Academic Policies Graduation Policies and Procedures

Petition to Graduate

Undergraduate students should submit a formal petition for the degree through the online petition process no later than the published deadline and pay the graduation fee. Login to Owl Express; select Registration and Student Records tab; select Petition to Graduate. Once submitted, the graduation petition process will initiate a petition fee assessment and a review of the student’s academic record to determine eligibility toward the degree. Expect up to eight weeks for a completed degree audit. Petition status changes are viewable at the Display Petition Status link in Owl Express, and the student will be prompted by email to view status changes in addition to essential audit results and graduation policies.  A student may request in absentia status by writing to the Registrar prior to the graduation exercises.

It should be noted that program and course requirements and university policies are subject to change without advanced notice. Changes in policy and requirements enacted by the Board of Regents take precedence over existing university policies and requirements. The University will make reasonable efforts to accommodate students affected by such changes, but reserves the right to determine where and to what extent it will grant exceptions to new policies and requirements. In cases where courses are deleted, students must substitute courses deemed acceptable by the faculty or chair responsible for the degree program in question.

Other Degree Requirements

• The Student must pay all required fees, fines and other financial obligations to KSU prior to receiving his/her diploma and/or other services.  Students with a balance may have a HOLD placed on their account until balance is paid.

• Satisfy BOR Core Overlay requirements regarding Critical Thinking, United States Perspectives and Global Perspectives.

In all instances, meeting the requirements for graduation is the responsibility of the student.

Catalog for Graduation Evaluation

Each student should meet with his/her academic advisor or departmental representative to determine the appropriate catalog to be used for academic advisement and for evaluation of graduation requirements. Catalog selection applies only to the course requirements of that catalog; all other academic procedures and graduation requirements must be satisfied according to regulations in effect at the time of graduation.

A student may elect to be evaluated for graduation from any catalog in effect during the time he or she has been enrolled, provided that enrollment has been continuous, and the student does not change majors. If a student changes majors, he/she will be evaluated for graduation using the catalog in effect at the time of the change, or any subsequent catalog as long as the student is continuously enrolled.

Students readmitted will be evaluated for graduation from the catalog in effect at the time of readmission or reinstatement, or any catalog in effect during subsequent periods of continuous enrollment.

Age of Credit

Courses, in general, have no limit imposed on the age of credit.  However, each department may elect to restrict the age of courses applied to a specific degree program.

Deficiencies

A student who has received a grade of “I”, “IP”, “F” or “WF” in a course has a deficiency in the course. A student whose final grade is “F” or “WF” has a failure in that course. The student should repeat and pass the course in residence at Kennesaw State University before credit will be allowed. Repeating the course does not remove the “F” or “WF” from the total cumulative average.

A student who has otherwise completed all of the requirements for graduation and who has earned an incomplete in a course scheduled during the final semester in residence may remove the incomplete at the convenience of the department of instruction concerned.

Duplicate Courses or Dual Credit

If a student has two courses that are so similar as to be considered the same, he/she may only use one to meet program of study degree requirements.  Only one course may be counted as hours earned, and only one course may be used for graduation purposes. 

Grade Point Average for Graduation  

• Each student must have a minimum institutional Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 for graduation.  Specific degree programs may have higher requirements.
• Complete all required General Education courses; ENGL 1101 AND ENGL 102 require a grade of “C” or higher (or equivalents, if a transfer student).
• Complete the chosen program of study with the grade of “C” or better in all courses listed under the major, including those listed as Lower Division Major Requirements.
• Complete a minimum of 123 semester hours.  Specific degree programs may require additional hours.  A minimum institutional grade point average of 2.0 on all course work attempted at KSU is required.  No course may be counted more than one time in meeting the total credit hours required for the degree.
• Have at least a 2.0 institutional grade point average with at least 30 hours of credit for KSU coursework not excluded because of repeated courses or “fresh start” status.  If the student has fewer than 30 earned hours of credit for non-excluded KSU coursework, he/she must have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.

Degree Program Hours

Baccalaureate degrees consist of a minimum of 120 semester hours, exclusive of the university-wide requirements (WELL 1000 and the first-year seminar/learning community).  Exceptions to the maximum degree length requirements have been made with the approval of the Board of Regents.  A baccalaureate degree program requires at least 21 semester hours of upper division courses in the major field to be completed at KSU, and at least 39 semester hours of upper division work overall are required for the degree.

State Legislative Requirements 

Undergraduate students will cannot graduate or receive a degree without successfully completing course work or passing a satisfactory examination on the history of the United Stated and the history of Georgia and the provisions and principles of the United States and the Constitution of Georgia.

HIST 2112 or HIST 2111 with a grade of “D” or better satisfies legislative requirements for US & GA History provided an emphasis in US and GA content is evident; POLS 1101 with a grade of “D” or better satisfied US & GA Constitution provided an emphasis in US and GA government content is evident.  An exemption exam is required for students with transfer credit that do not meet the aforementioned standards.

Core Curriculum Requirement

Kennesaw State University will develop a policy to comply with BOR Academic Affairs Handbook policy 2.4.4 which requires that new students complete AREA A prior to reaching a specified number of hours.

