Graduation Requirements -- University Wide
When you first register at Ohio University, the requirements you must fulfill are determined by the catalog of entry - that is, the catalog published the year in which you register - and are effective for a period of five years after the date of your first registration. If you do not meet all degree requirements within five years, the requirements of the current catalog apply.
Changes in either major or nonmajor requirements that are made necessary by altered or discontinued courses or by requirements imposed by external accrediting or certification agencies will be resolved on an individual basis by the dean of your college. Whenever possible, new requirements will be implemented with a beginning class or upon the expiration of the appropriate time limit.
Transfer students are governed by the same regulations, except that the number of years in which to complete the degree requirements is reduced by the number of years of work you transfer.
Ohio University has two sets of graduation requirements: university-wide requirements, which all students must complete, and college-level requirements, which include the requirements for completing your major or minor. University-wide requirements are discussed in this section. Specific college-level and department-level requirements for majors and minors are explained under the appropriate college listing in the Colleges and Curricula section. (Some colleges or majors may require transfer students to take additional courses to meet specific major requirements.)
In general, you must have a minimum of 192 quarter hours of credit for a bachelor's degree, with all college requirements met. (Students who took coursework at Ohio University before fall 1977 can graduate with 180 hours provided they have met all other requirements.) An associate's degree requires a minimum of 96 quarter hours.
No more than eight credit hours earned in developmental courses may be applied toward the total hours required for graduation. Developmental courses include CHEM 115, ENG 150, ENG 150A, MATH 101, MATH 102, and UC 110, 110A, 110B, 112, 112A, 112B, 114.
The university recommends a minimum of 24 hours completed in the minor, and has no policy on the mini-mum requirements for a major. The specific requirements will be determined by your major (and minor, if you have one) department. You also must have a minimum g.p.a. of 2.0 (C) on all hours attempted (including work taken at another institution, if you are a transfer student) and in the major or equivalent as determined by your college. Your college may have additional g.p.a. requirements.
All baccalaureate students (except Honors Tutorial College students) also must complete Ohio University's General Education Requirements. Associate's degree students must complete the freshman English and quantitative skills requirements.
Ohio University believes that, as an educated person, you need certain intellectual skills in order to participate effectively in society. These include the following:
The ability to communicate through the written word and the ability to use quantitative or symbolic reasoning.
Broad knowledge of the major fields of learning.
A capacity for evaluation and synthesis.
To help you meet these objectives, Ohio University has instituted a three-tiered General Education Requirement that all baccalaureate degree students (except those in Honors Tutorial College) must fulfill. Tier I course requirements build your quantitative and English composition skills; Tier II course requirements increase your breadth of knowledge; and the Tier III course requirement develops your ability to interrelate, synthesize, and integrate knowledge from different academic disciplines.
Quantitative Skills
You must demonstrate or acquire an acceptable level of quantitative skills to satisfy graduation requirements. A math placement test determines your skill level for placement or exemption unless the Tier I quantitative skills requirement has been satisfied by transfer or advanced placement credit. (Students in some majors are required to take the math placement test regardless of transfer or advanced placement credit.) The choice of the course (if any) in which you enroll depends on your major and should be discussed with your advisor.
Any Ohio University MATH course numbered 109 or above satisfies the Tier I quantitative skills requirement (1M). To enroll in any MATH or other quantitative skills course, however, you must either place at the specific level required for that course or satisfy the appropriate prerequisites.
Placement levels are:
DV1 and DV2
(Developmental): Indicate inadequate preparation to enroll in a Tier I-level course. You must complete MATH 101 (and/or 102 on regional campuses) before enrolling in a Level 1 course.
PL1
(Placement Level 1): Indicates preparation for any of the following Tier I - fulfilling courses: MATH 109; MATH 113; MATH 117, 118 (available only at regional campuses and through correspondence); MATH 120 (early childhood, middle childhood, and intervention specialist education majors only); PHIL 120; PSY 120.
PL2
(Placement Level 2): Indicates preparation for Level 1 courses as well as these additional Tier I - fulfilling courses: CS 220; MATH 115 (recommended only for students who plan to enroll in MATH 263A); MATH 150, 163A, 250.
PL3
(Placement Level 3): Demonstrates competence sufficient to fulfill the Tier I quantitative skills requirement. If your major requires that you enroll in a quantitative skills course, placement at Level 3 indicates preparation for MATH 263A and any course in Level 1 or 2.
English Composition
A freshman composition course and an advanced junior-level composition course are required. Any English 151, 151A, 152, 153, 153A, or 153B will satisfy the university's General Education (1E) first-year writing requirement. These courses are alternative, not sequential, courses in writing. You should select your course by looking at the descriptions and choosing the one that appeals to you. In general, better writers and all English majors will take 152, 153, 153A, or 153B if available. (All regional campus students are given the placement test.)
