CWUP 5-90-050

Graduation Requirements for Bachelor’s Degrees

• 5-90-050 (1) Credits
• 5-90-050 (2) Scholastic Requirements for Graduation
• 5-90-050 (3) Degree Components
• 5-90-050 (4) Professional Education
• 5-90-050 (5) Application for Graduation
• 5-90-050 (6) Commencement Participation
• 5-90-050 (7) Graduation with Distinction
• 5-90-050 (8) Other Distinctions
• 5-90-050 (9) Concurrent Baccalaureate Degrees
• 5-90-050 (10) Second Baccalaureate Degree

Students are eligible for award of a bachelor's degree if they fulfill the following requirements established by the faculty:

(1) Credits

(A) A minimum of 180 quarter credits is required. Students who have accumulated more than 210 credits will be notified prior to registration that they must submit graduation applications or develop graduation plans or a hold will be placed on their registration. Students must develop graduation plans working with an academic advisor. Individual plans must be approved both by the advisor and the major department chair and submitted to the Office of the Registrar before this hold can be removed.

(B) A minimum of 60 credits of upper division study (courses numbered 300 and 400) is required. Students must be enrolled at CWU for at least three quarters and earn a minimum of 45 credits.

(C) Credits earned through industrial or military experience or through prior learning assessment or course challenge may not be used to meet residency requirements.

(D) Transfer students must earn from CWU a minimum of 10 credits in the major and, if a minor is declared, 10 credits in the minor.

(E)  Students who have accumulated 210 or more credits and intend to complete a double major or double degree, and have not yet completed either program, must meet with both department advisors and submit one graduation plan signed by both department chairs and both major advisors to the Office of the Registrar. This also applies to double majors in different colleges. If one major has been completed, only the advisor and the department chair for the uncompleted major need to review and sign the petition.

(F) Students who have accumulated 210 or more credits and intend to include one or more minors in their academic plan are required to obtain the approvals of their major and minor advisor.

(G) Up to 45 credits may be counted from course challenge or other prior learning assessments.

(2) Scholastic Requirements for Graduation

(A) Graduation and graduation with honors are based on cumulative credits and grade-point averages earned at the time the degree is awarded.

(B)  In order to graduate, students must have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.0 (C) in courses taken at Central Washington University.

(C) Students must also have achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.25 in the major and 2.00 in the minor field of study. All courses fulfilling the major and minor requirements, including courses accepted in transfer, are used in computing the major and minor grade point average.

Specific degree and professional certification programs may have more stringent degree requirements than those specified above.

(3) Degree Components

(A) The general education program must be completed as defined in the university catalog.

(B) Students transferring from Washington State community colleges holding the appropriate academic transfer associate degree will have satisfied the general education program and foreign language requirements. (See CWUP 5-90-030(2))

(C) Completion of all requirements for a major as specified by the appropriate department is required.

(D) Exceptions in majors, minors, and teacher preparation programs must be approved by the appropriate department chair and school dean or designee.

(E) Completion of a minor is required when the major contains fewer than 60 credits. In that case the total credits of major and minor must total to at least 60 credits.

(F) Successful demonstration of writing and computational skills is required for graduation.

(G) Students who enter Central Washington University with 45 or fewer credits must complete UNIV 101 Student Success Seminar. Students must enroll in UNIV 101 during their first quarter at CWU.

(H) The University requires that students complete either two years of the same foreign language, Native American language, or American Sign Language in high school, or one year of college-level foreign language. If this requirement was completed prior to enrollment at the University, the student must submit official transcripts to the Office of Admissions.

If foreign language has not been satisfied prior to enrollment, then the student must take one year of foreign language before graduating from the university.

Students seeking an exception to CWUP 5-90-050(2)(G), may satisfy the foreign language exit requirement by passing the CLEP® test or passing a foreign language course challenge exam. The foreign language requirement may, under special circumstances, be fulfilled in alternate ways as determined and approved by the chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures or designee, in consultation with the Registrar. International students who attend a primary or secondary school, where the majority of instruction was not in English, for a minimum of one year prior to enrolling at CWU are exempt from the foreign language graduation requirement.

(4) Professional Education

All professional education programs require completion of professional education
competencies in addition to completion of major requirements.

(5) Application for Graduation

(A) Application for the bachelor's degree must be filed by the established deadline during the quarter prior to the quarter at the end of which the student expects to graduate.

