT REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE

All candidates for a degree must have at least a 2.0 (A = 4.0) grade point average on all University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign credits counted for graduation requirements and at least a 2.0 grade point average on the combined transfer and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign credits counted for graduation requirements. Certain colleges have established higher scholastic graduation requirements for specific curricula. (Grades in courses taken at the other campus of the University are counted as transferred.)

When a course has been repeated, both the original and subsequent grades are included in the average if the course is acceptable toward graduation, but the credit is counted only once. An original grade is not removed from the student's record for a course subsequently passed by special examination.

Students who do not meet the requirements stated above may graduate if they have the minimum grade point average calculated by either of the following alternative methods:

- Courses in which grades of D or F have been recorded are excluded, not to exceed a total of 10 semester hours completed prior to the last 30 hours of work completed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and counted for graduation requirements, or

- A grade point average of no less than 2.1 is calculated for the last 60 semester hours of work counted for graduation requirements and completed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, except in those curricula for which a higher scholastic graduation requirement is specified.

Each college office, on request, will inform students regarding the scholarship regulations of that college.

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION

First Bachelor's Degree

In addition to meeting specific course and scholastic requirements, each candidate for a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign must spend either the first three years earning not fewer than 90 semester hours or the last year (two semesters or the equivalent) earning not fewer than 30 semester hours in residence at the Urbana-Champaign campus, uninterrupted by any work in another institution. Only those courses that are applicable toward the degree sought may be counted in satisfying the above minimum requirements. (Either three twelve-week terms or four eight-week sessions are the equivalent of two semesters).

Concurrent attendance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and another collegiate institution does not interrupt the residence requirement for graduation.

Credit earned through the Advanced Placement Program is included in the first 90 semester hours and is not considered as interrupting residence.

Credit allowed toward graduation for completion of courses of study offered by the religious foundations located in Urbana-Champaign is not counted as interrupting residence or counted toward satisfying minimum residence requirements for graduation.

Attendance at another institution under the Committee on Institutional Cooperation Program or participation in the University of Illinois foreign study programs or the Study Away from Campus Programs for which students are registered in Urbana-Champaign courses does not interrupt residence, and credits earned through these programs are counted as residence credit toward graduation, provided that within the last two years of study at least 30 semester hours have been earned in courses taken on the Urbana-Champaign campus.

Transfer students from community colleges must, after attaining junior standing, earn at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign or any other approved four-year institution at least 60 semester hours acceptable toward their degrees, in addition to meeting the usual residence requirement for degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Students transferring from the University of Illinois at Chicago or from the University of Illinois at Springfield to the Urbana-Champaign campus as candidates for degrees must satisfy the residence and academic requirements for graduation established for the curriculum entered on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Since the campuses do not have identical academic programs, a student who is contemplating a transfer should consult with the college into which he or she expects to transfer.

A student attending as "visitor only" is not considered a "student in residence."

A student who requests that the residence requirement for graduation be waived must submit a petition to the dean of his or her college, who will take action on the petition.

A student on drop status may not graduate until he or she has been reinstated by the dean of the student's college. A student who meets the conditions stated in the first paragraph of this section must notify the dean of his or her college of the student's intent to apply credit earned elsewhere toward the degree requirements and arrange to have a final official transcript from the other collegiate institution(s) attended sent to the Office of Admissions and Records.

Second Bachelor's Degree

A student who has received one bachelor's degree may, with college approval, be permitted to receive a second bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, provided that all specified requirements for both degrees are fully met and that the curriculum offered for the second degree includes at least the final 30 semester hours that are earned in residence at the Urbana-Champaign campus and not counted for the other degree.

The second bachelor's degree may be earned either concurrently with or subsequent to the first degree.

A candidate for a second bachelor's degree must meet the same residence requirements as for the first degree.

Only those courses that are acceptable toward the degree sought may be counted in satisfying the above minimum requirements. This includes the 30 additional hours required for the second degree.

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

General Education is an important component of students' education at the University of Illinois. Besides specializing in a major and training for a career, students should become familiar with some of the many rapidly changing disciplines. Through General Education requirements, Illinois undergraduates: expand their historical, aesthetic, cultural, literary, scientific, and philosophical perspectives; improve critical and analytical thinking; and learn skills in finding, managing, and communicating knowledge.

The University of Illinois has campus-wide general education requirements for graduation that must be met by all students, regardless of the college in which they are enrolled. However, some colleges have additional, college-level, general education requirements. Students should note that in many cases, courses required for the major will also satisfy campus- and/or college-level general education requirements.

The information contained in this document is the latest available on the date it was prepared and is subject to change as new information is added. Current General Education information can be found at www.provost.uiuc.edu/gened. Questions about General Education requirements should be addressed college or departmental advisers.

CAMPUS-WIDE GENERAL EDUCATION CATEGORIES:

· Composition I

· Advanced Composition (formerly Composition II)

· Quantitative Reasoning I

· Humanities and the Arts

· Social and Behavioral Sciences

· Natural Sciences and Technology

· Cultural Studies: Non-Western/U. S. Minority Culture(s)

· Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures

· Foreign Language

COMPOSITION I (3 - 6 hours):

All students must complete 3-6 hours of Composition I courses. This requirement may be satisfied by completing one of the following courses or course sequences:

RHET 101-College Writing I and RHET 102-College Writing II

RHET 103-College Composition I and RHET 104-College Composition II

RHET 105-Principles of Composition

RHET 108-Forms of Composition

SPCOM 111-Verbal Communication and SPCOM 112-Verbal Communication

ESL 114-Introduction to Academic Writing and ESL 115-Principles of Academic Writing

ADVANCED COMPOSITION, FORMERLY COMPOSITION II (3 hours):

All students must complete a minimum of 3 hours of Advanced Composition. The Advanced Composition requirement is typically satisfied by a course taken at the University of Illinois and many majors require courses that satisfy this requirement. A list of courses satisfying this requirement can be found at www.provost.uiuc.edu/gened/acp.asp.