In your junior year, you must take an approved advanced writing course unless you demonstrate advanced writing proficiency by passing the junior-level exemption exam. The following courses fulfill the junior-level composition requirement:
ANTH 356J HLTH 370J
ART 300J IT 370J
CA 360J JOUR 441J
EDCI 331J MGT 325J
ENG 305J, 306J, FILM 344J
307J, or 308J
ML 321J or 370J GEOG 375J
PHIL 301J or 360J HCGE 345J
POLS 305J HIST 301J or 396J
SOC 356J
These courses are marked in the Courses of Instruction section of this catalog with the designation (1J) following the title and credit hours.
If you are a transfer student, your requirements are determined by when you enroll and the number and type of credit hours transferred.
Tier II Requirements
Students are required to complete a total of 30 credit hours from an approved list of courses in the following five distribution areas:
Applied Sciences and Technology (A)
Cross-Cultural Perspectives (C)
Humanities and Fine Arts (H)
Natural Sciences and Mathematics (N)
Social Sciences (S)
You are required to take at least four credit hours in four of the five areas and may satisfy no more than two of the required four areas with courses from the same department. You may satisfy no more than 12 of the 30 hours with courses from the same department.
You may apply one approved Tier II course in your major department toward the partial fulfillment of the Tier II requirement.
Approved courses are marked in the Courses of Instruction section with (2A), (2C), (2H), (2N), or (2S) following the title and credit hours. The following courses fulfill the Tier II breadth of knowledge requirement:
Applied Sciences and Technology (2A)
Biological Sciences 220
Chemical Engineering 331
Chemistry and Biochemistry 101
Communication Systems Management 101
Computer Science 230
Engineering and Technology 280, 320, 350, 470
Environmental and Plant Biology 103, 160
Geography 201, 260
Geological Sciences 215, 231
Health Sciences 202
Hearing and Speech Sciences 108
Human and Consumer Sciences - Food and Nutrition: 128
Industrial Technology 110
Mechanical Engineering 100
Microbiology 211, 212
Cross-Cultural Perspectives (2C)
Anthropology 101
Art History 330, 331
Dance 351, 352, 353
English 331, 332, 333
Foreign Languages and Literatures
Arabic 211, 212, 213
Chinese 211, 212, 213
French 211, 212, 213
German 211, 212, 213
Indonesian/Malaysian 211, 212, 213
Italian 211, 212, 213
Japanese 211, 212, 213, 250
Russian 211, 212, 213
Spanish 211, 212, 213, 349
Swahili 211, 212, 213
Geography 131
History 131, 246, 323ABC, 335AB, 341ABC, 345ABC, 346AB
International Studies 103, 113, 118, 121
Philosophy 370, 371, 372
Political Science 340
Humanities and Fine Arts (2H)
African American Studies 110, 150, 210, 211, 250, 350
Art 110
Art History 211, 212, 213
Comparative Arts 117, 118, 211, 212, 213, 270, 271, 272
Dance 170, 171, 471, 472, 473
English 200, 204, 205, 206
Film 201, 202, 203
Foreign Languages and Literatures
Classics in English 127, 234, 235, 236, 237, 252, 254, 255
Greek 211, 212, 213
International Literature:
Modern Languages 335, 336, 337, 338A, 338B
Latin 211, 212, 213
History 121, 122, 123
Humanities 107, 108, 109, 117
Interpersonal Communication 101
Music 100, 120, 125
Philosophy 101, 130, 160, 216, 232, 240, 260, 310, 311, 312, 314, 361, 362
Theater 170, 171, 270, 271, 272
Women's Studies 100
Natural Sciences and Mathematics (2N)
Anthropology 201
Biological Sciences 100, 103, 171, 172, 173, 202, 225; and 130, 131
(Chillicothe and Zanesville campuses only)
Biology 101
Chemistry and Biochemistry 121, 122, 123, 151, 152, 153
Environmental and Plant Biology 100, 100L, 102, 110, 111
Geography 101
Geology Sciences 101, 120, 130, 211, 221
Mathematics 163AB, 263ABC
Microbiology 201 (Chillicothe and Zanesville campuses only), 375
Physical Science 100, 100D, 101, 101L, 105, 105L, 140, 200; and 121/121L, 122/122L, 123/123L (regional campuses only)
Physics 201, 202, 203, 251, 252, 253
Social Sciences (2S)
African American Studies 101, 202
Anthropology 202
Classical Archaeology 211, 212, 213
Economics 103, 104, 240
Geography 121, 132
History 101, 102, 103, 211, 212, 213, 315AB
Human and Consumer SciencesÐChild and Family Studies 160
Human and Consumer SciencesÐRetail Merchandising 250
Interpersonal Communication 351, 352, 353
Journalism 105
Linguistics 270
Management 200
Political Science 101, 102, 103, 150, 210, 230, 250, 270, 331
Psychology 101
Social Work 101
Sociology 101, 201, 223
Telecommunications 105
Tier III Requirement
Students are required to take one Tier III interdisciplinary course after attaining senior rank (135 hours). A complete list of Tier III courses is available under the heading Tier III in the Courses of Instruction section.
