Requirements for Graduation

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Degrees and Requirements
Courses and Academic Work

Payment of fees and fines:

  • In addition to academic and residence requirements below, the University requires as a condition for graduation the payment of all fees and fines owed to the University, and the performance of any obligation, such as an exit interview, connected with a student loan.

Residence requirement:

  • The residence requirement for the baccalaureate degree is a minimum of forty-two (42) semester hours, which must be the terminal hours of the degree program.
  • Exceptions:
    • Upon approval of a petition to the appropriate Dean, a student may be permitted to complete up to six of the last forty-two (42) hours at another accredited institution.
    • A student who will have a total of at least two academic years at Converse is required to complete only the last thirty (30) hours at the University; and, upon approval of the appropriate Dean, a student may be permitted to complete six of the last thirty (30) hours at another institution. During the academic year students in residence at Converse will be allowed to take courses at other institutions with the approval of their adviser, the Registrar, and the appropriate Dean. Grades earned in these courses will not affect the grade-point average earned at Converse University. Students taking courses at other institutions while in residence at Converse are governed by the overload regulations in the Converse University Undergraduate Catalog. These students must also meet the residence requirements for the bachelor’s degree as stated in the Catalog.
    • Students participating in any approved articulation program with another institution (for example, dual degree programs) may be exempted from the residence requirement as provided for in the articulation agreement.

The Major Program:

The student must complete all the requirements of a double major or a major and a minor or a single major (including the Individualized Major) before graduation. These requirements must be observed:

  • A double major consists of the course requirements for the major in each of two academic areas.
  • The major and a minor consist of two parts:
    • A major of 24 to 42 hours in one discipline, except for certain block programs specifically approved by the faculty.
    • A minor, which consists of at least 18 hours in a discipline other than that of the major.
  • A single major consists of 24 to 42 hours, except for a faculty approved block program and the Individualized Major Program. Except in those faculty- approved majors requiring more than 42 hours, if a student takes more than 42 hours in one discipline, the hours over 42 will not count toward hours for graduation.
  • All work for the double major or major and minor or single major must be completed at Converse. Any exceptions to this rule, other than those specified in this Handbook and in the Converse University Undergraduate Catalog, must be approved by the department chair concerned.
  • The student may select one of the major/minor options above at the end of the freshman year or during the sophomore year. The student then completes the declaration form, obtaining the required signatures. Students must arrange and pursue the work of the double major under the direction of the chair of the department of one of the majors; work in a minor is directed by the chair of the department of the minor.

Courses taken for credit in the major, minor, or in a career preparation area which also count for GEP credit, may be used to satisfy both requirements.

Cross-listed courses and courses that are required for more than one major may count toward the satisfaction of the major requirements in two majors. There is a limit of four courses on this allowance.

Requirements of the Individualized Major (IM)

  • Students with interdisciplinary academic interests linking at least three departments may design degree programs that reflect those interests. Individualized Majors must be designed in conjunction with the student’s academic advisor and with the approval of the department chair in each participating department. After departmental approval, students must submit their proposal for approval by the Curricular Programs Committee. Students must complete the design and approval process prior to the end of the sophomore year.
  • This program is designed for highly motivated students. Each IM proposal must show a clear theme that justifies granting an exception to single or dual major programs and must provide a list of proposed courses linked by that theme. The Curricular Programs Committee must approve any subsequent changes in the approved list of courses.
  • All students choosing the IM option must complete:
    • All GEP requirements
    • At least sixteen (16) major courses (at least five courses in each of three disciplines), including a seminar-level course in at least two different disciplines
    • A capstone project linking all disciplinary areas of the Individualized Major, designed by the student with the advice of faculty members in each area. A presentation of the project will be scheduled during the spring term of the senior year, with all members of the University community invited to attend. A committee composed of the student’s academic advisor and the department chair in each participating department will evaluate the capstone project. The project will be graded as high pass, pass, or fail, with a “pass” or better required for graduation. The capstone project will be given three credit hours as Directed Independent Study.
  • Individualized Major students will be encouraged to incorporate collaborative undergraduate research and Honors work in their course of study.
  • Due to the number of requirements involved, students completing degrees in professional programs (B.M., B.F.A.) will not be able to complete an IM. However, students may combine areas of music or art in IM programs aiming at completion of a B.A. degree, with the approval of the Dean of the Petrie School of Music (for Music) or the Chairperson of the Department of Art and Design (for Art).

