A-010 Graduation Requirements

Code: A-010
Date: May 20, 1987
Approved: John McCune
Revised: April 15, 1988
Approved: Doug Treadway
Revised: January 14, 2004
Approved: David C. Danahar
Revised: August 2006
Approved: David C. Danahar
Revised: January 31, 2008
Approved: David C. Danahar
Revised: May 5, 2012
Approved: David C. Danahar
Revised: December 12, 2012
Approved: Ronald A. Wood
Reviewed: July 2014
Revised: April 2015
Approved: Connie J. Gores
Reviewed: June 2016
Revised: December 2018
Approved: Connie J. Gores

Southwest Minnesota State University
Policy
Graduation Requirements

Definition

Catalog term defines the specific set of requirements ordinarily established in the catalog for a specific year which the student must satisfy in order to qualify for a degree, certificate, etc.  

  • The catalog term is the student’s initial term of entry provided that the student has a declared major that he/she does not change during his/her enrollment at SMSU.
  • Students who add or change majors will have their catalog term changed to the term that they submit the change of record form in the Registration and Records Office.
    • Having more than one major can result in multiple catalog years.
  • Students are eligible to change to a more recent catalog term for their major, minor or certificates if it is to their benefit.
  • Minor requirements will be evaluated based on their major catalog term and can be changed to any catalog meeting the seven year requirement rule by contacting the Registration & Records Office.

The requirements for obtaining a degree from SMSU shall include the following:

  1. For the Baccalaureate Degree Programs (BA, BS) the student must have successfully completed:
    1. A minimum of 120 semester credit hours (SCH).
    2. A minimum of 30 SCH of the final 60 at SMSU.
    3. A minimum of 40 SCH at the 300-level or 400-level from an accredited institution. No substitution of lower division credits (100 or 200 level) for upper division credits (300 or 400 level) for purposes of fulfilling this requirement is allowed.
    4. The requirements for an approved major, of which a minimum of 18 SCH must be taken at SMSU.
    5. The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum with a cumulative SMSU grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0.
    6. All coursework with a cumulative grade point average (GPA of 2.00 for classes taken while in residence1 at SMSU.
    7. A student may qualify for graduation under the graduation requirements of any year in which he/she has been a degree-seeking student, provided that the catalog listing the requirements went into effect not more than seven (7) years prior to the year of the student’s graduation.

      In addition:
      No more than 20 SCH of credit/no credit (CR/NC) courses shall be counted toward graduation.

      Note:
      Students have the right to petition degree requirements except for the total graduation credit requirement (120 credits), the upper division credit requirement (40 credits), and the cumulative grade point average of 2.0 required for a degree.  
  2. For the Bachelor of Applied Science Degree Program (BAS), the student must have successfully completed:
    1. 120 Credits Curriculum Requirements in current SMSU Academic Catalog
    2. A minimum of 30 SCH of the final 60 through SMSU.
    3. A minimum of 40 SCH at the 300 level or 400 level from an accredited institution.
    4. The requirements for an approved BAS major.
    5. All coursework with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 for courses taken while enrolled at SMSU.
    6. A student may qualify for graduation under the graduation requirements of any year in which he/she has been a degree-seeking student, provided that the catalog listing the requirements went into effect not more than seven (7) years prior to the year of the student’s graduation.

      In addition:
      No more than 10 SCH of credit/no credit (CR/NC) courses shall be counted toward graduation.

      Note:
      Students have the right to petition degree requirements except for the total graduation credit requirement (120 credits), the upper division credit requirement (40 credits), and the cumulative grade point average of 2.0 required for a degree.  
  3. For the Associate Degree Programs (AS, AA), the student must have successfully completed
    1. A minimum of 60 SCH.
    2. A minimum of 20 of the final 30 SCH at SMSU.
    3. The requirements for an approved Associate Degree Program.
    4. All coursework with a GPA of at least 2.00 for approved courses while in residence1 at SMSU.
    5. Liberal Arts Curriculum requirements specified for the particular Associate Degree sought.
    6. A student may qualify for graduation under the graduation requirements of any year in which he/she has been a degree-seeking student, provided that the catalog listing the requirements went into effect not more than seven (7) years prior to the year of the student’s graduation.

      In addition:
      No more than 10 SCH of credit/no credit courses shall be counted toward graduation.

      Note:
      Students have the right to petition degree requirements except for the total graduation credit requirement (60 credits) and the cumulative grade point average of 2.0 required for a degree.
  4. For the Master Degree Programs (MS, MBA) the student must have successfully completed:
    1. A minimum of 34 semester credit hours (SCH) or higher as set by each graduate program.
    2. A minimum of 24 SCH must be taken while in residence1 at SMSU. No more than nine (9) semester hours of credit may be transferred into a SMSU Graduate program.
    3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the Graduate Programs, Degrees and/or Certificates. If a student falls below the minimum GPA the student will be placed on probation. A grade of “C-” or below will not apply toward a Graduate Program, Degree or Certificate. A maximum of two (2) Cs will be allowed. (See A-045 Graduate Policies and Procedures 2.3.1).

      Note:
      Students have seven (7) years from the date of their first course to complete all requirements for their Master’s Degree. (For Medical and Military Deployment exceptions, see A-045 Graduate Policies and Procedures 5.2.2)
  5. For both the Bachelor’s Degree and the Associate’s Degree, the student must:
    1. Comply with the following degree check procedure:
      1. Completion of the degree check normally before completing 90 SCH, but no later than the first day of the semester prior to graduation. Degree check forms must be signed by the student’s advisor and the appropriate department(s) and returned to the Registration and Records Office by the student.
      2. Application for graduation completed and submitted with the degree check form. The Registration and Records Office shall be responsible for establishing that degree requirements have been completed.
      3. Satisfaction of all financial and library obligations to the University before the end of the student’s final semester.
    2. Select the degree designation (BA, BS, BAS, AS) of his/her choice when the student has completed two or more majors under different degree designations.
    3. Be approved by the Faculty Assembly for graduation with the degree sought.
  6. For graduates (Bachelor’s Degree) seeking a second, differing degree, the returning student must:
    1. Have completed all major and Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and associated graduation requirements for the second, differing degree as described above.
    2. Have completed an additional 30 SCH at SMSU.
  7. Conferring of Degrees and Participation in Commencement
    1. Associate, baccalaureate, graduate, and educational specialist degrees shall be conferred by the University three times a year. The designated times shall be the end of the fall, spring and summer semesters.
    2. “Conferring of degrees” is an official act by the University signifying that the student has completed all requirements for graduation and has been recommended by the faculty for a degree according to major/minor curricula.
    3. Completion of graduation requirements includes completion of an approved major, completion of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0, completion of the degree check process, completion of the application for graduation process, and satisfaction of all financial obligations to Southwest Minnesota State University.
    4. Commencement is a ceremony during which graduates and candidates for graduation are publicly recognized. The Commencement ceremony shall be held annually at the conclusion of the spring term. Candidates for Commencement are those who have completed graduation requirements as stated above and who have 15 or fewer credits to complete (undergraduate degree) or 9 or fewer credits to complete (graduate degree). Students must clear all university holds prior to registering to participate in Commencement.
    5. Candidates for graduation who qualify for an exception may choose to participate in Commencement under this exception or the Commencement immediately following their graduation, but not more than once.
1

Residence at Southwest Minnesota State University is defined as enrollment in classes from Southwest Minnesota State University or from another state university campus under the Common Market Program

Note: While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, SMSU reserves the right to correct any clerical errors herein. Also, you can submit feedback.