Like most universities, Ohio University requires that you be "in residence" for a certain number of credit hours in order to graduate. Some colleges have additional residence requirements, so check with your advisor or dean's office to make certain that all requirements are being met.
Residence credit is defined as any credit earned by regular enrollment at Ohio University on the Athens campus or any regional campus or by Ohio University programs abroad, any approved student teaching, Independent Study and Course Credit by Examination arranged through the Independent Study Program, degree credit earned through the Office of Continuing Education, or any combination of these options.
Bachelor's Degree
If you have completed fewer than 96 quarter hours at Ohio University, the minimum requirement is to be in residence your final three quarters, with 48 hours of resident credit as defined above. If you have completed 96 or more quarter hours at Ohio University, the final quarter (16 hours) shall be in residencewith resident credit as defined above.
If you begin graduate study at Ohio University before completing all requirements for a bachelor's degree, your residence requirement will be reduced by as many hours as credit hours of graduate work completed. The number of hours subtracted will be credited toward the residence requirement for a master's degree if the credit is acceptable in the program approved for graduate work toward a degree. Residence credits used for meeting requirements for one or more bachelor's degrees may not also be used for meeting the residence requirements for the graduate degree.
The residence requirements apply even if you have been approved for graduation in absentia and are completing your last year in an accredited institution, except that the regulations apply to residence before you leave the university. (See the In Absentia section.)
Associate's Degree
If you are completing an associate's degree, you must earn at least 30 quarter hours of residence credit at Ohio University. Moreover, if you complete fewer than 60 quarter hours of Ohio University credit, you must earn at least eight of your final 15 hours as residence credit as defined at the beginning of this section.
To be considered for in absentia status, you must obtain written permission from the dean of your college. If you have been approved for the senior - in absentia privilege, you must complete a full year's work in an Ohio University-approved professional school and be eligible for advancement without condition to the second year to obtain your bachelor's degree in absentia. In absentia programs involve pre-planned curricula and cannot be arranged on an ad hoc basis. The in absentia privilege does not apply to graduate degree programs.
The official transcript from the school you attend must be submitted to the Office of Admissions, Chubb Hall 120, Ohio University, before the degree conferral date.
If you plan to earn two bachelor's degrees, you may meet the requirements either simultaneously or successively:
Application
Candidates for graduation must make application in the registrar's office and pay the application fee no later than the deadline listed in the academic calendar for the quarter in which graduation is planned. This application initiates the process that informs your college to check for fulfillment of degree requirements. The process culminates with the entry of the college, major, other concentrations (such as minor, dual certification in education, etc.), degree, and date of granting the degree on your permanent academic record. At the end of this process, your graduation g.p.a., class rank, and eligibility for honors are determined. They then cannot be changed by completing additional coursework or retaking classes.
The application fee for a bachelor's or associate's degree is $45. If you fail to meet the requirements for graduation, you may reapply for the quarter in which you plan to complete the requirements. The fee for reapplication is $5.
Graduation with Honor
For students entering fall 1995-96 or later, the g.p.a. requirements for graduation with honor are: cum laude (with honor), 3.5 to 3.749; magna cum laude (with high honor), 3.75 to 3.899; and summa cum laude (with highest honor), 3.9 to 4.0. The Latin honors notation will appear on your diploma and in the commencement program.
To be eligible for graduation with honor, you must complete a minimum of 48 hours of coursework with letter grades that affect your g.p.a. in residence at Ohio University. Successful completion of a special honors program of study is noted in the Commencement program and on your diploma. Graduation with honor does not apply to associate's or graduate degrees.
Commencement Ceremony
If you are a candidate for spring quarter graduation, or if you have earned your degree during the preceding summer, fall, or winter quarters, you are eligible to attend Commencement, held at the end of spring quarter.
Details concerning Commencement will be sent to you after you have returned your graduation application to the registrar's office and officially applied for graduation, provided you complete and return the commencement information sheet given to you at the time you submit your graduation application.
Direct any questions concerning Commencement to the Office of Public Occasions, 740-593-1761.
University Publications and Computer Services revised this file (https://www.ohio.edu/catalog/99-00/general/require.htm) October 12, 1999.
Please e-mail comments or suggestions to "ucat@www.ohiou.edu."