There are special provisions for “departmentally-developed, interdisciplinary minors” (IDMs):

  • An IDM shall consist of a minimum of 21 hours distributed among two or more disciplines.
  • No course may count as both a major requirement and an IDM requirement if the student’s major discipline overlaps with the IDM.
  • If the student’s major discipline overlaps with the IDM, then she shall be limited to a maximum of 42 hours in one discipline.
  • Proposed IDM shall have a logical focus, and proposals for an IDM shall specify which courses in the disciplines involved qualify for the program.
  • Each proposed IDM will have a designated advisor who will advise student requirements and standards, and certify successful completion.
  • Each proposed IDM shall be submitted to and approved by the Curricular Programs Committee.
  • The two suggested guidelines for the IDMs are:
    • Since the IDM will not be under the control and standards of an individual department, all students in the program shall be required to complete an interdisciplinary comprehensive requirement, either oral exam or paper.
    • In order to avoid expanding and fragmenting the curriculum base, proposed IDMs shall include extant courses rather than courses created exclusively for the IDM.

Any student wishing to change their major or minor must complete the proper form, available in the office of the Registrar, in consultation with the major professor. Any student changing degrees, e.g., from a B.A. to a B. Mus. or vice versa, must also complete the proper form, available in the Office of the Registrar.

Amount and quality of work: The requirements for the bachelor’s degree include the completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours and a grade-point average of at least 2.0 on the number of hours attempted. In addition, the student must have a 2.0 average or better in both the major and the minor. Note: For students who entered Converse in 1978 or earlier and who received two hours credit for the Freshman Lecture Course, the requirement is 122 hours.

Application for the degree: All students expecting to graduate at the regular commencement exercises at the end of the academic year must apply for a diploma at the Registrar’s office no later than the end of the last week of the fall term.

Early commencement participants: Under certain conditions, students who have not completed the degree requirements are allowed to participate in graduation exercises. The following regulations govern this privilege:

  1. A student must be present and participate in the graduation ceremony.
  2. Only students who lack no more than four credit hours to meet the minimum hour requirement for the degree are eligible. Students must arrange to take the remaining hours prior to the end of the spring term of the following academic year. The residency requirement that a student may take no more than six of the last forty-two (42) hours of course work at another institution would apply to all students who are participating as early commencement candidates.
  3. To qualify, a student must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 and a grade point average of 2.00 in the major(s) by the end of the spring term in which they apply for early commencement.
  4. In case of illness or emergency students may appeal to a committee composed of the Faculty Senate President, the student’s Academic Adviser and the appropriate Academic Dean.
  5. In the official commencement program, these special commencement candidates are identified with an asterisk and a statement appears at the end of the roster of graduates defining the status of these students. The statement is worded: “Early commencement participants who will complete their requirements during the following academic year”.
  6. The early commencement participants receive blank diplomas at the May exercises; contingent upon the completion of all requirements, they receive their official diplomas at the official commencement ceremony following their completion of all requirements.
  7. An early commencement student who fails by the end of the following academic year to achieve the required grade point average or fails to meet the required number of hours for graduation, is automatically disqualified from receiving the official diploma until the academic deficiencies are removed.
  8. Students who apply for early commencement do so with the understanding that participation in the exercises is regarded by the University as unofficial and as ceremonial and symbolic; students may not consider or present themselves as graduates of the University in any official sense until the Registrar of the University has certified that the students have met all the requirements for graduation.
  9. Students who participate in early commencement cannot be recognized as qualifying for honors at graduation.