General Requirements for All Undergraduate Degrees

To receive any undergraduate degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, a student must:

1. Earn a minimum of 124 semester hours (total varies with specific degree requirements) of credit which meet the requirements of one of the degrees listed in the Degrees section. The grade point average on courses taken at UMHB must be at least 2.00.
   1. No more than one-half of the credit requirements for a degree may be fulfilled with credits from off-campus programs, conferences, institutes, short courses, workshops, special evening classes, special summer courses, foreign travel and study, or television and radio classes. More specifically, no more than one-fourth of the credits for a degree may be earned by correspondence; no more than one-third of the credits for a degree may be earned by off-campus programs; and no more than one-fourth of the credits for a degree may be earned by conferences, institutes, short courses, workshops, special evening classes, or special summer courses. (Students in teacher education programs should check with the College of Education for additional limitations.)
   2. Furthermore, no more than one-fourth of the total number of hours required for a degree may be earned by special examination. (This rule does not apply to Nursing Advanced Placement examinations.)
   3. Credit by examination received from another school may be accepted in transfer if the student can provide evidence that the testing standards upon which the credit was based are comparable to UMHB’s standards. Such evidence might include an official transcript, a catalog, or an official copy of the test scores from the awarding school.
2. Complete at least thirty-six (36) semester hours in upper-level courses.
3. Fulfill the following residency requirements.
   1. Complete one-fourth of the total number of hours required for a degree in residency.  For degrees requiring a total of one hundred twenty-four (124) semester hours, thirty-one (31) hours must be in residency.  For degrees requiring a total of one hundred thirty (130) or one hundred thirty-one (131) semester hours, thirty-three (33) hours must be in residency.  For degrees requiring a total of one hundred thirty-six (136) semester hours, thirty-four (34) hours must be in residency.  For degrees requiring one hundred thirty-seven (137) hours, thirty-five (35) hours must be in residency.  
      1. At least twelve (12) of the required residency hours must be in the major field with six upper-level hours (see Academic Standards section for a review of upper and lower level hours). The major requirement does not apply to the Bachelor of General Studies degree.
      2. At least six (6) of the required residency hours must be upper level in the minor field (if applicable).
      3. Interdisciplinary Academic majors must complete at least six (6) of the required residency hours at the upper level in their elementary specialization area.

   2. Complete one of the following:

      1. Eighteen (18) of the degree’s final thirty-one (31) hours in residency; or
      2. Twenty-four (24) of the total required residency hours at the upper level.
4. Follow a specific degree plan.
   1. A student’s degree plan is initially maintained in draft form by the student’s major advisor. When the student is two semesters from graduating, the degree plan will be “formalized” by the Registrar’s Office.  A “formalized” degree plan should be on file in the Registrar’s Office prior to Fall Registration for May graduates and prior to Spring Registration for August and December graduates.
   2. Substitutions and/or waivers affecting the degree plan must be approved by the Department Chairperson, Associate Dean and/or the Dean at the time the degree plan is “formalized.” Completed substitution and/or waiver form(s) must be on file in the Registrar’s Office.
   3. Once the degree plan has been "formalized" by the Registrar’s Office, a Graduation Audit will be sent to the student (copy to the student’s major advisor) listing those items the student needs to complete to graduate. If the student desires to make an appointment with the Registrar’s Office to discuss the degree plan, the student is welcome to do so.  A student experiencing a disruption in enrollment lasting longer than one academic year must reorganize his/her degree plan under the current catalog. The student cannot make formal application for degree, however, without Registrar’s Office approval.
   4. While following a degree plan should be a joint effort between a student and the student’s advisor(s), meeting the requirements for a particular degree is ultimately the responsibility of the student. Adherence to the above schedule should be followed.
5. File an application for degree and pay the graduation fee by January 30 for Spring graduates, by May 30 for Summer graduates, and by September 30 for Fall graduates. 
   1. Degree conferral is not automatic.
   2. All degree candidates, irrespective of participation in a commencement ceremony, must file an application for degree and pay the graduation fee by the applicable deadline.  Students filing for graduation after their respective deadline will be charged a late fee and are NOT guaranteed inclusion in the printed commencement program.
   3. Applications for past graduation dates will not be accepted, even though all degree requirements may have been completed during previous semesters.
   4. Students failing to graduate in their respective anticipated graduation year and term may roll their application for degree and graduation fee forward for the duration of one academic year.  Students still failing to graduate after the expiration of one academic year must reorganize their respective degree plan to conform with the current catalog and must submit another application for degree and pay another graduation fee by the deadlines mentioned above.