3337-2-07. Undergraduate graduation requirements

(A) Application. A student who is a candidate for graduation must make application in the office of student records and pay the application fee no later than the deadline listed in the academic calendar of the quarter in which graduation is planned. This application initiates the process which informs the student's college to check fulfillment of degree requirements. The process culminates with the reflection of the college, major, degree, and the date of granting degree on the student's permanent (academic) record. The application fee for a bachelor's degree is fifteen dollars and for an associate degree, seven dollars and fifty cents. If an applicant fails to meet the requirements for graduation, he or she may reapply for the quarter in which completion of the requirements is planned. The fee for reapplication is five dollars. Students entering fall quarter 1977 or thereafter for a bachelor's degree must have a minimum of one hundred ninety-two quarter hours of credit with all college requirements met. For the associate degree a minimum of ninety-six quarter hours is required.

(B) Scholastic average. To meet the minimum standards for graduation from Ohio university, a student must have a point-hour ratio of 2.0 ("C") on all hours attempted. The need for this 2.0 average applies to the student's total record and to the total major or equivalent as determined within the college.

(C) Major areas of study. Requirements for majors and fields of concentration are outlined by the individual colleges. A transfer student who has completed most or all of the courses in a major area of study at another institution may be required to satisfy the departments concerned that Ohio university academic standards in that area have been met.

(D) Residence requirements for graduation.

(1) Bachelor's degree. "Residence credit" is defined as credit earned by regular enrollment at Ohio university on the Athens campus, on any of the regional campuses, by any of the approved programs abroad, by any approved student teaching, by independent study and course credit by examination arranged through Ohio university's independent study program, by degree credit earned through continuing education, or by any combination of these methods. The minimum requirement for students who complete fewer than ninety-six quarter hours at Ohio university is the final year (three quarters) with forty eight hours of credit. For a student who completes ninety-six or more quarter hours of Ohio university credit, the final quarter shall be in residence as defined by the residence requirement above. If a student begins graduate study before completion of all requirements for a bachelor's degree, residence for the bachelor's degree will be reduced by as many weeks as credit hours of graduate work completed. The number of weeks subtracted will be credited toward the residence requirement for a master's degree if the credit is acceptable in the program approved for graduate work toward a degree. Residence used for meeting requirements for one or more bachelor's degrees may not also be used for meeting the residence requirements for a master's degree. The residence regulations apply to a student who has been approved for graduation in absentia and is completing the last year in an accredited institution, except that the regulations apply to residence before the student leaves the university. A student should make certain particular residence requirements of his or her college have also been met.

(2) Associate degree. A student seeking an associate degree must earn at least thirty quarter hours of residence credit at Ohio university. Moreover, students who complete fewer than sixty quarter hours of Ohio university credit must earn at least eight of the final fifteen hours in residence as defined below. If the degree applicant has not earned Ohio university credit within two years of the quarter in which application is made, he or she must earn Ohio university credit during the quarter in which the associate degree is earned. ^Residence credit is defined as credit earned by regular enrollment at any Ohio "university campus, by any of the approved programs abroad, by any approved student teaching, by independent study through correspondence of course credit by examination arranged through Ohio university's extension division, by degree credit earned through continuing education, or by any combination of these. Problems related to the residence requirements should be discussed with the student's academic dean. In certain cases exceptions to the residence requirements may be made.

(E) In absentia. In absentia permission is obtained in writing from the dean of the college in which the student is enrolled. To obtain the bachelor's degree a student who has been approved for the senior-in-absentia privilege in an approved professional school must have completed a full year's work in the professional school of the quality prescribed for the bachelor's degree at Ohio university, and be eligible for advancement without condition to the second year. The official transcript from the school must be submitted to the office of admissions, Chubb/hall, Ohio university, before the degree conferring date. The in absentia privilege does not apply to graduate degree programs.

(F) Time limit. The time limit for fulfilling the published requirements for a degree is five years from the date of first registration in the university. Requirements institued subsequent to the student's initial registration are applicable at the discretion of the university. The following additional regulations apply:

(1) A student who is advanced to a degree college at the end of the first year, and who does not change his or her major or equivalent, fulfills the requirements in effect at the time he or she first registered in the university.

(2) A student who remains in the university college for more than one year fulfills the requirements in effect at the time he or she enters the degree college. If major or equivalent is changed the student fulfills the requirements in effect at the time he or she makes the change. A transfer student is governed by the same regulations, except that the number of years in which to complete the degree requirements is reduced by the number of years of transferred work.

(G) Graduation in honors. A candidate for the bachelor's degree who is graduated with a point-hour ratio of 3.0 up to 3.50 on all hours attempted is distinguished on the commencement program by the notation "with honor", with 3.50 or above, by the notation "with high honor". A candidate who has successfully completed a program of study with honors is distinguished in the commencement program and on the diploma with the appropriate notation.

(H) Granting of degrees and commencement. Degrees are granted at the close of each quarter. The annual commencements is held at the close of the spring quarter. Candidates for spring quarter graduation and recipients of degrees at the preceding summer, fall, and winter quarters are invited to attend the exercises.

(I) A second bachelor's degree. A student who desires two bachelor's degrees may meet the requirements for them either simultaneously or successively:

(1) If a student desires to complete the requirements for the two degrees conferred on the same date, he or she must meet the particular subject requirements for both degrees; earn a minimum of forty-eight approved quarter hours beyond the minimum required for one degree with the requisite scholastic average, both on Ohio university work and credit that has been transferred from another school, and must have completed a total of thirteen quarters of college work or its equivalent, with a minimum of five quarters of residence, or the equivalent, at Ohio university. When the two degrees are offered by different colleges, the student must register in both colleges the quarter in which the degrees are to be conferred.

(2) If a student has met the requirements for two degrees as indicated above and desires to have the degrees conferred in successive quarter, he or she 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 a student desires to take a second bachelor's degree after receiving the first, he or she must complete the subject requirements for the second bachelor's degree, earn a minimum of forty-eight acceptable quarter hours beyond the requirements for the first degree with the requisite scholastic average, and have at least an additional quarter of residence, or equivalent, in the college offering the second degree with the completion of at least sixteen acceptable quarter hours.

(J) Course credit by examination. Course credit by examination is designed for students who wish to demonstrate proficiency in a particular Ohio university course. A student may take up to six months after enrolling for credit by examination to prepare for the examination. An information sheet describing the nature of the examination is used by the student as a guide in preparing for it. Regular Ohio university credit is granted for a grade of or better with the pass/fail option available in accordance with the university regulations for this option. A grade of "F" is not recorded but in order for a student to retake a course fail in this program, special permission must be obtained. The grade received is used in computing the point-hour ratio of Ohio university students, but enrollment in course credit by examination does not affect the quarterly course load. Ohio university students must obtain permission from their academic deans to enroll in the program. Others are not required to have permission, but if they plan to transfer the credit to another institution they should ascertain in advance if it will be accepted. Registration and arrangements for the examinations are made in the Office of independent study, Tupper hall 302. The fee is seven dollars and fifty cents per quarter hour. Complete information and a listing of the courses regularly available can be obtained in this office.

Effective: 3/14/2015
Promulgated Under: 111.15
Statutory Authority: 111.15
Rule Amplifies: 111.15
Prior Effective Dates: 3/16/1978