5.0 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS & GRADUATION

5.1 Graduation Requirements 

To be eligible to receive a baccalaureate degree, a student must meet the following requirements: 

• Each undergraduate student must have a minimum institutional Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 for graduation with at least 30 hours of credit for KSU coursework not excluded due to Academic Renewal or the Repeated Course Policy. If students have fewer than 30 earned hours of credit for non-excluded KSU coursework, they must have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Specific degree programs may have higher GPA requirements. 
• Complete all program hour requirements outlined in policy 5.2 Degree Program Hours 
• Meet all residency requirements outline in the policy 5.3 Residency Requirements 
• Successfully complete course work or pass a satisfactory examination that meets 5.9 State Legislative Requirements outlined in the catalog. 
• Complete all required General Education Core Curriculum  courses; ENGL 1101  AND ENGL 1102  require a grade of “C” or higher (or equivalents if a transfer student) as outlined in 5.11 Campus Writing Requirement. 
• 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 (Area F). 
• Satisfactory complete any grade of I (Incomplete), IP (In Progress), or NR (Not Reported) grades 

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

5.2 Degree Program Hours 

Baccalaureate degrees consist of a minimum of 120 semester hours. 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. 

5.3 Residency Requirements 

Students must earn at least 25 percent of the credit hours required for a baccalaureate degree, which includes at least 21 hours of upper-division courses (Coles College of Business requires 33 hours), through instruction offered by Kennesaw State. Credit hours earned through instruction offered by KSU does not include coursework transferred from other institutions, prior learning assessments, credit by examination (e.g., CLEP, AP, IB), or credits earned through a consortium that did not originate from KSU (i.e., cross registration). 

5.4 Catalog for Graduation Evaluation 

A student may elect to be evaluated for graduation from any catalog in effect during the time they have been enrolled, provided that enrollment has been continuous, and the student does not change majors. Continuous enrollment is defined as a student being enrolled in at least one semester per academic year (Fall, Spring, or Summer).  If a student changes majors, they will be evaluated for graduation using the catalog in effect at the time of the change, or any subsequent catalog as long as students are continuously enrolled. 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. 

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. 

Students may not elect a catalog for a discontinued/deactivated degree program. 

5.5 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. 

5.6 Duplicate Courses or Dual Credit 

If students have two courses that are so similar as to be considered the same, they 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. 

5.7 Petition to Graduate 

Undergraduate students should submit a formal petition for the degree and/or certificate through the online petition process no later than the deadline published on the Registrar’s website and pay the graduation fee noted below. Upon degree completion, the degree will be awarded. 

Graduation Petition Fees:

Participation in a commencement ceremony does not constitute earning a degree, and the conferred date on a diploma will coincide with the semester that that degree requirements are completed. 

5.8 ADDITIONAL PROGAMS 

5.8.1 Double Majors 

Double major consists of two separate majors in the same baccalaureate degree (for example, Bachelor of Science with separate majors in Mathematics and Physics). One diploma will be issued for the degree. 

The following apply to graduation with a double major: 

• All of the requirements for two KSU majors are satisfied, including all residency and institutional requirements for each major; and 
• KSU courses taken to meet residency and institutional requirements of one major may be counted toward the residency and institutional requirements for the second major; and 
• The second major must be completed at the time of graduation with the first major.

Whether in one degree or two, students may not graduate with more than two majors.

5.8.2 Dual Degree 

A dual degree consists of two separate majors leading to different baccalaureate degrees (for example, Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English and Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Mathematics). Two diplomas will be issued. 

The following apply to graduation with a dual degree: 

• All of the requirements for two KSU degree programs are satisfied, including all residency and institutional requirements for each degree program; and 
• KSU courses taken to meet residency and institutional requirements for one degree may be counted toward the residency and institutional requirements of the second degree; and 
• The second degree must be completed at the time of graduation with the first degree. 

