Degree and Graduation Policies
Degree Audit
In accordance with Section 51.9685 (b) of the Texas Education Code, after completing 30 semester credit hours students should review their degree audit with the college academic advising center or through their major department/school, as determined by college guidelines. The degree audit will list all courses required for graduation. Students also have the option to run their own unofficial audit at any time before seeing their advisor. The audit should be used to determine which courses to take at each registration.
It is highly recommended that students see their academic advisors to review their degree audits within their last 30 hours prior to graduation. Students need to verify that they are meeting the appropriate degree requirements including coursework and grade-point averages in all courses taken at Texas State and in the major and minor fields of study. If any of the grade-point averages are below the minimums required for graduation, the degree audit can be used in deciding how to raise the averages in the remaining coursework.
The college dean has the final approval and appeal for all graduation requirements, including but not limited to degree audits, grade point average, courses, prerequisites, graduation application, transfer credit, Texas state coursework, catalog time limit and designation.
Teacher Certification
Any degree that includes preparation for becoming a Texas certified teacher will have special degree and graduation requirements. Please refer to the degree requirements under the appropriate College’s section and to the Educator Preparation Program section of this catalog.
Application for Graduation
Students must indicate their intent to graduate through applying for graduation at the beginning of their final semester by completing the graduation application using the online process. If a student fails to complete the required courses in time for a planned graduation for that term, the student must reapply for a subsequent graduation. Failure to apply for graduation on time may delay the awarding of the diploma until the following graduation. To allow for the receipt and processing of official transcripts in a timely manner, students taking off-campus courses in their final semester should make sure that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions receives official transcripts as soon as they are available from the sending institution.
Defining Commencement Participation and Graduation
Degree candidates that choose to participate (walk) in a commencement ceremony must attend their corresponding college/department ceremony during the semester they will complete their degree requirements.
Certificate candidates that are simultaneously graduating with a degree (doctoral, specialist, master’s, or bachelor’s) are eligible to participate (walk) in their corresponding college/department ceremony during the semester they will complete both their certificate and degree requirements.
For questions, please contact the academic dean’s office (undergraduate candidates) or The Graduate College dean’s office (graduate candidates).
Graduating (receiving a diploma) and participating (walking across the stage) in the commencement ceremony are two distinctly different things. Candidates will be considered "graduated" when they have met all of the following:
- Have applied for graduation online by the posted semester deadline
- Have had their application approved by their respective advising center or the Graduate College
- Have completed all degree requirements
- Have had final semester grades posted to their Texas State transcript
- The Dean of the respective college, or the Graduate College, has certified candidates as graduates
Participating in the commencement ceremony and having one’s name in the commencement program does not mean that a candidate has completed the requirements for graduation. Ultimately, the final awarding of degrees, honors and mailing of the diplomas is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the appropriate requirements by each candidate and the Dean's final certification.
Incomplete Grades
Incomplete grades should be cleared through the Office of the University Registrar's Offices at least ten days before the commencement for which the degree is to be conferred.
Per section 03.03 of G/PPS No. 02.12 Grades and Change of Grades,, an undergraduate student cannot graduate with an “I” grade on their record. If the student wishes to graduate and if the course is not needed for a degree requirement, the “I” grade will have to be converted to an “F”, regardless of whether the one-year time period has passed or not. A grade change request may be submitted by no later than the end of the final examination period before the student’s graduation. If no grade change request is received, the grade of “I” will convert to an “F” and will be computed in the student’s GPA.
Minimum Degree Hours and Advanced Hours
All undergraduate degrees at Texas State require a minimum of 120 semester credit hours, including 36 advanced hours (junior and senior level courses).
Texas State Coursework Requirement
To qualify for graduation with a bachelor’s degree, a student must complete, through Texas State coursework, at least 25 percent of the minimum number of semester credit hours required for the degree; within this requirement, at least 24 semester credit hours must be advanced (junior or senior) and at least 12 hours of the advanced work must be completed in the major at Texas State. Additionally, at least 24 semester credit hours of the last 30 hours completed that are required for the degree must be taken at Texas State. Correspondence, extension, and off-campus coursework completed through Texas State may be applied toward Texas State coursework requirements. Credit-by-examination may not be applied toward Texas State coursework requirements.
