University General Course Catalog 2022-2023 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
University General Course Catalog 2022-2023 ARCHIVED CATALOG: LINKS AND CONTENT ARE OUT OF DATE. CHECK WITH YOUR ADVISOR.

Academic Requirements/AAR


Major: Students must declare a major (primary field of study) and satisfy all requirements for that degree program as described in the appropriate catalog and as defined in the Academic Advising Report (AAR). Students must complete 15 upper-division major units in residence.

Minor: Some degree programs require a minor (secondary field of study) as part of the bachelor’s program. Students must complete 6 upper-division minor units in residence.

Minimum Grade Point Average: In order to graduate, students are required to have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0, including all postsecondary course work attempted. In addition, students must earn a University of Nevada, Reno GPA of at least 2.0. This requirement includes all repeated courses and excludes those courses in which the student has received marks of “AD,” “I,” “NR,” “X,” “S,” “U” and “W” (Audit, Incomplete, Not Reported, In Progress, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory and Withdrawal). Students cannot graduate with an “I”, “NR”, or “X” on their record. Additional academic requirements may be established by the dean of an individual college, which may include a higher minimum GPA.

Credit Hours: Students must complete at least a minimum of 120 credits that count toward graduation and fulfill all degree requirements. Some degree programs have higher credit requirements. Please see your major program description for detailed degree requirements.

University Core Curriculum: As part of the degree program, students must complete the Core Curriculum/general education requirements. Some degree programs have specific coursework used to fulfill these requirements.

Four-Year Credit Requirement: Half of the total credits required for an undergraduate degree must be earned at a regionally accredited, four-year institution.

Upper-Division Course Requirements: Students are required to take a minimum of 40 upper-division course credits (courses numbered 300-499). Some colleges and/or programs may require a higher number of upper-division credits. Only courses completed at the upper-division level may apply to the University’s upper-division course requirement for graduation.

Resident Credit Requirements: A candidate for a bachelor’s degree must complete 30 upper-division credits at the University of Nevada, Reno. Students must fulfill Major and Minor residency requirements. Students who have completed the residency requirement and have no more than 12 credits remaining to complete their degrees may petition to graduate in absentia.

Students must obtain permission from their college deans to graduate in absentia. Students must not exceed the total number of transfer credits allowed toward the bachelor’s degree.

Authorized exceptions to this rule include:

  1. Preprofessional students who complete at least 90 credits in residence at the university may transfer a maximum of 30 semester credits of satisfactory course work from an accredited professional school toward a bachelor’s degree. In order to apply the transfer credits, such students must satisfy all department, college and university requirements for graduation.
  2. Any course that is satisfactorily completed at the university for credit, except credit earned by special examination, is considered resident credit at the campus sponsoring the course.


Coursework older than 10 years:
Core Curriculum: The ability to apply content from prerequisite courses is critical for student success in subsequent Core mathematics and statistics courses (CO2). A student’s ability to apply content from Core mathematics courses may degrade significantly over time.  Students whose prerequisite coursework was completed 10 or more years ago should take a placement test before registering for a Core mathematics or statistics course.

Major/Minor: In areas of study in which the subject matter changes rapidly, material in courses taken long before graduation may become obsolete. Courses which are more than 10 years old are applicable toward completion of specific major or minor requirements at the discretion of the student’s major or minor department. Departments may approve, disapprove, or request that the student revalidate the substance of such courses. Students whose major or minor programs include courses that will be more than 10 years old at the expected time of graduation should consult with their major or minor department at the earliest possible time to determine acceptability of such courses. Courses older than 10 years will apply to general elective requirements. Departments may adopt a more restrictive policy where accreditation and/or licensure requirements limit the applicability of courses to fewer than 10 years.

Independent Learning Grades: Final grades must be entered and a graduation GPA calculated before a degree can be awarded. If a graduation applicant’s record includes in-progress grades in Independent Learning courses, the student will be administratively withdrawn from the coursework through Independent Learning prior to the degree being posted on the student’s transcript.