Contents
Catalog Links

Graduation Requirements

Final responsibility belongs to the student for his or her academic progress and fulfilling degree requirements for graduation. The specific requirements for obtaining a degree are detailed throughout the USAO Course Catalog. In addition, every program advisor provides a checklist of degree requirements or special information regarding specific fields, which should be studied and followed by the student seeking a degree. For example, the Teacher Education Handbook details university and state requirements important to students in teacher education programs.

Academic advisors, department chairs, and academic staff members are available to aid students in understanding the requirements and regulations. Students, however, are responsible for reading and understanding academic policies and procedures as well as academic course requirements. The responsibility for meeting all graduation requirements rests with the student. Students are encouraged to keep this catalog as a reference, should questions arise. Degree candidates must apply for graduation with the Registrar's Office.

While some programs have special criteria for graduation, all students must meet the following requirements to graduate and receive a final transcript and diploma:

  1. Regular admission to the university.
  2. Satisfactory completion of the general education core courses (IDS).
  3. Satisfactory completion of the specific requirements for the major field.
  4. A retention GPA of at least 2.00 based on all hours earned.
  5. Satisfactory completion of at least 40 credit hours of upper-division (3000/4000) classes.
  6. Satisfactory completion of the state-mandated 122 credit hours, with no more than 61 hours transferred from a junior or community college, and no more than 4 hours of physical education activity courses.
  7. Satisfactory completion of at least 30 credit hours at USAO (with at least 15 credit hours of the last 30), or at least 50 percent of the hours required in the major field.
  8. Students must demonstrate computer proficiency. This requirement may be completed through one of three options: (1) successfully complete a high school computer science course that meets the state regents’ high school curricular requirements, (2) pass USAO's computer proficiency exam, (3) complete and pass CSCI-1143 Introduction to Computing.

Graduation Catalog

Students will graduate under the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time they enter the Oklahoma State System for Higher Education as long as they maintain continuous enrollment (fall and spring), except that no student may graduate under a catalog more than six years old. An academic year always begins with the fall term.

The USAO Course Catalog is published for informational purposes and should not be construed as the basis of a contract between a student and the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. Every effort is made to provide information that is accurate at the time the catalog is prepared.

However, information concerning the regulations, policies, fees, curricula, courses, and other matters contained in the catalog is subject to change at any time during the period for which the catalog is in effect. USAO reserves the right at all times to discontinue, modify, or otherwise change its degree programs when it determines it is in the best interest of the university to do so. When changes occur in this catalog, or between this catalog and the next, students working in consultation with their advisors, may choose to meet the requirements of either the catalog in effect at the time of their initial enrollment or the catalog in effect at the time of their graduation.

Students who enroll but then leave the college for 12 months or more must follow either the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of their re-enrollment or the one in effect at the time of their graduation. Students may not choose to meet combinations of requirements from two or more catalogs, but reasonable substitutions can be made for altered or discontinued courses.

Second Bachelor's Degree

A student who has already been awarded a bachelor's degree from a state system institution may be awarded a second bachelor's degree from USAO after meeting the following conditions:

  1. Completion of the general and specific requirements for the degree sought.
  2. Selection of a major area of study different from that of the first degree.
  3. Completion of a minimum of 30 hours of credit in residence at USAO after all requirements for the first degree have been met.

Pre-Graduation Check

It is the Registrar’s Office policy to complete a Pre-Graduation Check on any student inquiring about credit hours needed to graduate. The Pre-Graduation Check does not guarantee graduation. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure completion of all program requirements.

Discontinued Program

A student must complete a discontinued degree program within three years of USAO effective deletion date for that program. A currently enrolled student may not declare a degree program that has been deleted, regardless of the student’s catalog year. Students who have stopped out for one academic year or more may not be readmitted into a program that has been deleted. Exceptions to this policy may be considered on a case-by-case basis and require the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. USAO will make a reasonable attempt and use available contact information to notify students when a degree program is scheduled to be deleted.