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General Information | Degree Requirements DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND ACADEMIC GUIDELINESUndergraduate studies are organized into four academic organizational units: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, College of Criminal Justice, and College of Education and Applied Science. The University is authorized to grant five degrees at the undergraduate level. A student has the option of meeting the academic requirements for any degree as outlined in the catalogue at the time of admission or of meeting those listed in any later catalogue provided the requirements are met not later than six years from the effective date of the selected catalogue. In the case of transfer students, and consistent with the core curriculum established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the above option is also available, including the use of the University catalogue current at the time the original institution was entered. Upon enrollment at the University, the transfer student is then under the above regulations just as though originally enrolled at Sam Houston State University. Regardless of the degree sought, there are certain minimum requirements. The student is responsible for knowledge of the detailed requirements of the degree selected and any special requirements of the major and/or minor department. Total Hours. A minimum of 128 semester hours including kinesiology or accepted substitutes is required for every degree. Every degree must contain a minimum of 124 academic hours. Advanced Hours. Effective with the fall semester of 1998, at least 42 semester hours of advanced work must be completed for a degree. Good transcripts show a ratio of 50:50 lower division, upper division courses. No advanced work may be submitted for credit from a community college. Writing Enhanced Courses. Effective with the fall semester of 1991, all beginning freshmen students will be required to complete six writing enhanced courses (minimum of 18 semester hours) prior to their graduation. The six courses include ENG 164, ENG 165, two courses in the student’s major, and two courses in any discipline. Minimum Residence. To obtain a bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University, a student must complete at least 25 percent of the semester credit hours in residence, of which 24 semester credit hours must be advanced hours. For example, if the completion of a specific bachelor’s degree requires 128 SCH, then at least 32 SCH must be earned in residence at Sam Houston State University and of which 24 SCH must be advanced hours (300-400 courses.) NOTE: Semester credit hours earned in a correspondence course(s) are not considered "resident classroom instruction” hours and are not used in determining the minimum semester credit hour requirement for academic honors: cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude, the Dean’s List, and the President’s Honor Roll. However, the semester credit hours and grade points earned for correspondence courses are included in the calculation of the overall SHSU grade point average. Major. A major is defined for the degree sought. A minimum of 12 semester hours must be advanced and taken in residence. See page 38. Minor. A minor is defined for the degree sought. A minimum of 6 semester hours must be advanced and taken in residence. See page 38. Grade Points. A minimum grade point average of 2.0 in the total program and a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in courses completed at Sam Houston State University in each major and minor field of study are required. However, a higher grade point average requirement may be established for a specific program. A student having a deficiency in grade points at the time of anticipated graduation must remove such deficiency by taking courses at the University.
SECOND DEGREE Any student holding a baccalaureate degree from Sam Houston State University or any other regionally accredited institution may earn a second baccalaureate degree differing in basic academic subject area and concentration from the first degree by completing the following requirements:
CORE CURRICULUM The Core Curriculum at Sam Houston State University, effective with the 1999 Fall Semester, contains 45 semester credit hours. The reader should review the chart below for the six Component Areas and the required Semester Credit Hours as well as the SHSU Course Prefix and Course Number and the corresponding Texas Common Course Number (TCCN). The reader will note that the Texas Common Course Number lists the four-letter prefix and four-digit number.
DEFINITION OF TERMS Advanced Credit Courses numbered 300 and above are advanced courses. These are normally taken during the junior and senior years. See “Advanced Hours,” page 40. Audit, Course An individual must receive prior approval from the appropriate department chair and the instructor involved in order to audit a course. The audit fee for each course is $50; senior citizens who are 65 years of age or older are exempted from paying the audit fees. An individual auditing a course:
Neither the instructor nor the University assumes responsibility for the academic progress of any person auditing a course. Classification of Students by Hours Completed Freshman: 1-31; Sophomore: 32-63; Junior: 64-93; Senior: 94 and up. Course Numbers Course numbers consist of three digits. The first digit (reading from left to right) indicates the year level of the course; as, for example, 100’s freshman; 200’s sophomore; 300’s junior; 400’s senior; 500’s master’s; 600’s advanced and post-master’s and doctoral; 700’s doctoral. In some degree programs, freshmen may be advised to take 200 level courses. The middle digit indicates the credit value of the course, except in the case of three-hour courses, where the middle digit may be three or any number from six to nine inclusive; as, for example, 111, one-hour course; 121, two-hour course; 131, 161, 171, 181, 191, three-hour courses; 141, four-hour course; 151, five-hour course. The last digit serves to distinguish one course from another within a department. Degree A degree is an academic title awarded to a student who has successfully completed a degree program. Sam Houston State University is authorized to award six baccalaureate degrees — BA, BAAS, BBA, BFA, BM, and BS; seven master’s degree — MS, MBA, MFA, MA, MM, MED, and MLS; and two doctoral degrees — Ed.D., Ph.D. All baccalaureate degrees awarded by Sam Houston State University