Cum Laude is awarded on the basis of grade point average to
the top 5.1 to 10.0 percent of the baccalaureate candidates who
have earned a minimum 45 semester hours of credit at BYU.
Graduation Requirements
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, a minimum total of 120 credit
hours, and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 are required. The
degree granted (BA, BS, etc.) is determined by the primary major.
University Core Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree
See the University Core section of this catalog for complete
information.
Major Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree
See specific major requirements in the Academic Departments/Schools/Areas,
Degrees, and Courses section of this catalog.
Minimum University Requirements
Residency Requirement
At least 30 credit hours must be taken in residence at BYU as an
admitted day student to earn a baccalaureate degree. Within the
constraints of BYU’s religion requirement, a maximum of 10 credit
hours earned at Church institutes of religion may be applied
toward this 30-hour requirement. Attendance at the BYU
Jerusalem Center or the Nauvoo Center may also count toward
fulfilling the residency requirement.
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 BYU
grade point average and a minimum 2.0 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.
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 department
chair(s) and the dean(s) of the college(s) involved. 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 a minor or an approved second major, if such is
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 baccalaureate degrees
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
graduated 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. 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] 422-3641) 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.
