Registration and Academic Policies

Bachelor’s Degree Requirements

To earn a University of Oregon bachelor’s degree, students must satisfy the following requirements.

University Requirements

Credits

The bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, bachelor of education, and bachelor of music degrees require a total of 180 credits with passing grades. The bachelor of fine arts and bachelor of landscape architecture require a total of 220 credits. The bachelor of interior architecture requires a total of 225 credits, and the bachelor of architecture requires a total of 231 credits.

Concurrent Degrees

Concurrent degrees are awarded under the following conditions:

1. The second degree is offered by a different school or college
2. The student completes the departmental requirements for each major
3. The student completes the general-education requirements for each degree
4. The student completes a minimum of 36 credits at the UO beyond those required for the degree that has the highest credit requirement
5. The student submits two Application for Degree forms in the Office of the Registrar

Academic Major

All bachelor’s degrees must be awarded with a major. Minimum requirements are 36 credits in the major, including 24 in upper-division work. Specific requirements are listed under individual departments.

A student may be awarded a bachelor’s degree with more than one major by completing the general university degree requirements for the designated majors and degree and all requirements in each major as specified by the major departments, schools, or colleges.

Academic Minor

Unless specified by a particular department, a minor is not required for a bachelor’s degree. Students choosing to complete a minor must earn a minimum of 24 credits, including 12 in upper-division work. Minor requirements, including residency, are listed under department headings. A minor may be awarded only at the time a bachelor’s degree is conferred.

Upper-Division Work

A minimum of 62 credits in upper-division courses (300 level or higher) are required.

Residency

After completing 120 of the 180 required credits, 160 of the 220 required credits, 165 of the 225 required credits, or 171 of the 231 required credits, each student must complete at least 45 credits of UO courses in residence at the university.

Total Credits of A, B, C, D, P*

Students must earn 168 transfer or University of Oregon credits with grades of A, B, C, D, or P*. Credits earned in courses offered only pass/no pass use the P* designation.

UO Credits of A, B, C, D

A minimum of 45 credits graded A, B, C, or D must be earned at the University of Oregon. Courses required in the major and designated P/N only in the class schedule may be counted toward the 45-credit requirement only if the 168-credit requirement has been satisfied.

Satisfactory Work

Graduation from the university requires a minimum UO cumulative grade point average of 2.00.

Written English

Two courses (WR 121 and either WR 122 or 123 or equivalents) passed with grades of C– or better or P are required for all undergraduate degrees. For placement, prerequisites, or exemption, see policies in the English section of this catalog.

Requirements for Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science

Students must choose to graduate with a specific degree and major (for example, bachelor of arts in chemistry or bachelor of science in chemistry). See degrees listed in the Degrees, Majors, Minors, and Certificates section of this catalog.

Bachelor of Arts Requirements

The bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree requires proficiency in a second language. The second-language requirement may be met in one of the following ways:

1. Completion of at least the third term, second year of a second-language course taught in the language, with a grade of C– or better or P
2. Satisfactory completion of an examination administered by the appropriate language department, showing language proficiency equivalent to that attained at the end of two years of college study
3. For students whose native language is not English: providing high school or college transcripts to the Office of the Registrar as evidence of formal training in the native language and completion of WR 121 and either WR 122 or 123 with grades of C– or better or P

Bachelor of Science Requirements

The bachelor of science (BS) degree requires proficiency in mathematics or computer and information science or a combination of the two. The requirement may be satisfied in one of the following ways, depending on the student’s experience in mathematics. Courses must be completed with grades of C– or better or P.

1. Students with a limited background in mathematics can complete the requirement with any of the combinations of three courses listed below. Inquire at the Office of Academic Advising for other possible combinations.

• MATH 105, 106, 107, 111 (any three)
• MATH 105, 111, 243
• MATH 111, 241, 242
• CIS 105, 111, 122

2. Students who placed above the MATH 111 level on the mathematics placement test may complete the requirement with any two courses chosen from the following:

• MATH 112, 241, 425

3. Students who have MATH 111 skills and an additional prerequisite course or appropriate skills may complete the requirement with one course chosen from the following:

• MATH 231, 242, 246, 251, 261
• CIS 210, 211, 212

4. Satisfactory completion of MATH 211, 212, 213

Group Requirements

To promote educational breadth, bachelor’s degree candidates are required to complete work in each of three groups representing comprehensive fields of knowledge: arts and letters, social science, and science. Approved group-satisfying courses must be at least 3 credits each.

