Graduation Requirements

Staying Abreast of Changes

University graduation requirements (General Education, religion, and major) change with curriculum, program, and faculty changes. The university informs students of such modifications through its published curriculum materials (the general catalog and class schedules). Students who leave the university for an extended period of time should stay abreast of such changes through these documents.

Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

The baccalaureate degree is awarded for completion of a specified program of university study. It recognizes important changes in outlook, understanding, and proficiency that result from university experience. At BYU this program of study includes the university core, the discipline of a specific major, and each student’s choice of electives. In addition, a minimum of 30 semester credit hours in residence at BYU, a minimum total of 120 credit hours, and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 are required.

University Core Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree

See the University Core section of this catalog for complete information.

University Core: Religious Education

Religious Education administers and offers courses in ancient and modern scripture, Church history and doctrine, and related subjects. Religion courses---both Doctrinal Foundation and Religion Electives---are provided so that students may progress in their religious understanding and convictions simultaneously with their educational progress in secular fields. As such, religion courses are not meant to be a mere devotional supplement, but an integral part of the university curriculum that parallels university standards and expectations. As a result, no more than 4 hours of religion credit per semester may be counted toward the religion hours at BYU requirement. For this purpose, spring and summer terms combined equal a single semester.

BYU students are expected to complete 14 hours of religion courses at the BYU campus. All students must complete the Doctrinal Foundation requirement of the University Core as follows: Book of Mormon (Rel A 121/H and 122/H), New Testament (Rel A 211/H or 212/H, or a Jerusalem Center course: Rel A 111, 200, 310, or 311), and Doctrine and Covenants (Rel C 324/H or 325/H). In addition to the Doctrinal Foundation requirement, students must complete six elective hours of religion courses at the BYU campus.

Religion courses taken from LDS Institutes of Religion (including stake institute) or Church Educational System schools (BYU-Idaho or BYU-Hawaii) will not fulfill the “religion courses taken at BYU” requirement. Only religion hours taken at the BYU campus will fulfill this requirement. (The BYU campus also includes the Salt Lake Center and approved BYU Independent Studies courses.)

All returned missionaries taking the Book of Mormon (Rel A 121 or 122) must enroll in sections designated for returned missionaries.

Students who are not LDS are strongly encouraged to enroll in Rel C 100, Introduction to Mormonism, during their first semester in residence. Rel C 100 may be used to fill either the New Testament or Doctrine and Covenants requirement.

Transfer Credit

Students with transfer credit must fulfill the religion requirements according to the table below.

Total Hours Transferred to BYU	Minimum Religion Hours to Take at BYU	Doctrinal Foundation Courses Required for Graduation
0-14.9	14	Book of Mormon (Rel A 121 and 122), New Testament (Rel A 111 or 200 or 211 or 212 or 310 or 311), Doctrine and Covenants (Rel C 324 or 325).
15-29.9	12
30-44.9	10
45-59.9	8
60-74.9	6	Book of Mormon (121 and 122), Doctrine and Covenants (324 or 325)
75-89.9	4*
90 or more	2*	Book of Mormon (Rel A 121 and 122)
* More credits may be needed if the Doctrinal Foundation requirement has not been completed.

For more detailed information concerning religion requirements and to view the most accurate listing of religion courses, please refer to the undergraduate catalog or the current class schedule. You may also wish to visit http://religion.byu.edu at your convenience.

Major Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree

See specific major requirements in the Academic Departments/Schools/Areas, Degrees, and Courses section of the catalog.

Minimum University Requirements

Residency Requirement
At least 30 credit hours must be earned in residence on the BYU campus in Provo as an admitted day student to qualify for a baccalaureate degree.

Total Credit-Hour Requirement
A candidate for a baccalaureate degree must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours.

Grade Point Average Requirement
To graduate from BYU students must earn a minimum 2.0 cumulative BYU grade point average and a minimum 2.0 total cumulative grade point average. Students must also meet any stipulated minimum grade point average requirements in their major.