include a core of 45 semester credit hours (SCH); from 30-80 SCH in a major area of study; where applicable, not less than 18 SCH in a minor area of study, and other courses as required or elected for a total minimum number of 128 SCH. Degree Plan, Undergraduate A complete plan of studies must be established by the student, the major department, the minor department, and the office of the academic dean of the major. This formal written plan should be completed as soon as possible. Students are encouraged to use the Student Advisement and Mentoring Center (SAM Center) for development of their degree plans. It is the responsibility of the student to originate the degree plan within the major department. After this initial conference, the plan is presented by the student to the minor department for written approval, after which a second conference is scheduled with the major department during which the plan is finalized and presented to the major academic dean for approval. A copy of the degree plan should be on file in each of the following locations: the major department, the minor department, the Registrar’s Office, and the office of the major academic dean. Those students pursuing teacher certification should also have a copy on file in the office of the Dean, College of Education and Applied Science. Degree Program Texas Education Code, Section 61.003, defines a degree program as “any grouping of subject matter courses which, when satisfactorily completed by a student, will entitle him/her to a degree from a public senior college or university or medical or dental unit.” The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board considers any alternate grouping of related subject matter courses within a major area of study to be a separate degree program if (1) upon satisfactory completion, a student is entitled to a degree from the institution, (2) the course grouping includes the equivalent or substantively the same requirements as those required by the institution for a degree in a similar discipline, and (3) the course grouping includes requirements equivalent to or substantively the same as those required for comparable degree programs in the same discipline at similar institutions. All degree programs require approval of the Board of Regents, The Texas State University System, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Degree Title A degree title is the name of the degree and the major area of study under which one or more programs may be offered. Elective An elective is any course not specifically required for completion of a degree. Electives allow the student flexibility, within the total semester credit hours required for the degree, to pursue special interests outside the specific requirements for the major and minor areas of study. Major A major is a grouping of related subject matter courses which characterizes and distinguishes a principal field of study. It may include a course grouping from only one academic discipline or from two or more related disciplines, i.e., interdisciplinary major. A baccalaureate major must contain an approved course grouping of not less than thirty semester credit hours, of which a minimum of twelve must be advanced and taken in residence. Minor A minor is a grouping of related subject matter courses which characterizes and distinguishes a second field of study. It may include a course grouping from only one academic discipline or from two or more related disciplines, i.e., interdisciplinary minor. A baccalaureate minor must contain an approved course grouping of not less than eighteen semester credit hours, of which a minimum of six must be advanced and taken in residence. Normal Load The normal undergraduate course load during a regular semester is fifteen semester credit hours exclusive of the following:
Combinations of one-hour and/or two-hour courses, exclusive of the exceptions listed above, are used to establish three-hour or four-hour equivalents for the purpose of establishing the student’s normal load. The normal undergraduate load for the summer school is two courses per session. Overload The number of courses in any semester or summer session will include those from all sources. Any combination of correspondence courses, extension courses, and residence courses must be totaled into a student’s maximum load. An overload is a course taken in excess of a normal load as defined above. It is recommended that before an undergraduate student enrolls in courses in excess of the defined normal load, the student should have attained a grade point average of B (3.0) over his/her total university work. Exceptions to the normal load should be approved by the student’s academic dean. Off-Campus Courses Students may register for off-campus courses during the regular registration periods as listed in the current Schedule of Classes. Courses taught at a location away from the main campus carry residence credit. Off-campus tuition, fees, and procedures for resignations, and schedule changes (Adds or Drops), are the same as for students attending classes on campus. See the current Schedule of Classes for a complete listing of courses and locations. Sam Houston State University has approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer various degree programs at The University Center. Courses completed as part of these programs carry residence credit. Part-Time Student Any undergraduate student who carries fewer than twelve semester hours during an academic semester is classified as a part-time student. Such a student is not considered to be making normal progress toward the degree. Residence Classification The responsibility for registering under the proper residence classification is that of the student. Semester Hour The unit of credit is the semester hour, defined as one class meeting a week (or its equivalent) for one semester of fifteen weeks. Most courses meet three hours per week and have a credit value of three semester hours. For each hour in class, at least two hours of preparation are expected on the part of the student. Many students will find it necessary to spend more than this amount of time in study. Support Area A support area is a grouping of courses for which there is no degree authority. It includes a limited number of related subject-matter courses offered to provide flexibility for the student to pursue special interests within the major, the minor, or the elective areas of an authorized degree. General Information |
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