 

 The current list of group-satisfying courses is available online at classes.uoregon.edu.

 "One Course" Restriction. Students may use only one course that has the same subject code as their major to fulfill group requirements.

Substituting a Minor or Second Major. Some minors or second majors may be used to satisfy part of one group requirement. Students should consult their advisors for more information.

Group Requirements for Specific Degrees

Group-satisfying requirements are determined according to the degree to be earned.

Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts, or Science

Students must complete a minimum of 45 credits, 15 credits in approved group-satisfying courses in each of three general-education groups: arts and letters, social science, and science. Each group must include (1) at least two courses with the same subject code and (2) at least one course with a different subject code. No more than three courses with the same subject code may be used to fulfill the 45-credit requirement.

"Double-Dipping" Restriction. Students may not use courses that fulfill the second-language requirement for the bachelor of arts degree to fulfill the arts and letters group requirement. Courses used to demonstrate proficiency in mathematics or in computer and information science or in a combination of the two for the bachelor of science degree may not also be used to fulfill the science group requirement.

Bachelor of Architecture, Education, Interior Architecture, Landscape Architecture, or Music

Students must complete a minimum of 36 credits—12 credits in approved group-satisfying courses in each of three general-education groups: arts and letters, social science, and science. Each group must include at least two courses with different subject codes. Two groups must each include at least two courses with the same subject code. No more than three courses with the same subject code may be used to fulfill the total 36-credit requirement.

Multicultural Requirement

The purpose of the multicultural requirement is to introduce students to the richness of human diversity and to the opportunities and challenges of life in a multicultural society.

Bachelor’s degree candidates must complete one course in two of the following categories: A: American cultures; B: identity, pluralism, and tolerance; C: international cultures. A minimum of 6 credits in approved courses must be earned.

Category A: American Cultures

The goal is to focus on race and ethnicity in the United States by considering racial and ethnic groups from historical and comparative perspectives. Five racial or ethnic groups are identified: African American, Chicano or Latino, Native American, Asian American, European American. Approved courses deal with at least two of these groups in a comparative manner. They do not necessarily deal specifically with discrimination or prejudice, although many do.

Category B: Identity, Pluralism, and Tolerance

The goal is to gain scholarly insight into the construction of collective identities, the emergence of representative voices from varying social and cultural standpoints, and the effects of prejudice, intolerance, and discrimination. The identities at issue may include ethnicities as in Category A, as well as classes, genders, religions, sexual orientations, or other groups whose experiences contribute to cultural pluralism. This category includes courses that analyze the general principles underlying tolerance, or the lack of it.

Category C: International Cultures

The goal is to study world cultures in critical perspective. Approved courses either treat an international culture in view of the issues raised in Categories A and B—namely, race and ethnicity, pluralism and monoculturalism, and/or prejudice and tolerance—or explicitly describe and analyze a worldview—i.e., a system of knowledge, feeling, and belief—that is substantially different from those prevalent in the 20th- and 21st-century United States.

Students who participate in UO-sponsored study abroad programs with a minimum of five weeks in length may qualify to satisfy Catagory C requirements.

The current list of courses that satisfy the multicultural requirement is available online at
http://classes.uoregon.edu/.

General Limitations

1. A maximum of 124 credits may be transferred from an accredited junior or community college; of this, only 90 credits may be transferred from an international junior college

2. A maximum of 60 credits may be earned in correspondence study

3. A maximum of 48 credits in law, medicine, pharmacy, chiropractic medicine, dentistry, technology, or any combination may be accepted toward a degree other than a professional degree

4. A maximum of 24 credits may be earned in the following areas (a, b, and c) with not more than 12 in any one area:

a. Lower-division professional-technical courses

b. Physical education and dance activity courses

c. Studio instruction in music, except for majors in music

5. For music majors, a maximum of 24 credits in studio instruction, of which not more than 12 may be taken in the student’s freshman and sophomore years, may count toward requirements for the B.A. or B.S. degree

6. For dance majors, a maximum of 36 credits of DANC may count toward requirements for the B.A. or B.S. degree

7. A maximum of 12 credits in TLC (University Teaching and Learning Center) courses and a maximum of 12 credits in FE (field experience) courses may be counted toward the 180, 220, 225, or 231 credits required for a bachelor’s degree