D Credit

Students may use a course in which they receive a D (“minimum passing”) to complete major, minor, religion, or general education requirements. Those receiving a D in a course will not be required to retake the course unless a higher minimum grade is stipulated in a degree program or course sequence description in the undergraduate or graduate catalog.

Courses taken at other colleges or universities with D grades will count toward the total hour requirement for graduation but will not fill BYU general education requirements—and in most instances will not fill major requirements.

Major Requirements

The curricular requirements of a specific major must be satisfactorily completed, including any additional departmental requirements related to the major. A minimum of 20 credit hours in the major must be completed in residence as an admitted day student, 10 of these on the BYU campus in Provo.

Double Major

A second major is rare and must be approved by the chair(s) of the department(s) involved and the dean of the college responsible for the primary major. The second major proposal and approval process requires an evaluation of all university core and major requirements and a time-to-graduation analysis. College advisement centers are prepared to assist interested students in this process. Courses used to satisfy the requirements of a student’s major can also be used to satisfy the requirements of an approved second major, unless such is not permitted by the requirements of the proposed second major. Only the primary major will be listed in the university commencement program.

Changes of Requirements

University graduation requirements are occasionally modified or changed. The university informs students of such modifications through its catalog (both published and online), online class schedules, and all advisement centers on campus. Students who leave the university for an extended period of time can be informed of such changes through these sources.

Policy on “Old” Graduation Requirements and Credit

Brigham Young University is committed to providing its students with an excellent university education consisting of a broad general education that includes religious education and a strong major education. Programs of the university change and develop in the continuing effort to make learning and experience as valuable as possible. Development, growth, and improvement are expected parts both of our lives and our institutions. It is because of the commitment to a superb education that the university’s programs develop and improve and that students are expected to meet the current standards of the university when they graduate, even though they may have begun their studies long ago under quite different expectations.

Students who complete a baccalaureate degree within eight academic years of enrollment at BYU qualify for graduation by meeting those religion, university, and general education requirements in effect when they initially enrolled, even though there may have been changes in general education and religion requirements since that time.

In addition, students who complete a baccalaureate degree within eight academic years of enrollment at BYU qualify for graduation by meeting those major education requirements in effect when they officially declared the major with which they plan to graduate even though such declaration was made at some point following their original enrollment. (A student officially declares a major one of two ways: [1] by indicating the choice of major on part 2 of the CES Admission and Scholarship Application or [2] by submitting a Change of Major Form to a college advisement center at a subsequent time.)

Students who have not graduated within eight years of their initial enrollment at BYU will be required to meet with the dean and department chair in the area in which they are majoring to determine graduation requirements and the use of credit previously earned. The Graduation Evaluation Office will evaluate credit for general education requirements. Where general education or major requirements have changed or where credit previously earned was in an area of substantial change, students may be required to do additional work to meet graduation requirements.

This means that credit earned more than eight years before admission or readmission (including transfer credit) will be accepted to meet general education or major graduation requirements at the discretion of the university.

Bachelor of General Studies

See the Bachelor of General Studies Program in the Division of Continuing Education section of this catalog.

Advisement

An important corollary of the university’s commitment to provide its students with an excellent university education is its commitment to help students find their way through their programs effectively and efficiently. Students whose educational experience has reached over many years and who find that changes in programs will require additional work and preparation should consult with department advisors for help in planning their schedules in the best and most encouraging way possible.

The university’s requirement that a student graduate under current or very recent standards is meant to benefit the student and is in no way established to deter a determined person from returning to the university after years away. Good advisement can be of great help in working out a program of study at the university, taking into account individual needs, concerns, and experience.

Students who return to the university after an extended absence should contact the Graduation Evaluation Office (B-150 ASB, [801] 422-4218) and confer with their college advisement center counselors and department advisors immediately upon returning to the university, both for advice and help concerning graduation requirements and for evaluation of their credit. In many instances it will prove possible to negotiate a schedule of classes that will allow the student to move toward a degree without lost effort.