Auburn University
Curriculum Structure: Undergraduate Degree Programs
1.1. All students except those in five year programs should have a reasonable opportunity to graduate in four years.
1.2. A minimum of 120 credit hours is required in the undergraduate curriculum. All degree programs should strive to meet 120 semester hours in accordance with Principles No. 8 which states "Semester hours beyond the minimum 120 hours should be added to a major's curriculum only because of the demands of the major and/or of accreditation/certification requirements."
1.3. All undergraduate degree programs must provide six (6) semester hours of electives or course substitutions for ROTC students that can be applied toward their baccalaureate degrees. The three (3) semester hours of required university free elective may be used and three (3) additional semester hours of free elective or course substitution must be provided. If there are only three semester hours of free elective in a degree program, three semester hours of free electives in addition to the 120 hour minimum may be added to that degree program in order to accommodate the required six semester hours for ROTC. This addition is only justified for those degree programs which can accommodate the ROTC requirement in no other way. A minor in military studies will be offered. This minor may be pursued as any other minor within the guidelines of the student's degree program. A student who can use only six hours of ROTC courses within their baccalaureate degree may pursue the military studies minor with ROTC courses beyond the degree requirements.
1.4. The minimum number of hours required for an undergraduate major is 30 semester hours. Of those 30 semester hours, 20 semester hour credits or more must be in upper division courses.
1.5. The minimum number of hours required for an undergraduate minor is 15 semester hours. Of those 15 hours, nine (9) or more semester hour credits must be in upper division courses.
1.6. To satisfy SACS accreditation requirements, the university mandates three semester hours of free elective in every undergraduate degree program.
1.7. SACS accreditation requirements state that all undergraduate degree programs must include the development of oral communications skills and computer literacy. These requirements may be fulfilled by either having formal courses in these areas or by including these areas in other courses required in the degree program.
Credit Hours: Undergraduate Degree Program
2.1. Three credit hours for non-laboratory courses and four credit hours for laboratory courses are required for all courses that are 100 or 200 level courses, supporting courses, or courses in which more than 5% of the enrollment is outside of the college/school. One or two semester hours are allowed for Physical Education (PE) courses and U100. Exceptions to these hours should have justification.
2.2 Fractional credit hours will not be allowed.
2.3. A full load for a typical undergraduate student is 15 to 17 semester hours. Four to five undergraduate courses should be taken each semester. (Examples are four 4-hour courses or three 4-hour and one 3-hour course, five 3-hour courses, or two 4-hour courses and three 3-hour courses).
2.4. Twelve (12) semester hours are the minimum number of hours required for full-time undergraduate enrollment.
2.5. Twenty (20) semester hours are the maximum number of hours allowed for full-time undergraduate enrollment. Exceptions of up to 23 semester hours may be granted by the student's dean.
Curriculum Structure and Credit Hours: Graduate Degree Programs
3.1a. Nine (9) semester hours are the minimum number of hours required for full-time graduate enrollment.
3.1b. Transfer of Credit from Other Institutions
A student must earn at least 24 semester 3.1c. Honor Points
Each grade of A earns one honor point per hour of course credit. Thus, a grade of A on a
course offering three semester 3.2a. Master of Arts in College Teaching
The program requires a minimum of 32 semester 3.2b. Master's Degree
Thesis Option
Majors and Minors Subjects: A student under the thesis option must earn a
minimum of 30 semester The course entitled "Research and Thesis" is number 699 in all departments. The
student must register for a minimum of four semester Non-Thesis Option
Information on special or professional master's degrees not requiring a thesis may
be found in this Bulletin. Students in these programs must pass a comprehensive examination just
as do students under the thesis option. The examination covers the major and minor and any
research and special project involved.
3.2c. Doctoral Degree
Residency Requirement: A significant part of the Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of
Education program is the residency year. This can be satisfied by the student's completing a
minimum of 18 semester Course Requirements: The Graduate School requires a minimum of 30 semester All doctoral students must complete a minimum of 10 semester 3.2d. Specialist in Education Degree
The Specialist in Education portion of the Graduate School Bulletin has been referred to
the College of Education Transition Committee for examination and return to the Graduate
Council for finalization.
3.2e. Doctor of Education Degree
The Doctor of Education portion of the Graduate School Bulletin has been referred to
the College of Education Transition Committee for examination and return to the Graduate
Council for finalization.
3.3. The use of 500-level courses in graduate semester curriculum has been defined by the Graduate Council as stated below.
"Because 500-level courses may be a part of every graduate student's approved Plan of Study, the Graduate Council must approve proposals for new 500-level courses. For this reason, one of the responsibilities of the Graduate Council in the course approval process is to assess a 500-level course in terms of its potential contribution to graduate education. In this regard, the Graduate Council applies the SACS standards for graduate study:
4.2. Evening classes (5:00 p.m. or later) may meet once, twice, three, or four times during a week.
4.3. The available class hours (given in terms of class starting times) are nominally from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
4.5. The time allowed between classes is 10 minutes for MWF sequencing and 15 minutes for TTH sequencing. The 10 minutes between classes on MWF allows classes to start on the hour and end 10 minutes before the hour. The 15 minutes between classes on TTH allows classes to either begin on the hour or on the half hour.