Writing Intensive Requirement
Certain Texas State courses are designated as “writing intensive” and are labeled as (WI) in this catalog and the schedule of classes. In order for a course to receive this designation, at least 65 percent of the course grade must be based on written assignments and a minimum of one extended piece of writing must be required. All undergraduate degrees at Texas State require a minimum of 9 semester credit hours of writing intensive courses for graduation. Writing intensive credit must be taken at Texas State.
Minimum Grade-Point Requirements for Graduation
Before graduating from Texas State with a baccalaureate degree, students seeking a first or second bachelor's degree must satisfy the following minimum grade requirements:
- A Texas State GPA of 2.00
- A GPA of 2.25 in the major(s)
- A GPA of 2.00 in the minor(s)
NOTE: Individual departments/schools as well as degree programs with Teacher Certification may have higher requirements listed in the appropriate sections of this catalog.
Maximum Elective Hours in Courses for the Major or Minor
No more than six semester credit hours within a major or a first teaching field may count as electives after the minimum requirements of the major or teaching field are fulfilled. Likewise, no more than six semester credit hours may be counted as electives in a minor or second teaching field once the minimums have been met. Approval of elective credit beyond these maximums must be granted by the appropriate college dean. If the degree program requires electives, the number of free elective hours a student will complete depends on the number of hours a student may need to achieve the minimum hours, and/or the 36 advanced total hours required.
Second Bachelor’s Degree
Students earning second bachelor’s degrees subsequent to receiving the first bachelor’s degree are eligible for graduation with honors if they complete 48 or more hours at Texas State in pursuit of the second bachelor’s degree. Texas State coursework requirements (as indicated above) apply except that the advanced semester credit hours required are determined by the appropriate college dean.
For students who have already completed a first baccalaureate degree at an accredited college or university, with the approval of the department chair/school director and the college dean, the core curriculum requirements for that degree may be accepted in lieu of Texas State’s general education core curriculum. However, requirements associated with particular degrees, e.g., completion of the second semester of a modern language for a Bachelor of Arts degree, or legislative requirements, e.g., history and government course requirements, must be included in an approved program for a second baccalaureate degree.
Dual Bachelor’s Degrees
If two different bachelor’s degrees are conferred simultaneously, the student must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours beyond the requirements of the single degree. Degree audits must be filed in the office of both college advising centers. Graduation will occur when the student has completed requirements for both degrees. Students completing dual bachelor’s degrees receive two diplomas. Refer to the Undergraduate Degree section of the catalog for the different degrees offered.
Double Majors
A student who fulfills the specified requirements for two different majors authorized under a single degree has completed a double major and will receive a single diploma. Both majors appear on the diploma. Contact your advising center for more information on what programs have double majors.
Time Limit for Earning a Degree
Students may graduate under the requirements for the degree set forth in the Texas State catalog in force during the semester in which they first enroll, provided they graduate within six years from the end of the semester. Transfer students who have been assigned a Texas State catalog based on their first semester at a Texas junior college have six years from the end of the semester upon which their catalog designation was based to graduate, not six years from their initial semester at Texas State. After the expiration of such a period of time, students may have to meet requirements outlined in the current catalog. “Requirements for the Degree” refers to the pattern of courses and grade-point averages required for graduation. It does not include other rules and regulations such as probation and suspension criteria, requirements for admission to courses or programs, etc.
Transfer Credit from Two-Year Colleges
In accordance with rule §4.25 of the Texas Administrative code, Texas State will apply to a degree up to 66 semester credit hours from an accredited junior/community college (at the approval of the individual college dean, 6-8 hours may be added). At the time of transfer, all transferable work attempted at a junior/community college will be recorded on the official transcript. If the number of hours transferred from a junior college exceeds 66, the student’s chair or director will recommend to the college dean how the student will satisfy degree requirements. For more details, see the Undergraduate Admissions section of this catalog.