8. University of Oregon academic records are sealed thirty days after the conferral of a degree. After this date, changes to majors and minors, addition of departmental honors, removal of incompletes, grade changes, or other changes to an academic record cannot be made

9. Undergraduate credits earned through credit by examination (course challenge), Advanced Placement Program (AP), International Baccalaureate Program (IB), and the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) are counted toward the satisfaction of bachelor’s degree requirements except residency and the 45 UO credits graded A, B, C, D. The university grants pass credit for successful completion of AP, IB, and CLEP examinations

10. Courses cannot be repeated for credit unless designated as repeatable (R) by the University of Oregon Committee on Courses. Credit for duplicated courses is deducted, but grades for these courses are included in the GPA

11. No courses are available for credit to students whose competence in that area exceeds the scope of a particular course

12. Students may not receive credit for courses that are prerequisites for courses in which they are currently enrolled

13. Students may not receive credit for courses that are prerequisites for courses for which they have already received credit

14. Students must be enrolled with degree-seeking status in order to earn a certificate

Second Bachelor’s Degree

A student who has been awarded a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution may earn an additional bachelor’s degree at the University of Oregon. The student must satisfactorily complete all departmental, school, or college requirements for the second degree. Of these requirements, the following must be completed after the prior degree has been awarded:

1. The student must complete an additional 36 credits at the university as a formally admitted student if the prior bachelor’s degree was awarded by the University of Oregon, or an additional 45 credits at the university if the prior bachelor’s degree was awarded by another institution
2. A minimum cumulative UO GPA of 2.00 in courses taken for the second bachelor’s degree is required for the second bachelor’s degree
3. A minimum of 18 credits must be graded A, B, C, D if the prior bachelor’s degree was earned at the University of Oregon, or 23 credits if at another institution
4. At least 75 percent of all course work required in the major for the second degree must be completed after the conferral of the first degree
5. The bachelor of arts degree requires proficiency in a second language. Students whose native language is not English may satisfy this requirement by providing high school transcripts as evidence of formal training in the native language and satisfactorily completing WR 121 and either WR 122 or 123. The bachelor of science degree requires proficiency in mathematics and/or computer and information science
6. Students pursuing the bachelor of fine arts degree must complete either the bachelor of arts proficiency in a second language or the bachelor of science proficiency in mathematics and/or computer and information science

Bachelor’s Degree with Honors

Information about Latin honors, academic honors, and honor societies is listed in the Honors at Oregon section of this catalog. Fellowship and scholarship information is in the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships and departmental sections of this catalog.

Oregon Transfer Module

The Oregon Transfer Module (OTM) provides a one-year curriculum for students who plan to transfer to a State of Oregon university or community college. The module allows students to complete one year of general-education foundation course work that is academically sound and readily transferable within Oregon. Although the OTM is not a certificate or degree, it documents that students have met a subset of common general-education requirements at all Oregon two- and four-year public institutions of higher education.

Students should work closely with the Office of Academic Advising to ensure selection of appropriate course work. Upon transfer, students may be required to complete additional course work in general education, in an academic major, or in bachelor’s degree requirements specific to the receiving institution. Students who transfer prior to the completion of the OTM will have their courses individually evaluated by the receiving institution, and may find that some individual courses are transferable, whereas others are not.

Transferring to the University of Oregon with an OTM

Students transferring to the University of Oregon with an OTM from another institution will have completed 45 credits of the university’s general-education requirements.

Earning an OTM at the University of Oregon

To receive an OTM at the University of Oregon, students must complete a minimum of 45 credits—12 in residence at the UO—in foundational skills (writing, oral communication, and mathematics) and introduction to the disciplines (arts and letters, social sciences, and sciences). All courses must be completed with a grade of C– or better and students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 at the time the OTM is posted on the transcript.

Academic Standing

When there is evidence of lack of satisfactory progress toward meeting graduation requirements, the Scholastic Review Committee may place students on academic probation or disqualify them from attendance at the university. For information and assistance, students should inquire at the Office of Academic Advising, 364 Oregon Hall.

After grades are processed at the end of each term, term and cumulative UO GPAs are calculated for each undergraduate student, admitted or nonadmitted. A student’s academic standing is based on attempted and earned hours and on the term and cumulative UO GPAs.

