Degree Requirements

University of Minnesota Degrees

Degrees from the University of Minnesota are granted by the Board of Regents upon the recommendation of the faculty of the University school or college, in this case the Morris campus, in which the student is enrolled. Requirements vary among the undergraduate colleges of the University, and students must meet all course, credit, and grade point average requirements of the college in which they are enrolled. The Morris Catalog is in effect for nine years; this catalog is in effect from fall 2007 through the end of summer session 2016. However, students may choose to use the catalog in effect their first term and year at UMM (provided it has not expired) or any subsequent catalog.

The General Education requirements completed under any previous catalog, including expired catalogs, may be used to complete the bachelor of arts degree. Permission to use the major requirements from an expired catalog must be obtained from the faculty. If a degree application is on file with accompanying documentation that defines requirements to be completed, reasonable effort will be made to allow students to graduate based on that agreement. All other degree requirements—total credits, residency, GPA calculation, etc.—follow semester standards and policies in place at the time the degree is awarded.

Students in elementary education and secondary education licensure must complete licensure requirements and apply for licensure within seven years from the time of admission to the licensure program.

Prospective graduates must file an application for their degree and must meet all financial obligations to the University.

Bachelor of Arts Degree at UMM

Requirements for the bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree at the UMM consist of two parts: general education and the major. General education consists of three parts: First-Year Seminar, Skills for the Liberal Arts, and Expanding Perspectives. First-semester freshmen are required to enroll in the First-Year Seminar. All students must meet the requirements listed in Skills for the Liberal Arts and in Expanding Perspectives. The major is a field of specialization with requirements specified by faculty in that discipline or academic area.

The Skills component of general education helps students acquire the intellectual and communication skills needed for successful advanced work. The Expanding Perspectives component helps students gain enough understanding of the principal areas of human endeavor to continue learning and to have a sense of the limits of their knowledge. Work in the major helps students learn in depth and makes them reasonably expert in one area.

In order to lay the foundation for learning early, students are expected to complete a significant part of the Skills component during their first and second years of college. The emphasis is on establishing an intellectual framework for future work—a framework consisting of writing, linguistic reasoning, and artistic skills. Students continue to develop these skills in advanced courses. It should be noted that in most Skills categories, the requirements may also be met through assessment of prior learning, transfer of credit, individual projects, testing, and other means. These methods may be especially helpful in the case of nontraditional students.

The Expanding Perspectives component aims to produce liberally educated people who are able to understand how knowledge is acquired in many different fields. These people usually have broad interests and know where to obtain information on almost any subject. They can solve problems because they bring ideas and techniques from one field to bear on another in innovative ways. In a world of diverse peoples, activities, and value systems, all of which are increasingly interrelated, it is especially important that college graduates have breadth as well as depth in their education and that they expand the horizons of their knowledge.

Expanding Perspectives is divided into two parts. One consists of a traditional core of liberal studies roughly organized around the subjects of history, social sciences, humanities, fine arts, and the biological and physical sciences. The other addresses contemporary themes, which are grouped under the heading The Global Village. The goal is to expand students’ perspectives on human diversity, people and the environment, the international scene, and issues of ethical and civic responsibility. In some cases, students may also satisfy Expanding Perspectives requirements through independent study, transfer credit, internships, study abroad, special examinations, and other means. Students gradually fulfill the Expanding Perspectives requirements throughout their college career.

During the freshman year, students should explore possible majors or fields of specialization, keeping in mind that, in a liberal arts degree program, the major is more of an intellectual “home base” than preparation for a specific occupation.
Transfer students with degrees from other colleges must complete the UMM degree requirements in order to have a major or minor appear on the UMM transcript. Majors and minors do not appear on the transcript unless they are part of a degree program. Licensure graduates from other colleges who wish to add a teaching major or minor do not need to complete the UMM degree program.

Courses taken to complete general education requirements may also apply to requirements in the major. However, all students must complete 60 credits of general education that are not drawn from the discipline of the major.

Major or Area of Concentration

The major at UMM is defined as an intensive and coherent program of study reflecting the structure of one or more fields of knowledge. The major complements the essential skills and the broad base of knowledge provided by general education.

The purpose of the major is to ensure that each student pursues a particular field of knowledge in depth, investigates advanced theories and schools of thought, and becomes competent in using the language and methods of inquiry of the field. It is through such concentrated study that a student begins to master a body of knowledge and comes to understand the nature of expertise in the chosen field, including both its power and its limitations.