ENGL 1101 and 1102: The Campus Writing Requirement

At Kennesaw State University ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 (English Composition I & II) are required for all undergraduate degrees. A grade of “C” or better is required for ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102.

Residency Requirements

Complete at least 30 semester hours in residence at Kennesaw State (Coles College of Business requires 33 hours). “In residence” is defined as courses for which a student has registered at KSU.  Note:  Individual departments may have higher requirements.  Courses for which the student registers at KSU, including cross-registration, are considered to be “in residence”.  Coursework completed as a transient student at another institution, transfer credit, credit by examination (including CLEP, AP, IB, etc. are not considered to be in residence. 

Graduation with Honors

An institutional grade point average of at least 3.5 is required for students to graduate cum laude, 3.7 to graduate magna cum laude and 3.9 to graduate summa cum laude from a baccalaureate program. Graduation with honor requires that students earn at least 60 semester credit hours in residence at Kennesaw State University for the bachelor’s degree.

To receive honors at graduation, “second degree” and “fresh start” students must have at least 60 earned hours of credit at KSU after the “second degree” or “fresh start” status was granted. In addition, for honors, students who have repeated courses must have at least 60 earned hours of credit at KSU after the hours for the repeated courses have been excluded.

Dual Majors (or Double Majors)

Students are eligible for two majors under the same degree program when:

• All of the requirements for two KSU majors are satisfied, including all residency and institutional requirements for each major; and
• The second major contains at least 21 semester hours of upper division course work beyond the courses required for the students first major and general education requirements.

An example of a dual major would be a Bachelor of Science with a major in mathematics and physics.

Dual Degree

Students are eligible for two degrees at the same time when:

• All of the requirements for two KSU degree programs are satisfied, including all residency and institutional requirements for each major; and
• The second degree contains at least 21 semester hours of upper division course work beyond the courses required for the student’s first major and general education requirements.

An example of a dual degree would be a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts Degrees.

Second Bachelor’s Degrees

Students who have previously earned or are currently pursuing a baccalaureate degree from an institution regionally accredited by the Commission on Colleges may obtain a second baccalaureate degree at KSU by satisfying the following requirements: 

• Meet all major requirements listed for the chosen program of study. 
• Complete the Georgia Legislative History and Constitution requirements. 
• Earn at least 30 semester hours in residence at Kennesaw State University. If the first baccalaureate degree was earned at Kennesaw State University, these 30 hours must be in excess of any hours used towards the first baccalaureate degree. 
• The second degree requires at least 21 semester hours of upper-division, major-related course work in residence. 
• Complete (for students with majors in the Bagwell College of Education) the lower division major requirement courses in Education. 

Certificate Programs

• Students admitted to a certificate program may apply the courses completed for the certificate toward a degree program if they are accepted to a degree program.
• Students admitted to a degree program may be awarded a related certificate based on completion of the courses in the certificate program provided they also apply for the certificate.
• Students who wish to apply for a certificate should contact their academic department of the Office of the Registrar for instructions on how to proceed.

Minor Requirements

• A minor program is a prescribed area of academic study consisting of 15-18 semester hours.
• At least nine of the required hours must be at the upper-division level, i.e. courses numbered 3000 or above.
• The prescribed courses for a minor may be taken from one or more academic disciplines.  Courses taken in Core Area F (lower division major requirements) may be counted as coursework in the minor.
• Courses taken to satisfy Core Areas A through E (general education) may NOT be counted as coursework in the minor.
• A course may not fulfill requirements of more than one minor or certificate.
• Students must earn a grade of at least “C” in all course work applicable to a formal minor.
• When a student’s major and minor programs require the same courses, the credit hours for some of those courses may be counted toward both the major and minor.  Typically, at least 9 hours of minor must be non-duplicative with course requirements in the major, however some individual programs have been approved to allow fewer non-duplicative hours between closely related majors and minors. Courses in the minor may be used may be used to fulfil electives (free electives, technical electives, related studies, etc.) required by the student’s major degree program. At least 6 hours of the upper division hours must be earned in residence at KSU.
• Some departments may allow fewer than 9 hours for the minor to be non-duplicative with the major; for requirements on specific minors, please contact the home department.

Effective Fall 2019 and retroactive to past catalogs, the Minor Requirements section has been updated to the following:

• A minor program is a prescribed area of academic study consisting of 15-18 semester hours.
• At least nine of the required hours must be at the upper-division level, i.e. courses numbered 3000 or above.
• At least six credit hours of the upper division credit hours must be earned in residence at KSU. 
• The prescribed courses for a minor may be taken from one or more academic disciplines.  Courses taken in Core Area F (lower division major requirements) may be counted as coursework in the minor.
• Courses taken to satisfy Core Areas A through E (general education) may NOT be counted as coursework in the minor.
• Students must earn a grade of at least “C” in all course work applicable to a formal minor.
• When a student’s major and minor require the same courses, there is no limit on duplicative credit. 100% sharing between a major and minor is permitted. A course may satisfy the requirements of the major, a first minor and a second minor.

In order to graduate with a formal minor that will be noted on the student’s permanent record, the student must complete the requirements noted above and submit to the Office of the Registrar a completed and approved “Declaration of Formal Minor” form along with the student’s formal petition to graduate.