If a grade change affects the student’s term and cumulative UO GPAs and academic standing, the student should ask the instructor to submit the grade change through DuckWeb immediately. Retroactive changes to a term’s academic standing are made only to remove probation from the term record and only if grade changes are submitted by the last day to register and add classes for the following term. If grade changes that affect GPAs and academic standing are submitted later than this, the student’s probation standing for the previous term is not amended.

Academic Warning. Students receive an academic warning when the UO term GPA is between 0.00 and 1.99, inclusive, even if the UO cumulative GPA is 2.00 or higher. This notation is not recorded on the student’s official academic transcript, but does appear on the unofficial transcript. Students who completely withdraw from a term with W marks receive a 0.00 term GPA, and are thus subject to academic warning, probation, and/or disqualification.

Academic warning is given as a courtesy to advise students of potential academic difficulty. Academic probation does not depend on the student receiving prior notice of academic warning.

Academic Probation. Academic probation is earned and the notation "Academic Probation" is recorded on the student’s academic transcript whenever the following conditions exist:

1. When the UO cumulative GPA is lower than 2.00. Students who have earned 44 or fewer credits are allowed two terms of probation before they are subject to disqualification. Students with more than 44 credits are only allowed one term of probation before they are subject to disqualification. Students on academic probation whose UO cumulative GPA is lower than 2.00 and whose UO term GPA is 2.00 or higher remain on academic probation
2. When the student’s three most recent UO term GPAs are between 0.00 and 1.99, inclusive, even if the UO cumulative GPA is above a 2.00. This notation is not recorded on the student’s official academic transcript, but does appear on the unofficial transcript. Students who completely withdraw from a term with W marks receive a 0.00 term GPA, and are thus subject to academic warning, probation, and/or disqualification

Students on academic probation are limited to a study load of no more than 15 credits. Incoming students may be admitted on academic probation and are notified when such action has been taken; these students may be subject to disqualification after a single term of probation.

Academic disqualification. Academic disqualification is earned and the notation "Disqualification" is recorded on the student’s academic transcript whenever the following conditions exist:

1. Students on academic probation for having a UO cumulative GPA lower than 2.00 who earn a UO term GPA lower than 2.00 in their next term
2. Students on academic probation for having their three most recent terms of UO term GPAs between 0.00 and 1.99, inclusive,  and who earn less than a 2.00 term GPA for the fourth consecutive term. Students who completely withdraw from a term with W marks receive a 0.00 term GPA, and are thus subject to academic warning, probation, and/or disqualification

Students may apply for reinstatement after disqualification by contacting the Office of Academic Advising. Petitions are reviewed to determine the probability that a student can satisfactorily complete the requirements of a degree program. The student may enroll during the academic year only if the Scholastic Review Committee allows the student to continue on probationary status. Students may enroll for summer classes without being reinstated. Students who have been disqualified must petition for reinstatement to graduate.

Exceptions to Academic Regulations

1. Two standing university committees review requests in writing for exceptions to university rules, regulations, deadlines, policies, and requirements: the Academic Requirements Committee and the Scholastic Review Committee. For information about how to submit a petition to the Academic Requirements Committee, inquire at the Office of the Registrar, 220 Oregon Hall; call 541-346-2935. For information about how to submit a petition to the Scholastic Review Committee, inquire at the Office of Academic Advising, 364 Oregon Hall; call 541-346-3211
2. For information about removal from academic probation and academic reinstatement options, inquire at the Office of Academic Advising

Registering for Classes

Class Schedule

The class schedule is published online two weeks prior to registration each term. The schedule lists courses offered for the term. Dates, deadlines, procedures, and information about tuition and fees can be found on the registrar’s website.

Registration

A registration period takes place before the start of classes each term; the dates are published in advance. Students are not officially registered and are not entitled to attend classes until they have completed the prescribed registration procedures.

Once registered, students are academically and financially responsible for their course enrollments until they officially withdraw. Withdrawal after the term begins results in some financial liability. Appropriate withdrawal procedures are explained on the registrar’s website.

Freshman Registration

Entering freshman students with 44 credits or fewer should plan to attend IntroDUCKtion, offered in July. After being notified of admission to the University of Oregon for fall term, freshmen receive information about this program. Space is limited, and the sign-up deadline is in June.

Reenrollment

Admitted undergraduate students planning to register any time during an academic year after an absence of four or more terms, not including summer session, must notify the Office of the Registrar by filing a reenrollment form, available on the registrar’s website.

Reenrollment procedures for graduate students are described in the Graduate School section of this catalog.

