Regulations & Policies
Academic Affairs
Degree Progression |
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| Number: | 2.0920P |
Policy Status:
Major Revision Responsible Division/Department: Academic Affairs |
| Effective Date: | 08/22/16 | |
| Revised Date: | 07/30/24 | |
I. OBJECTIVE & PURPOSE
The University of North Florida (UNF) is committed to helping students achieve their academic goals in a timely and financially responsible manner. This policy is designed to assist with timely application for graduation, empower advisors to help students avoid adding courses to their degree plans that delay on-time graduation, ensure students are enrolled and succeeding in key courses, and encourage students to successfully persist in their chosen major or to be placed in a major where they will be successful.
This policy outlines minimum degree progression standards. Colleges and academic programs may have more exacting standards.
II. DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of this policy,
- “Attempted Coursework” refers to courses in which a student is officially registered and fee liable after the end of add/drop week. These courses will appear on the student transcript at the end of the term.
- “Co-curricular work” includes but is not limited to minors, double majors, concurrent degrees, certificates, Honors program, study abroad experiences, and/or experience-based learning (e.g., co-ops, internships).
- “Curriculum Change” includes but is not limited to changing a major or the addition of majors, minors, and concentrations as well as changes to catalog year.
- “Degree Applicable” refers to earned hours, either institutional or transfer, that count towards a student's degree program. This includes courses that meet major requirements, major electives, general education courses, prerequisite courses, and free elective courses.
- “Degree Plan” is an electronic document based on curriculum, advising, and program planning rules that allows individual students to track their academic progress toward degree completion. This document is updated at a minimum once every academic year to reflect a student’s academic progress as of a point in time.
- “Degree Progression” standards include, but are not limited to, requirements specified in this policy, college/major grade policies, course repeat/withdrawal policies, and/or requirements for admission into the major.
- “Double major” refers to simultaneously pursuing two different majors within a single baccalaureate degree to be completed at the same time.
- “Dual degree” refers to simultaneously pursuing two different baccalaureate degrees (e.g., BA and BS) to be completed at the same time.
- “Full-time student” refers to any undergraduate full-time student taking 12 credit hours or more each semester.
- “Non-required minor” refers to an organized undergraduate curriculum which leads to the completion of specific educational goals and is optionally added to the program of study of the primary major.
- “Part-time student” refers to any undergraduate students who takes 11 or fewer credit hours.
- “Primary major” refers to the main baccalaureate degree program in which a student is enrolled and seeking a degree. Any additional and simultaneously enrolled academic programs fall under and are secondary to the primary major.
- “Required minor” refers to an organized undergraduate curriculum which leads to the completion of specific educational goals and must be taken within the program of study of the primary major.
- “Semester” refers only to fall and spring terms as they relate to degree completion for full-time students.
- “Timely Graduation” refers to an undergraduate student being on track to graduate in four years, that is eight consecutive fall and spring terms.
- ”Unsuccessfully attempted course” refers to a course which a student must retake to be eligible to graduate in a program of study. This happens as a result of course withdrawals, course failures, and final assessments that do not meet minimum assessment requirements as identified in the course catalog for a specific course.
III. STATEMENT OF POLICY
A. Ensuring Timely Graduation
All students will be required to graduate at the end of the term in which their primary degree requirements are completed. If a student does not submit the Graduation Application by the application deadline as indicated in the Academic Calendar, the University may initiate the degree certification process without an application when academic records indicate all degree requirements for the declared major have been met.
Undergraduate full-time first time in college (FTFTIC) students are advised and expected to graduate from a 120-credit hour degree program in eight (8) consecutive fall and spring semesters. Though summer term is not part of the eight-semester count, students will be advised to enroll in summer as a means to stay on track for timely graduation. Students will work with their academic advisors to create a semester-by-semester degree plan within their first term of enrollment.
Florida College System AA transfer (FCS AA) students are advised and expected to graduate from a 120-credit hour degree program within four (4) consecutive fall and spring semesters. Though summer term is not part of the four-semester count, students will be advised to enroll in summer as a means to stay on track for timely graduation if necessary. Students will work with their academic advisor to create a semester-by-semester degree plan within their first term of enrollment.
Any curricular or co-curricular work added to a student's declared primary major must be completed prior to or during the same academic term that the student’s major requirements are completed. Students will be approved to pursue additional curricular or co-curricular work or change their catalog year only if it can be completed in eight semesters for FTFTIC students and four semesters for FCS AA transfer students, excluding summer terms, and without exceeding the excess credit hour surcharge threshold.
B. Declaration for Major and Curriculum Changes
Applicants must initially select their primary intended major on their application for admission. All native and transfer coursework for students in the Exploratory major will be considered degree applicable until they successfully complete 30 UNF credit hours. Exploratory students will be required to select a major by the beginning of the term after they have completed 30 credit hours. Advisors and students must follow the guidelines listed below regarding major changes.
UNF advisors will work closely with students who are not meeting degree progression expectations to help them find a new major that helps them achieve their academic goals in a timely manner. The University may disallow a student’s continued enrollment in a major if it is determined they are not meeting degree progression standards.
The final decision to allow a student to change from one declared major to a new major, rests with the college and academic department of the new major after advisor review of the student’s progress to degree as documented in the university degree audit system.
Students may not request curriculum changes including adding minors after successfully earning 90 degree-applicable credits. Exceptions may be granted in certain situations, subject to Dean and advisor approval.
Students who cannot be successful after two attempts of a pre-requisite or major required course taken as native UNF credit may not be eligible to declare, continue, or reenter that major.
C. Exceptions, Appeals and Administrative Actions
In the event the student would like to request an exception to any aspect of the above policy, a request must be submitted as a Student Petition of Academic Policy (SPAP) and should be submitted prior to the student’s undergraduate application for graduation.
Exceptions will not be granted for students wishing to extend enrollment to retake courses in which earned grades already meet the minimum graduation requirements, to complete additional coursework for admission to graduate programs, for the purpose of increasing federal aid eligibility, to extend their athletic eligibility, or to retain access to student resources. Exception requests for policy stated allowances must be approved by the Dean and Advisor.
UNF reserves the right to administratively assist students to persist and graduate in a timely manner using any or all student resources and exception allowances available.