QUANTITATIVE REASONING I (3 hours):

All students must complete a minimum of 3 hours of Quantitative Reasoning I. A list of courses satisfying this requirement can be found at www.provost.uiuc.edu/gened/qr1.asp. Many majors require courses that satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning requirement.

HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS (6 hours):

All students must complete a minimum of 6 hours of Humanities and the Arts courses. A list of courses satisfying this requirement can be found at www.provost.uiuc.edu/gened/hum.asp. This requirement may increase to 9 semester hours campus-wide in the future; many majors already require 9 hours.

SOCIAL and BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (6 hours):

All students must complete a minimum of 6 hours of Social and Behavioral Sciences courses. A list of courses satisfying this requirement can be found at www.provost.uiuc.edu/gened/sbs.asp. This requirement may increase to 9 semester hours campus-wide in the future; many majors already require 9 hours.

NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY (6 hours):

All students must complete a minimum of 6 hours of Natural Science and Technology courses. A list of courses satisfying this requirement can be found at www.provost.uiuc.edu/gened/nat.asp. This requirement may increase to 9 semester hours campus-wide in the future; many majors already require 9 hours.

CULTURAL STUDIES, WESTERN/COMPARATIVE (3 hours):

All students must complete a minimum of 3 hours of Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative courses. A list of courses satisfying this requirement can be found at www.provost.uiuc.edu/gened/cw.asp. Courses in this section may also satisfy the Humanities and the Arts, Social and Behavioral Sciences, or Natural Science and Technology requirements.

CULTURAL STUDIES, NON-WESTERN/U.S. MINORITY CULTURE(S) 
(3 hours):

All students must complete a minimum of 3 hours of Cultural Studies: Non-Western/U.S. Minority Culture(s) courses. A list of courses satisfying this requirement can be found at www.provost.uiuc.edu/ gened/cnw.asp. Courses in this section may also satisfy the Humanities and the Arts, Social and Behavioral Sciences, or Natural Science and Technology requirements. At present, teacher certification and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences require a Non-Western course, but not U. S. Minority Cultures course.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE:

Effective for all entering freshmen in Fall 2000 and later, the foreign language requirement must be completed for graduation. This requirement may be satisfied in any of the following ways:

1. Successfully completing a third semester college foreign language;

2. Having taken three years of the same foreign language in high school; or

3. Demonstrating proficiency at the third semester level in a language proficiency examination approved by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the appropriate department.

If you enter the University of Illinois without three years of the same foreign language in high school, you must take a foreign language placement test to determine the courses in which you should enroll.

Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Commerce and Business Administration should consult the college section for more information.

RELIGIOUS FOUNDATION COURSES

Courses of study offered by the religious foundations located in Urbana-Champaign that have been approved by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Committee on Courses and Curricula are accepted for credit by the University provided that the student is currently registered in University courses. Registration in these courses is limited to students of sophomore standing or above who are currently registered on campus in University courses and must be approved in advance by the dean of the student's college. Grades in these courses are not included in the student's all-University scholastic average and the courses are not counted as interrupting residence or toward satisfying minimum residence requirements for graduation.

A maximum of 10 semester hours of credit in religious foundation courses may, with the approval of the dean of the college concerned, be counted toward graduation. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has different restrictions which are given in detail in the LAS Student Handbook.

The above credit limitations and other restrictions apply to religious foundation courses only and not to courses offered by the University of Illinois Program in Religious Studies.

CORRESPONDENCE AND EXTRAMURAL COURSES

After matriculation, a student may count toward his or her degree, with the approval of the dean of the student's college, as many as 60 semester hours of credit earned in extramural and/or correspondence study, provided that:

- The student completes all of the remaining requirements for the degree in residence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, or

- The student presents acceptable residence credit for work done elsewhere and completes requirements needed for his or her degree in residence at the University. In all cases, the senior year (two semesters of not less than 30 semester hours) must be done in residence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

A student who has completed the first three years in residence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning a minimum of 90 semester hours, may do all or part of the senior year in correspondence or extramural study, subject to meeting all of the requirements for the degree.

Credit for correspondence work taken with fully accredited institutions may be allowed, but only on approval of the dean of the student's college.

THESES

If a thesis is to be submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a bachelor's degree, the subject must be announced by the end of the sixth week of instruction in the first semester of the student's senior year. The work must be done under the direction of a professor in the department concerned and must be applicable to the curriculum in which a degree is expected. A maximum of 10 hours of credit in thesis work may be counted toward a bachelor's degree.

UNDERGRADUATE CREDIT FOR SERVICE AND EDUCATION IN THE ARMED FORCES

The University grants registered students college credit for certain training and experience in the armed forces of the United States. A student who completes military service in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, or Coast Guard, including basic or recruit training of six months or more, is awarded 4 semester hours of credit in basic military science upon presentation of evidence on Form DD-214 of honorable discharge or transfer to the reserve component.

Correspondence courses for which the student has passed the end-of-course examination prepared by the U.S. Armed Forces Institute, that are baccalaureate-oriented, and that correspond in level and content to courses offered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are recognized for credit.

Credit recommendations in the Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experiences in the Armed Forces (published by the American Council on Education) for military service school training will be considered for transfer credit as follows: (1) credit will be granted for college-level, baccalaureate-oriented training and education, (2) vocational credit related to the student's curriculum choice will be referred for consideration to the dean of the college in which the student is enrolled, and (3) duplicate credit will be deleted. Applicability of military credit toward a particular degree is determined by the dean of the college. Additional information may be obtained from the Office of Admissions and Records.

 

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