(B) Exceptions to university graduation requirements must be petitioned to the Office of the Registrar. Approval of exceptions must be obtained from the general education committee, department or program chair, and responsible dean where appropriate.

(C) Final responsibility for meeting graduation requirements and deadline dates resides with the student.

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(6)  Commencement Participation

(A) Students who have met graduation requirements during the current academic year, summer through winter quarters, and those expecting to meet the requirements during the current spring may register to participate in the spring graduation ceremony. Registration must be completed by the commencement ceremony deadline.

(B) Candidates for summer graduation who wish to participate in the spring commencement ceremony prior to issuance of a degree must submit an application for graduation prior to the spring quarter deadline.

(C) Candidates who are completing student teaching or a full-time internship in the following fall may petition the commencement committee with the approval of the major advisor and dean to participate in spring commencement. Students must apply for fall graduation and petitions must be submitted to the commencement committee by the graduation application deadline for summer quarter.

(D) Students participating in commencement exercises must wear commencement regalia approved by the commencement committee.

(E) Exceptions to commencement procedures must be approved by the commencement committee.

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(7) Graduation with Distinction

(A) Baccalaureate honors are awarded to recipients of a first bachelor's degree as a matriculated student according to the following cumulative GPA:
3.500 to 3.699 - cum laude
3.700 to 3.899 - magna cum laude
3.900 to 4.000 - summa cum laude

The cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude honor will be noted on the recipient's diploma and university transcript.

(8) Other Distinctions

(A) President's Scholars: President’s Scholars are those students who, in the current academic year, have cumulative GPA’s in the top 1% of their respective school or college class. GPA is calculated by existing university policy.

(B) Dean's Scholars: Dean’s scholars are those students who, in the current academic year, have a cumulative GPA in the top 5% of their respective school or college class (but not including the top 1%). GPA is calculated by existing university policy. Eligible individual study majors will be determined by the Provost or designee.

(C) The following conditions must be met in order to be considered for graduation with distinction:

1. At least forty-five (45) of the credits required for the degree must be earned at Central Washington University in courses taken on the A-F graded basis.

2. Credits earned by course challenge, CLEP® and other national examinations, military experiences or courses, prior learning assessments, non-college courses and industrial experience will not be allowed toward the 45 credits required for eligibility.

3. Honors shall be based on the GPA of all A-F graded college-level credits earned at Central.

(D) For commencement purposes, the office of the registrar will calculate the top percentage for declared graduates based on the end-of-winter quarter data for spring, summer, and eligible fall graduation candidates.

(E) Final determination of honors will be based on final grades the term the degree is conferred.

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(9) Concurrent Baccalaureate Degrees

(A) A student may be awarded more than one baccalaureate degree (B.A., B.A. Ed., B.F.A., B.MUS, B.S., B.A.S.) at the same time provided that requirements of both the degree programs have been completed.

(B) Double majors within the same baccalaureate program do not constitute separate baccalaureate degrees except in cases where the second degree requires 60 or more credits that do not satisfy any degree requirements of the first degree.

(C) In disciplines offering multiple baccalaureate degrees with identical or similar names, e.g., B.A. and B.S. in Biology, only one degree will be awarded. Exceptions to this policy require approval by the department chair and the appropriate dean.

(10) Second Baccalaureate Degree

(A) Qualified students seeking second baccalaureate degrees are admitted to post-baccalaureate status; this does not mean, however, that they are enrolled in an "advanced degree program."

(B) To receive a second baccalaureate degree, students must complete:

1. all degree requirements not satisfied by the previous degree, and

2. a minimum of 45 quarter credits from Central.

(C) Second baccalaureate degree students must be matriculated and accepted into a degree or certificate program by the time they have earned 25 credits beyond their last degree. Once a degree objective has been declared, second baccalaureate students must develop graduation plans with academic advisors. Academic department chairs may grant extensions beyond the 25-credit limit.

(D) Second baccalaureate degree students follow regulations applicable to undergraduates.

(E)  Second baccalaureate degree students may request from the department that any requirement of a minor be satisfied by the initial bachelor’s degree earned provided that the requirements of the minor were completed in prior course work.

[Responsibility: Faculty Senate; Authority: Provost/VP for Academic & Student Life; Reviewed/Endorsed by Provost’s Council 04/29/2014; 06/05/2018; Cabinet/UPAC; Review/Effective Date: 06/04/2014; 06/13/2018; 02/20/2019; 06/15/2022; Approved by: A. James Wohlpart, President]