Students complete a major by fulfilling the requirements as specified elsewhere in this catalog. Some students may choose instead to complete an area of concentration, which is an individualized, often interdisciplinary, group of courses that meets the requirement of study in depth of a specific field of knowledge. (Students who wish to complete an area of concentration must have the program approved by appropriate faculty advisers, division chairs, and the vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean. A copy of the approved program must be filed with the Registrar’s Office. Detailed procedures and forms are available from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean or online at www.morris.umn.edu/services/acad_affairs/aavarious.html.
Prototypes for areas of concentration already given provisional approval by the dean—including actuarial science, American Indian studies, American studies, animal behavior, art therapy, biochemistry with forensics science, biology with forensics science, biostatistics, chemistry with forensics science, criminal justice (see LAHS major on page 134), digital media studies, environmental studies, international studies, journalism, peace studies, and sports management—can be found online at www.morris.umn.edu/academic/areas. Students must fill out the appropriate forms and request final approval. The area of concentration forms are available online at www.morris.umn.edu/services/acad_affairs/aavarious.html#areaconcentration.

Transfer students with degrees from other colleges must complete UMM degree requirements in order to have a major appear on the UMM transcript. Majors do not appear on the transcript unless they are part of a degree program. Licensure graduates from other colleges who wish to add a teaching major do not need to complete the UMM degree program. A signature from the Division of Education on the licensure application form, along with a transcript of the courses completed, is sent to the state’s Department of Children, Families, and Learning.

Minor or Area of Emphasis

The minor shares the essential characteristics of the major but differs from it quantitatively. It indicates a special interest and expertise beyond general education and provides sufficient skills and knowledge of the field to form a basis for further study. The requirements for minors are listed in this catalog under the appropriate academic discipline.

Students may choose instead to complete an area of emphasis, a group of courses that meets the same standards used for minors. (Students wishing to complete an area of emphasis must follow the same procedures used to define an area of concentration.) A minor or area of emphasis is not required for graduation.

Transfer students with degrees from other colleges must complete the UMM degree requirements in order to have a minor appear on the UMM transcript. Minors do not appear on the transcript unless they are part of a degree program. Licensure graduates from other colleges who wish to add a teaching minor do not need to complete the UMM degree program. A signature from the Division of Education on the licensure application form, along with a transcript of the courses completed, is sent to the state’s Department of Children, Families, and Learning.

Minimum Required Credits (120 credits)

A student can fulfill the course requirements for graduation in most programs within the 120-credit minimum, but some combinations of general education courses, major, and teacher education licensure programs may require more than 120 credits. The 120 credits required must include a minimum of 60 credits of general education outside the discipline of the major.

No major or program may require students to take more than 40 of the 120 credits required for graduation in any one discipline* but students will be allowed to count up to 48 credits in a single discipline toward the 120.

Any course that carries credit in one University of Minnesota college will carry credit in all other University colleges, at least as an elective, including all University transfer coursework that is accepted when a student is admitted. Some courses that carry University credit may not count toward college or program degree requirements, or may, if a student changes programs, exceed the credit limits from the areas identified in the following paragraph and thus not count toward the degree.

No more than 8 credits in Mus 1300 through Mus 1340, no more than 4 credits in WSS 12xx skills, no more than 4 credits in WSS 1401 through WSS 1412, and no more than 4 credits in Psy 4896 may be applied to the 120-credit degree requirement. The use of the grade of D in the major may be restricted by the discipline.

Quality of Work

The cumulative GPA required for graduation is 2.00. A minimum GPA of 2.00 (or higher if indicated by the discipline) is required in the major or area of concentration and in the minor or area of emphasis in order to graduate. Both the cumulative GPA and the major/minor GPA include all, and only, University of Minnesota coursework.

Residency

Students must earn at least 30 semester credits from the University. Of the last 30 credits earned before graduation, at least 15 must be awarded by UMM. Credits earned through University of Minnesota Continuing Education classes are considered residence credits.

* For the purpose of this policy all secondary education methods courses are considered to belong to the secondary education discipline. College composition credits do not count toward the 40-credit maximum in English. Introductory foreign language courses do not count toward the 40-credit maximum in the language disciplines. Introduction to public speaking courses do not count toward the 40-credit maximum in speech communication. Credits earned through the CLEP general examination in mathematics do not count toward the 40-credit maximum in the mathematics discipline. For music majors with teaching licensure, Mus 1300, 1310, 1320, and 1340 credits are allowed to count toward the 60-credit general education requirement.