Summer Session

Nonadmitted students planning to register for summer session should file the registration eligibility form, which is provided on the summer session website, http://uosummer.uoregon.edu/. The form is also available from the Academic Extension office or the Office of the Registrar. Students who were enrolled spring 2012 or after need not submit this form.

Transcripts

Students are required to send to the registrar’s office official transcripts of any academic work taken at other institutions while completing their baccalaureate degree program. A student’s official UO academic record must be kept complete at all times. Exceptions are made only for special and provisional students who are formally admitted under individual arrangements, and for summer transient and community education students who are not formally admitted. Failure to file required records can result in the cancellation of admission or registration; disciplinary action may be initiated and sanctions may be imposed by the university.

Alternate Ways to Earn Credit

The university has established programs through which students may earn credit toward graduation and, at the same time, decrease the cost and time required for standard undergraduate study. Brief descriptions of these programs appear below. Additional information is available from the Office of the Registrar.

Advanced Placement

Students who receive satisfactory grades in advanced placement examinations administered by the College Board may, on admission to the university, be granted credit toward a bachelor’s degree in comparable university courses. Information about credit awarded and scores required is available from the registrar’s website.

College-Level Examination Program

For some courses, departments have authorized the use of subject examinations prepared by the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). Examinations are available, for example, in calculus, chemistry, economics, French, German, literature, Spanish, and sociology. Once a student is admitted to the university, it accepts as transfer credit the successful completion of CLEP subject examinations by students. More information is available online at testing.uoregon.edu.

Community Education Program

Individuals who want to enroll for 8 credits or fewer per term in university courses without formally applying for admission may do so through the Community Education Program. Part-time students of all ages choose from a variety of courses. More information is available at the Academic Extension office located at the Baker Downtown Center, 975 High St., Suite 110, 541-346-5614.

Credit by Examination

Credit by examination allows formally admitted undergraduate students to challenge undergraduate university courses without registering for the courses. Students seeking to receive credit by examination must be registered for the term in which the exam is given. Credit by examination may be earned only in courses whose content is identified by title in the University of Oregon catalog. Students should contact first the Office of the Registrar to complete an Academic Requirements Committee petition to determine eligibility for credit by examination. Students then obtain faculty and department approvals before the exam can be scheduled. Students are billed an examination fee of $60 per course.

Successful credit by examination is shown as transfer credit on the UO transcript and may be recorded as a pass (P) or graded (A, B, C, D), consistent with the options listed in the class schedule. Credit by examination may not be counted toward the satisfaction of the graduation residency requirement or for fulfillment of the requirement to complete 45 credits graded A, B, C, D at the University of Oregon. However, credit by examination may be counted toward the requirement to complete 168 credits graded A, B, C, D, P* from all institutions attended.

The following are not available for credit by examination:

• Courses numbered 0–99; Field Studies (196); Workshop, Laboratory Projects, or Colloquium (198); Special Studies (199); courses numbered 200 or 399–410
• First-year second-language courses
• 100-level mathematics courses and MATH 211, 212, 213
• English composition courses (WR 121, 122, 123)
• An elementary language course taught in the student’s native language
• A course for which a CLEP examination is available
• A course that substantially duplicates credit already earned
• A course that is more elementary in nature than credit already earned
• A course in which the student is already enrolled for credit
• A course for which the student has received a grade of A, B, C, D, P, P*, I, X, or Y
• A course for which the student has already taken and failed an examination for credit

Contact the Office of the Registrar for more information.

International Baccalaureate

Students who receive satisfactory grades in International Baccalaureate examinations may, on admission to the university, be granted credit in comparable university courses toward a bachelor’s degree. Credit can be earned in art, biology, business, chemistry, Chinese, computer science, economics, English, French, German, history, geography, Japanese, Mandarin, mathematics, music, physics, psychology, social anthropology, Spanish, Swedish, and theater arts. A complete list of university credit earned by International Baccalaureate examinations is available from the registrar’s website.

Military Credit

The university generally grants credit for military education experiences as recommended by the American Council on Education’s Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services, and in accordance with University of Oregon and Oregon University System policies regarding transfer credits. Students may request evaluation of credits earned through the Community College of the Air Force, Defense Language Institute, or military education. Students must submit official copies of college transcripts or a Certificate of Completion from the Defense Language Institute. An official copy of the student’s DD 214, DD 295, or an AARTS transcript is required for military credit.