5.8.3 Second Bachelor’s Degrees 

A second bachelor’s degree consists of students who have previously earned or are currently pursuing a baccalaureate degree from an institution regionally accredited by the Commission on Colleges and are also enrolling and obtaining a second baccalaureate at KSU. The second degree can be the same as the first degree (for example, Bachelor of Science in Mathematics - first degree, and Bachelor of Science in Physics - second degree) or the second degree can be different from the first degree (for example, Bachelor of Arts in English- first degree, and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics- second degree). 

The second baccalaureate degree requires satisfying the following requirements: 

• Meet all major requirements (including prerequisite courses) listed for the chosen program of study. 
• Meet all General Education Core Curriculum   requirements
• Complete the 5.9 Georgia Legislative History and Constitution requirements. 
• Earn at least 25 percent of the credit hours, through instruction offered by Kennesaw State. If the first baccalaureate degree was earned at KSU, these hours must be in excess of any hours used toward the first baccalaureate degree, unless the first degree was received within five years of receiving the second degree. 
• Complete at least 21 semester hours of upper-division coursework in residence beyond the courses required for the student’s first degree. 
• If the first degree is earned at Kennesaw State University, a student may seek a second baccalaureate degree only if the second major is different from the first major. 
• Complete (for students with majors in the Bagwell College of Education) the lower division major requirement courses in Education. 

5.8.4 Certificate Programs 

5.8.4a Stand-Alone Certificate Programs 

• Students must apply for a stand-alone certificate to be awarded the certificate 
• Coursework completed for a degree program may be applied to a certificate and vice versa provided a student is admitted in both. 100% sharing between certificate and degree program is permitted. 
• The Office of the Registrar will issue the stand-alone certificate upon completion of the requirements. 

5.8.4b Embedded Certificates 

• Students must apply for an embedded certificate using the form found on the Registrar’s website (https://kennesaw.edu/registrar) to be awarded the certificate
• Embedded certificates are those certificates that are only awarded to a student upon completion of a degree and are a self-contained set of courses embedded in a major/stand-alone degree. 
• The Office of the Registrar will issue the embedded certificate upon completion of the degree requirements, which include the requirements for the embedded certificate. 

5.8.5 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. 
• 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 to satisfy 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 Core Curriculum ) 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. 
• Coursework completed for a degree program may be applied to a minor. 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.  
• The minor must be declared and completed before, or at the same time as degree completion. Additional minors must be declared through the Office of the Registrar using a completed and approved minor form posted on the Registrar Forms website kennesaw.edu/registrar

It is highly recommended that if a student plans to complete a minor, the student consults an advisor to submit the minor declaration three semesters prior to degree completion. 

5.9 State Legislative Requirements  

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

KSU degree-seeking students satisfy these requirements by attaining a grade of “D” or better in the course POLS 1101  along with the course HIST 2111  or HIST 2112 . 

Transfer credit may also satisfy all the requirements if transferred work meets the qualifications outlined here kennesaw.edu/registrar/transfer

5.10 Core Curriculum Requirement 

Students must complete the General Education Core Curriculum  at time of graduation. Per BOR Academic & Student Affairs Handbook policy 2.4.4, students entering the USG system Fall 2012 or later who have earned 30 hours but have not completed Area A must enroll in the next course necessary to make progress toward completing this Area in every semester in which they take classes. 

5.11 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. 

5.12 Latin Honors 

Recognition will be given to each baccalaureate student who maintained a high institutional grade point average. Graduation with honors requires that students earn at least 30 semester credit hours in residence at Kennesaw State University for the bachelor’s degree. Double Owl courses will be included in the 30 earned semester hours required for honors.  

To receive honors at graduation, “second degree” and Academic Renewal students must have at least 30 earned hours of credit at KSU after the “second degree” or Academic Renewal status was granted. Students who have repeated courses must have at least 30 earned hours of credit at KSU after the hours for the repeated courses have been excluded.