How to Earn a Degree
General University Requirements
You must earn at least 60 semester hours for an associate degree and 120 semester hours for a bachelor's degree, including transfer credits, to earn a UAF degree. You must earn at least 39 upper division credits for bachelor's degrees.
At least 15 semester credits applicable to any associate degree must be earned at UAF. If you're a bachelor's degree student, you must earn at least 30 semester credits applicable to any baccalaureate degree at UAF. For transfer students, you need to earn at UAF at least 24 hours of upper-division semester credits, at least 12 semester credits in your major and at least three semester credits in your minor for the baccalaureate degree. You must earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all work as well as in your major and minor fields. In addition, you must earn a minimum C grade in courses required for your major.
Unless otherwise specified by the appropriate academic unit, a course may be used more than once toward fulfilling degree, certificate, major and minor requirements. Credit hours for such courses count only once toward total credits required for the degree or certificate.
To receive a second associate of applied science degree, you must earn at least 12 credit hours beyond the first associate degree as well as completing all requirements for the major. As long as you've completed the additional 12-hour requirement, you may be awarded two degrees in one semester.
If you're a UAF graduate wanting to earn a second bachelor's degree, you must complete at least 24 hours of credit beyond the first bachelor's degree. You must meet all general university requirements, degree requirements and major requirements for both degrees.
If you hold a bachelor's degree from another college or university, you must be accepted for admission as a transfer student. You have to meet all general university requirements (including residency requirements), degree requirements and major requirements. However, if you graduated from a regionally accredited college or university, you will be considered to have completed the equivalent of the UAF baccalaureate core.
Certifying that you have met all major and minor requirements is the responsibility of your department faculty, who notify the Registrar's Office.
No more than 15 semester hours of correspondence study work are accepted toward an associate degree; 32 semester hours are accepted toward a bachelor's degree. If you want to use correspondence study credits from a school other than UAF to satisfy degree requirements, you must have the approval of those courses by the dean of the school or college from which you will graduate; otherwise, you take the risk of not having the courses accepted.
Since ENGL 211X and 213X are writing courses, either will satisfy the second half of the requirement in written communication for the bachelor's degree. But you can't enroll in ENGL 211X or 213X without first fulfilling the ENGL 111X requirement. (See Local Advanced Placement Credit -- English.)
What Degree Requirements Can be Used?
You may complete degree requirements that are in effect in any one of the academic years in which you are enrolled as a degree student. Only degree requirements in effect within five academic years prior to your graduation date for a certificate or associate degree; seven academic years for a baccalaureate or master's degree; or 10 years for a doctoral degree may be used. You are considered enrolled in your degree program when you complete the appropriate degree student registration procedure. If you do not enroll for a semester or more, or if you enroll through the non-degree student registration process, you aren't considered enrolled as a degree student during that time.
If you want to earn more than one UAF bachelor's degree, you must complete all general requirements as well as all major and minor requirements (if any) for all degrees. You'll need to earn at least 24 semester credit hours beyond the total required for the first degree before any additional degrees can be awarded. For two degrees that you complete at the same time, you may follow requirements from two different catalogs.
Residence credit is UAF credit that you earn in formal classroom instruction, correspondence study, distance-delivered courses, individual study or research through any unit of UAF. Transfer credit, advanced placement credit, credit for prior learning, formal service school credit, military service credit and credit granted through nationally prepared examinations are not considered residence credit, nor are credit by examination credits earned through locally prepared tests.
You are responsible for meeting all requirements for graduation.
You need to formally apply for graduation. An application for graduation and non-refundable fee must be filed with the Office of the Registrar during the semester in which you plan to graduate. If you file your application by the published deadline, the graduation application fee is $20. If you miss that deadline, you still may submit a late application for graduation and $30 fee up to six weeks before the last class day of the semester or summer term. Applications for graduation filed after the late deadline are processed for graduation the following semester.
UAF issues diplomas to graduates three times yearly: in September following the summer sessions, in January at the close of the semester, and in May at the end of spring semester. Students who complete degree requirements during the academic year are invited to participate in the annual commencement ceremony that follows spring semester.
In order to graduate with honors, you must earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in all college work attempted at UAF (including all repeated and bankrupted credits). For transfer students, you must complete 48 semester hours of credit at UAF for a baccalaureate degree or 24 semester hours of credit at UAF for an associate degree. Your cumulative grade point average in all college work attempted at all other institutions attended (including repeated credits and any not accepted by transfer) combined with the UAF cumulative grade point average must not be less than 3.5. If that overall cumulative grade point average is 3.5 or higher, you will be graduated cum laude; 3.8 or higher, magna cum laude; 4.0, summa cum laude, provided you meet the requirements stated above.