|
 |
|
|
|
|
| ACADEMIC ADVISING |
|
|
The Major
To receive a bachelor’s degree, a student must complete the requirements of at least one major program. A major consists of a defined group of courses, usually within a single discipline, designed to give the student in-depth knowledge of a specific field of study. A major may also consist of a planned group of courses from more than one discipline.
A major requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, at least 15 of which must be upper-division. In a single subject area, the major should not exceed 42 semester hours for the BA, 45 semester hours for the BBA, and 48 semester hours for the BS. When major programs require courses from another discipline, however, the combined total number of hours may exceed these limits. A minimum of 50 percent of the required upper-division hours must be completed at the University of St. Thomas (except in the case of the Liberal Arts/General Studies majors for which there in no minimum requirement). Every major program must provide a minimum of 6 credit hours of free electives.
Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 in their major. This requirement applies to both majors in a joint major program. With the approval of the appropriate school dean, individual departments may set higher standards for their majors. Students may not take courses required for their major on a “Pass/Fail” basis.
After completing 29 credit hours, a student may formally declare a major by completing the Declaration of Major Form and filing it with the Registrar. A student must declare a major after completing 59 credit hours. This is usually done during the early academic advising period before classification as a junior occurs, and is a requirement for registration beyond 59 credit hours. |
Multiple Majors
The University offers both double major and joint major options. In all cases, students must confer with the appropriate department chairs to develop degree plans that will ensure that course and credit-hour requirements are current and documented. When the majors are from departments normally granting different degrees (BA, BBA, BS and BTh), the student must select a primary major that will determine the single degree to be granted by the University and then meet the requirements of that degree with multiple majors. |
Joint Major Programs
A joint major is a two-track program of study. It provides the opportunity for a student to develop a wider range of interest than allowed by a single-discipline major. A joint major is distinguished from a double major. Whereas a double major includes all major requirements of the departments involved, a joint major consolidates the requirements of the cooperating departments.
A joint major program is developed by two cooperating departments and must adhere to the following guidelines:
- All core requirements of the University must be met.
- The student must have approval of both cooperating departments and have an advisor from each.
- Neither department will require as many credit hours in its portion of the joint major as it requires for a regular major.
- Neither department will reduce the credit hours required within its discipline by more than 6 credit hours.
- Neither department will reduce its related requisite hours by more than 6 credit hours.
- In situations where the majors are from departments normally granting different degrees (BA, BBA, BS and BTh), the student must select a primary major which will determine the single degree to be granted by the University, and then meet the requirements of that degree with a joint major.
- If both departments require a capstone experience, the student must complete only one of them.
- The student must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 in both majors or a higher GPA if a department requires it.
For details, prospective joint majors should consult the catalog entry of the departments in which they have an interest and take care to follow #1 and #2 above. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
