When picking out your degree, chances are you skimmed the details enough to see which classes worked for your major or gen eds, but you didn’t really get into the details of the graduation process. Some of you may not be sure how many credits are required to graduate.
“You need like 120 credits, I think. And they give you your degree once you get your requirements done,” said freshman Aidan who majors in entrepreneurship.
The requirements, aside from the minimum of 124 credits to graduate, include things like having completed 15 credits worth of 300-level or above classes specific to your areas of study. On top of that, the credits that make up majors and minors largely need to be exclusive, thereby counted toward the individual programs themselves.
“It’s like around 120 credits, and for my major, there are some options for different ways to graduate. I remember there being a group project and a presentation. Otherwise, there are the gen ed requirements, and for Computer Science there are a bunch of math requirements,” said Travis D., a junior majoring in computer science.
Luckily for everyone, information on graduating is fairly easy to come by as the university actually wants you to know about these things. They suggest a minimum course load of 15 credits per semester for full time students, and that rubric lends the ability to graduate in about four years.
“I know you need around 124 credits including satisfying all the gen eds, etcetera, etcetera. It takes determination and focus, but I don’t see why anyone couldn’t do it all in four years,” said Evan Milan, a junior majoring in history.
Less commonly known is the application to graduate that needs to be turned in during the last semester before the last day of that semester. Forgetting to do so means that you can’t technically graduate until this is done the next semester, regardless of all other requirements having been fulfilled.
If you are unsure about how to graduate or if you feel like maybe the classes you want to take won’t be helpful, the Office of Records & Registration and the college’s website. Meetings with your academic advisers can be extremely useful to make sure you are on track with your college career.
Just remember that there isn’t a set time frame in which you need to graduate. Take your time and don’t stress yourself out. College is an individual and customizable experience that can be as awesome as you make it.