5.1. The academic year will have equal semesters (Fall and Spring) and may have shorter terms with approval. The fall and spring semesters will each have 75 class days and five (5) days for final exams.
5.2. The summer will have one full session and two equal but shorter terms that meet the needs of all students including K through 12 school teachers and other specific groups. Shorter terms will be allowed in the summer with approval.
5.3. Special summer terms for field experiences and practica that are required for a degree program may be offered with approval.
PROGRAM VIABILITY REQUIREMENTS
CURRICULUM STRUCTURE AND CREDIT HOURS
[35 quarter] hours, or half of the total hours
required for a master's degree, whichever is greater, at Auburn University. A program that
requires only 30 semester [45 quarter] hours of credit will be limited to 6 semester [10 quarter]
hours of transfer credit. No such limitation is applied to doctoral degrees.
[five quarter] hours of credit earns the student three [five] honor
points. A grade of B does not earn honor points. A grade of C costs the student an honor point
per hour, a grade of D costs two honor points per hour, and a grade of F costs three honor points
per hour. A deficiency of ten [sixteen] or more honor points in the student's overall academic
record, including undergraduate courses, will result in dismissal.
[48 quarter] credit hours. EDL 665 and
GS 600 are required courses. In addition, the student must complete a minimum of 27 semester
[40 quarter] hours in major and minor fields. Departments may require further course work of
students with academic deficiencies.
[45 quarter] hours, of which at least 21 semester [30 quarter] hours
must be in a major area of concentration.
[six quarter] credit hours of this course but
may register for as many hours as desired. No more than five semester [seven quarter] hours may
be counted toward the degree.
[30 quarter] hours of on-campus course work at the 500-level or above
during two consecutive semesters [three consecutive quarters] following classification as a
doctoral student (09 designation). At least nine of these 18 semester hours shall be in graded (e.g.,
A,B,C) course work. During this residency year, the doctoral student shall enroll for a minimum
of 9 hours each semester [10 hours each quarter], no fewer than three hours of which shall be in
graded (e.g., A,B,C) course work. [a minimum of five hours of which shall be in graded (e.g. A,
B, C) course work.]
[46
quarter] hours of graded (e.g. A, B, C) graduate course work (600-level and above) beyond the
bachelor's degree, at least 18 semester [30 quarter] hours of which must be completed [under 09
classification] at Auburn University. A doctoral student must also complete 30 semester [46
quarter] hours of additional course work (may include ungraded courses, 500-level courses, 699
and 799). However, some departments require more, and requirements may vary according to a
student's background and interests. A maximum of four semester [seven quarter] hours of 699
(Research and Thesis) from a completed master's program may be counted.
[15 quarter] hours of 799.
Enrollment in 799 may take place at any time the student and the advisory committee deem
appropriate. During any one semester [quarter], the number of hours of 799 in which the student
enrolls should reflect the amount of time being spent on the dissertation and the degree to which
university resources are being utilized. Students may enroll, during any one semester [quarter],
for as few as one semester hour or as many as 16 semester [15 quarter] hours of 799. The
requisite 10 semester [15 quarter] hours of 799 should be included in the plan of study. No grade
is assigned.
Graduate study must be at a level of complexity and specialization that extends the knowledge and intellectual maturity of the student. It must require graduate students to analyze, explore, question, reconsider, and synthesize old and new knowledge and skills."
SCHEDULING
4.1. Class days will be scheduled using either MWF or TTH sequences. This scheduling of class days is required for all courses that are 100 or 200 level courses, supporting courses, or courses in which more than 5% of the enrollment is outside of the college/school.
4.4. Class times are 50 min for three day sequencing and 75 min or 50/100 min for two day sequencing. Courses requiring class times of more than 50 minutes should be scheduled on TTH if they are 100 or 200 level courses, supporting courses or courses in which more than 5% of the enrollment is outside of the college/school. Laboratories may be scheduled for any day (M-F).
SEMESTER SESSIONS
STANDARDIZATION
6.1. Course numbering for similar types of courses (such as honors courses, undergraduate research, seminars, studios, internships and practica) will be standardized across disciplines and colleges/schools. (Recommendations for course numbering have been requested from the Registrars Transition Committee.)
6.2. The ratio of laboratory (practica, internship, studio) hours to semester credit hours will be standardized across disciplines. (Recommendations for establishing the ratio have been requested from the Academic Standards Committee.)
7.1. Viability Requirements (Alabama State Law). Excerpts from the State Law are given
below: