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Courses beyond the Core Curriculum and Field of Study required to complete an academic program, including the major field, electives, and minor (if required for program completion). A student must complete the Program Curriculum with at least a 2.0 GPA. Individual academic programs may have additional GPA or other requirements.

Capstone courses or projects are culminating opportunities for students nearing the end of their educational programs. The discipline-appropriate product, which encompasses a wide range of skills and knowledge, allows students to integrate key concepts and practices and demonstrate competence across general education requirements acquired while completing their degree program. Students work closely with a supervising faculty member to develop the creative projects, activities, or theses that serve as a major time investment component of the course.

A certificate can be considered either a standalone certificate or an embedded certificate.

Undergraduate Certificates
Less than One Year – a certificate that requires less than 30 semester credit hours, and typically at least 10 credit hours.
One Year – a certificate that requires between 30 - 59 semester credit hours.

Graduate Certificates
All graduate certificates require achievement of a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate – a certificate beyond the bachelor’s degree that does not meet the requirements for a master’s degree.
Post-Master’s Certificate – a certificate beyond the master’s degree that does not meet the requirements for a doctoral degree.

Standalone Certificates
A standalone certificate can be earned without declaring a degree program by taking a specific set of courses. Credit hours required vary depending on the certificate.

Embedded Certificates
An embedded certificate is typically a subset of courses required as part of a degree/major where students in the specified degree/major are awarded the certificate upon graduating in that degree/major.

A graduate major may label a smaller grouping of courses as a concentration within the major. Not all majors have concentrations, but those that do allow specialization embedded within the curriculum. Concentrations must be pursued and completed concurrently with a degree program.

Field of Study Courses comprise 18 hours usually within the first 60 hours of each student’s Associate, Nexus, or Bachelor’s degree progression and are in addition to the 42 hours required in the General Education IMPACTS Core Domains.

Field of Study Courses should be those that prepare students for entry into their major level courses and should abide by the Field of Study Guidelines posted by each discipline area CAO Advisory Groups (CAGS). Approval by the Council on General Education is not required for courses that an institution chooses to list in their Field of Study. Instead, the CAGS will periodically review institutional Field of Study course lists for compliance (USG General Education Core Curriculum section 02.04.07).

This High-Impact Practice brings first-year students together in a seminar or program that places a strong emphasis on critical inquiry, frequent writing, information literacy, collaborative learning, and/or other skills that develop students’ intellectual and practical competencies. First-year seminars can also involve students with cutting-edge questions in scholarship and with faculty members’ own research. The purpose of a First-Year Experience is to acclimate students to the college environment and provide them with the intellectual and practical tools necessary to be successful in completing an undergraduate degree. The specific elements included in a First-Year Experience course will depend on its modality and scope, but the course will typically cover topics such as time management, study skills, campus resources, critical thinking, and effective communication.

The goal is to equip first-year students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in their academic and personal lives during their college journey and beyond.

Students in Learning Communities take two or more linked courses as a group and work closely with one another and with their professors. Many learning communities explore a common topic and/or common readings through the lenses of different disciplines. The key goals for learning communities are to encourage integration of learning across courses and to involve students with “big questions” that matter beyond the classroom.

A planned group of courses within a specific subject matter area, typically taken to fulfill a baccalaureate degree. The Major Field must contain a minimum of 21 credit hours of upper level (3000-4000) credit.

15-18 credit hours of coursework with at least 9 hours of upper-division coursework.

Minor programs of study are designed to complement a baccalaureate major. A minor must contain 15 to 18 semester hours of coursework with at least 9 hours of upper-division coursework. Courses taken to satisfy any of the IMPACTS Core domains may not be counted as coursework in the minor. However, Field of Study courses may be counted as coursework in the minor. Minors must be pursued and completed concurrently with a major degree program.

The pathway is a group of courses at the 1000-2000 level from one of more subject areas taken in the Field of Study of the associate degree. The pathway provides preparation for students who wish to pursue a particular major at the baccalaureate level.

This High-Impact Practice facilitates students’ active engagement in systematic investigation, research, and creative projects. The goal is to involve students with contested questions, empirical observations, cutting-edge technologies, and the sense of excitement that comes from working to answer important questions and generate knowledge.

In Undergraduate Research, students produce field-specific knowledge under the guidance of or in collaboration with faculty. Although students will work at a level appropriate to their scholarly development, the project itself could produce intellectual or creative contributions worthy of dissemination in a professional venue. The research process unfolds over an extended period of time and is supported by dialog and iterative feedback with sponsoring faculty as well as critical reflection and revision by the student.

An undergraduate major may label a smaller grouping of courses as a concentration within the major. Not all majors have concentrations, but those that do allow a choice between two or more concentrations as a way of specialization within the curriculum. Concentrations must be pursued and completed concurrently with a degree program.

This High-Impact Practice provides students an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in their courses through direct experience in a work setting—preferably related to their career interests. Work-Based Learning gives students the benefit of supervision and coaching from professionals in the field, and it can provide opportunities to develop

important skill sets within their discipline. Students complete a project or paper that is approved by a faculty member. Work-Based Learning courses should involve a significant investment of time and effort by the student where they engage in direct experiences over the course of a semester. Students may involve themselves in an apprenticeship, internship, job shadowing, or other similar practice under the supervision of an organizational member in the work setting. Coursework typically includes journaling assignments with frequent and constructive feedback from faculty and/or supervisors and opportunities for students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during their program of study.