Mesa State College offers baccalaureate degrees in the traditional liberal arts and sciences disciplines, professional
fields of study, and interdisciplinary fields. Candidates for baccalaureate degrees must accomplish or be governed by, as appropriate, the following:

Credit Hour Requirements

In general, 120 semester credit hours are required for
completion of each baccalaureate degree program. The
distribution of the 120 credit hour requirement is:

General Education:

31 semester credit hours

Applied Studies Requirement:

3 semester credit hours

Wellness Requirement:

3 semester credit hours

Major Requirements:

42-78 semester credit hours*

Degree Distinction

6 semester credit hours

Unrestricted Electives: (excludes Kinesiology activity courses)

0-36 semester credit hours

*Some professional programs may exceed 60 hours.

Note that the same course may not be counted to satisfy more than one category within a degree. Students should work closely with their faculty advisors and obtain a program sheet from that faculty advisor or the department head at the time they begin their baccalaureate degree program at Mesa State College. The student is ultimately and solely responsible for knowing the requirements for a particular degree and for fulfilling those
requirements.

The program sheet lists all requirements for the degree program for the catalog under which the student is working. It is to be kept up-to-date by the student and advisor as the student progresses in meeting requirements. The specific number of semester hours that must be earned in courses numbered 300 or higher are indicated on the program sheet. A cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher for all courses taken and for the courses which comprise the area of the major field of study must be achieved. See a faculty advisor for a program sheet listing specific requirements for the degree and major sought.

Upper-Division Requirements

Students seeking a baccalaureate degree must earn a minimum number of upper-division semester credit hours
(numbered between 300 and 499), depending on the degree and major. A minimum of 40 semester credit hours is required for all Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Business Administration degrees. Students seeking a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Bachelor of Applied Science should refer to their program sheet for the minimum upper-division credit hour requirement.

Academic Residency for Baccalaureate Degrees

To receive a baccalaureate degree from Mesa State College, students must complete a minimum of 28 semester hours of credit in no fewer than two semesters of study at Mesa State College with at least 15 semester hours in major discipline courses numbered 300 or higher.

Degree Distinctions

The six semester credit hour degree distinction for the B.A. and B.F.A. degrees and the B.S., B.S.N., B.B.A., and B.A.S. degrees are a part of each major's program requirements and must be outside the general education requirements. Students must earn a grade of "C" or higher in each degree distinction course.

Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts Distinction

Candidates for the B.A. or the B.F.A degree shall complete six sequential semester hours of one classical or modern foreign language with a grade of "C" or higher. At the discretion of the foreign language faculty and with the approval of the Department Head, the requirement may be satisfied by
demonstration of equivalent competency. Students with two or more years of high school coursework in a foreign language may (1) see the Department Head for placement in a higher level class; (2) receive credit by successful completion of a CLEP test in that language; or (3) pursue another language.

Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Business Administration Distinction

Candidates for the B.S. and B.B.A degrees shall complete at least six semester hours of the following: one additional course chosen from either the Humanities or Social and Behavioral Sciences general education categories and one additional course chosen from any computer science (CSCI) , any statistics (STAT) or another college mathematics (MATH) course considered higher level than college algebra (MATH 113). The candidate must complete each of these courses with a grade of "C" or higher. At the discretion of the mathematics and computer science faculty, the requirement may be satisfied by a demonstration of equivalent competency. The above requirements are separate from and in addition to the General Education requirements (i.e., the same course cannot be used for general education, degree distinction and/or other major requirements).

Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Applied Science Distinction

Candidates for the B.S.N. or B.A.S. degree should refer to their specific major's program sheet to determine their requirements for degree distinction.

Requirements for a Baccalaureate Degree