How to Earn a Certificate or Associate Degree
To earn a UAF degree, you must satisfy three sets of requirements: general university requirements, certificate or degree requirements, and program (major) requirements. These requirements are all described in this section of the catalog. Requirements for your major are found in the Certificate and Associate Degree Programs section, page 80.
If your degree program is delivered collaboratively within the UA system (e.g., Microcomputer Support Specialist, Early Childhood Education, Human Services and Rural Human Services), then the credits you earn from each UA institution will be counted toward fulfillment of the degree requirements and fulfillment of the minimum institutional residency requirements. Institutional residency requirements are the minimum number of credits you must earn from the campus where you earn a degree.
General University Requirements
You must earn at least 30 semester hours for a certificate and 60 semester hours for an associate degree, including transfer credits, to earn a UAF certificate or degree. At least 15 semester credits applicable to any certificate and associate degree must be earned at UAF. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in all work as well as in your major fields. In addition, you must earn a minimum C grade in courses required for your associate degree major.
Unless otherwise specified by the appropriate academic unit, a course may be taken more than once toward fulfilling degree, certificate, major requirements. However, credit hours for such courses count only once toward total credits required for the degree or certificate.
Certifying that you have met all major requirements is the responsibility of your department faculty, who notify the registrar’s office.
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.
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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 have completed the additional 12-hour requirement, you may be awarded two degrees in one semester.
Degree Requirements and Time Limits
You may complete degree requirements in effect in any one of the academic years in which you are enrolled as a degree student. Degree requirements in effect within five academic years prior to your graduation date for a certificate or associate degree may be used. You are considered enrolled in your degree program when you complete the appropriate degree-seeking 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.
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, 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.
- Responsibility
You are responsible for meeting all requirements for graduation. - Application 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 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. Students who apply for graduation and who do not complete degree/certificate requirements by the end of the semester must reapply for graduation and pay the fee again. - Diplomas and Commencement
UAF issues diplomas to graduates three times yearly: in September following the summer sessions, in January at the close of fall semester, and in May at the end of spring semester. Students who complete degree requirements for UA Board of Regents-approved academic programs during the academic year are invited to participate in the annual commencement ceremony at the end of spring semester.
Names of students receiving degrees/certificates appear in the commencement program and are released to media unless a written request not to do so has been received by the graduation department. Students who do not want their names to be released may so indicate on the application for graduation form. Graduates are responsible for ordering caps and gowns through the UAF bookstore in early spring. - Graduation with Honors
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 omitted credits due to fresh start). 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.
Types of Certificates and Associate Degrees
- Certificate Programs
Certificate programs are designed for students who are preparing for entry-level employment or upgrading in a specific occupation. - Associate of Arts
The A.A. is a program of study with an interdisciplinary approach useful for transferring to future degree programs or as a starting point for a career. An emphasis created in an A.A. program can fulfill general education requirements or become the basis for a minor in many baccalaureate programs. The A.A. degree is offered at all UAF campuses as well as online. - Associate of Applied Science
The A.A.S. is intended for students who are preparing for entry-level employment or upgrading in a specific occupation. This degree is not intended for transfer into a four-year degree program; some courses within the A.A.S. degree, however, may be accepted in a four-year baccalaureate program (each course is considered on an individual basis).