College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | Bachelor's Degrees

 student reading in Hammes LibraryAcademic Advising Requirements

Academic advising by a faculty member from the student’s major area(s) is required at least once each year and, in some departments, prior to each semester’s enrollment.

Academic advising for each student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is available prior to each semester’s enrollment by a faculty member from the student’s major area(s) or from an advisor in the college’s advising center. Although academic advising is intended to provide effective guidance and every student is required to seek the advice of a faculty advisor, students individually are responsible for planning their own programs and for meeting the degree requirements by the time they expect to graduate.


Grades

Students must have a minimum CGPA of 2.0 and complete all requirements in their major and/or minor departments with a C– or higher. (A minimum CGPA of 2.0 is required in the student’s major and minor departments.) Any course in which the student receives a grade of F does not count in the credit hours accumulated for graduation. Any course in which a letter grade of D is received does not count in a student’s major or minor.


Credit Hour Requirements

A candidate for a bachelor’s degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 120 credit hours in courses offered by the college or by other academic programs of the university offering bachelor’s degree programs.


Transfer Credit Hours

Ordinarily, the maximum number of transfer credit hours that may be counted toward graduation in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is 96, including credit(s) earned at other campuses of Indiana University. Not more than 60 credit hours earned at accredited junior colleges may be applied toward a degree.


Testing out of Requirements

Students may test out of the general-education requirements Quantitative Reasoning and Computer Literacy by passing appropriate proficiency tests. For testing out of part of world languages, see World Languages Placement Examination information.


Upper-Level Coursework

A minimum of 30 credit hours must be completed in 300- or 400-level (junior-senior) courses. To satisfy campus general-education requirements, students must pass at least one 300-level core course (i.e., A 399, B 399, N 390, or T 390).


Residency Requirement

At least 26 credit hours of the work taken as a senior and at least 10 credit hours above the first-level courses in the major subject (not necessarily during the senior year) normally must be completed while in residence at IU South Bend. The 10 credit hours in the major subject must be taken in courses approved by the major department.


Correspondence and Special Credit

By special permission of the dean, a maximum of 12 credit hours may be earned toward a degree through correspondence study or by special credit examination. Any correspondence courses in the student’s major must also have the approval of the departmental chair. (SPCH-S 121 Public Speaking may not be taken by correspondence.)


Time Limit for Completion of Requirements

A student is expected to complete the work for a degree within 10 years. Failure to do so may require passing of comprehensive examinations on the subjects in the area(s) of concentration and fulfilling the general requirements in the current IU South Bend Bulletin.


Graduation Deadlines

An application for a degree or certificate must be filed in the office of the coordinator of student services, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, not later than October 1 for May and August graduations, or March 1 for December graduation. All credit hours of candidates for degrees, except those of the current semester, must be on record at least six weeks prior to the conferring of degrees. Credit hours by correspondence must be on record at least three weeks prior to the conferring of degrees.

Academic Bulletins

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