Academic Requirements for Graduation

Graduation Requirements

All bachelor’s degrees require a minimum of 120 credit hours. In order to “finish in four” students need to complete a minimum of 30 credits per academic year. Some programs require more than 120 credit hours (an average of 30-33 credits completed per academic year). Refer to the individual program pages for program-specific details. Most departments include a Four-Year Plan with the program requirements in this catalog.  Students should meet with their academic advisors each semester to stay on track for meeting degree requirements.Upon matriculation, students have seven calendar years to complete requirements for a bachelor’s degree and are eligible to elect to follow degree requirements from any subsequent catalog within those seven years with consultation with an advisor or academic assistant dean.

Students who fail to complete degree requirements within seven calendar years relinquish the right to graduate under the requirements set forth in the catalog at their time of matriculation and may be held to current degree requirements. Exceptions for a student using a catalog that is more than seven years old must be approved by the student’s academic assistant dean.

If a student loses matriculation, an application for readmission is required. Students accepted for readmission will be held to the degree requirements in place at the time of readmission.

Baccalaureate Degree

Each student must satisfy the following general requirements for graduation in addition to the academic requirements, including minimum total credit hours of the particular college and curriculum chosen:

• A scholastic average of C (GPA of 2.0) in all work taken at the University.
• Completion of 90 of the total credits or 30 of the last 38 credits, full- or part-time, must be courses taken from the University of Delaware.
  • Additional baccalaureate residency requirements may be required within individual majors and minors.
• A college education requires some breadth of knowledge across diverse fields and perspectives. With this in mind, all students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits from the list of University breadth courses. This includes 3 credits from each of the following categories. Students must earn a minimum grade of C- in each course to meet this requirement. All students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits from the list of University breadth courses. See University Breadth Requirements  for complete course listings and requirements.
• One incoming semester of First Year Seminar (FYS) completed with a passing letter grade, or a grade of P for courses graded only Pass/Fail. The number of credits will depend on the designated FYS (see FYS course offerings: http://www.udel.edu/coursedesc/).
• One semester of Freshman English (ENGL 110 ), completed with a minimum grade of C-.
• Three credits of Discovery Learning Experience (DLE) completed with a passing letter grade, or a grade of P for courses graded only Pass/Fail. DLE includes experiences such as internship, service learning, independent study, undergraduate research, and study abroad, which are designated DLE (see DLE course offerings: http://www.udel.edu/coursedesc/).
• Three credits in an approved course or courses stressing multicultural, ethnic, and/or gender related content. The purpose of the multicultural requirement is to provide students with some awareness of and sensitivity to cultural pluralism, an increasing necessity for educated persons in a diverse world. This requirement may be fulfilled through a course or courses taken to complete other course requirements, but cannot be fulfilled with any course taken on a pass/fail basis. Only course sections that are designated as multicultural in the registration booklet for a specific semester can be used to fulfill this requirement (see Multi-cultural course offerings: www.udel.edu/coursedesc).
• A Capstone Experience which will require students to engage in explorations in which the outcomes are unknown, and/or to engage in self-assessment, reflection, and analysis that prepares them for future success. These experiences should occur during the senior year or near the end of the program of study and must have a set of learning goals that are well-communicated to students. In all possible regards, the Capstone Experience should be an expression of the totality of a student’s growth, development, and learning as an undergraduate. If the Capstone experience is primarily course based (vs. internship, research, etc.) it is recommended that wherever possible, the course include high impact practices such as service learning and problem based learning. Each capstone requirement will be a minimum of a one (1) credit, credit-bearing course. A Capstone Experience may be solely based within the discipline or be interdisciplinary in nature.

Honors Baccalaureate Degree

Within the requirements of the baccalaureate degree, the Honors Degree is awarded to those students achieving a 3.4 cumulative grade index and completing 30 credits of designated Honors courses, including an Honors senior seminar or capstone experience. Individual department requirements may vary. See Honors Degrees in the “Opportunities to Enrich Your Undergraduate Education ” section.

Honors Baccalaureate Degree With Distinction

Within the requirements for the baccalaureate degree, the Honors Degree with Distinction is awarded to students who fulfill the requirements for an Honors Degree and complete six credits of Honors thesis or project along with any additional specifications for the thesis or project set by the major department. See Honors Degrees with Distinction in the “Opportunities to Enrich Your Undergraduate Education ” section.

Associate Degree

Read about Associate Degree Programs in the “Undergraduate Admissions ” tab of this catalog.

Latin Honors & Degrees with Distinction

Baccalaureate Honors

The top students in each graduating class receive special recognition in the form of Latin Honors. The following rules for honors apply:

- Summa Cum Laude: The top 1 percent of the students of each undergraduate college’s graduating class will receive the degree Summa Cum Laude, providing that each student obtains a minimum overall index of 3.75 at the end of their course of study.

- Magna Cum Laude: The next 4 percent of the students of each undergraduate college’s graduating class will receive the degree Magna Cum Laude, providing that each student obtains a minimum overall index of 3.5 at the end of their course of study.

- Cum Laude: The next highest 8 percent of the students of each undergraduate college’s graduating class will receive the degree Cum Laude providing that each student obtains a minimum overall index of 3.25 at the end of their course of study.

Associate Honors

The top students graduating with Associate degrees also receive recognition in the form of Latin Honors. The top 1 percent of Associate degree recipients in each graduation class will receive the degree Summa Cum Laude, the next 4 percent will receive the degree Magna Cum Laude and the next 8 percent will receive the degree Cum Laude. The same overall index minimums used for bachelor degree graduation honors apply to associate degree honors.

Degree With Distinction in a Major Field

Students may earn a Degree with Distinction in their major field upon completion of special and independent research during the senior year. Applications for a Degree with Distinction must be submitted before the end of the junior year. Applicants should have a general scholastic grade point index of not less than 3.0 and an index of not less than 3.5 in the major at the end of the junior year. Applications are available through the Undergraduate Research Office. Additional information is available in the Opportunities to Enrich Your Undergraduate Education  section of this catalog.

Degree Conferrals & Commencement

Degrees are conferred four times a year - after the summer, fall, winter and spring terms. All candidates for degrees are highly encouraged to celebrate their academic success by participating in spring Commencement exercises. The spring Commencement Program and Ceremony includes those undergraduate students who completed degree requirements in the previous summer, fall and winter and those expected to complete degree requirements in the upcoming spring and summer. Candidates will receive instructions concerning Commencement from the Office of the Vice President and University Secretary.

Upon degree conferral, the academic record is finalized and no further changes may be made. No program changes such as the addition of a major, minor or concentration, grade or GPA changes or other academic changes to the record will be considered.

Students are encouraged to confirm/update their diploma name and address in UDSIS Self Service. Diplomas are mailed to the student’s permanent address, unless otherwise noted in UDSIS with a diploma address. Diploma names and addresses are considered final at the time of degree completion and no changes in UDSIS will be recognized after that date.