Academic Regulations Degrees

Degrees

• 10.0: Degrees. Academic units may impose stricter requirements than those listed in this section but may not waive the following minimum standards. Provided these minimum standards are satisfied, adjustments to any degree requirement may be made by the unit establishing that requirement.
• 10.1: Degrees offered. For completion of undergraduate plans of study of at least 60 credits, associate degrees may be conferred. For completion of undergraduate plans of study of at least 120 credits, bachelor's degrees may be conferred.
• 10.2: Requirements for degrees. Any student entering a degree, certificate, or pre-major program will be required to fulfill the requirements in the Bulletin current at the time of entry or re-entry to the university.

The primary reasons for a student to be required to meet the requirements of a subsequent bulletin include:

• Re-entry to Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) (after a one year period of non-enrollment)
• By request with the written acknowledgment of the academic advisor
• When required by accreditation, a department may require students to complete the curriculum defined by the most current bulletin

Any student who remains continuously enrolled or admitted to the university will be required to meet the requirements of the Bulletin of the term of entry or re-entry to the university unless the student chooses to change to a subsequent Bulletin with the written acknowledgement of the academic advisor.

Any student who is not continuously enrolled due to a period of deployment to serve in a branch of the armed services may meet the requirements of the Bulletin of the most recent entry or re-entry to the university.

In addition:

• Any new requirement for a degree, certificate, or pre-major program may not be applied to currently enrolled students in these programs if it would increase the number of semester hours or the number of semesters required for completion of the program.
• The school/division/department committee in charge of curriculum matters may refuse to accept as credit toward graduation any course which was completed 10 or more years previously.  Former students shall be notified of all such decisions upon reentering or when the credit is determined to be unacceptable.

To gain any associate or bachelor's degree from IPFW, the student shall satisfy the following requirements:

• 10.2.1: The completion by resident credit or transfer credit (see Section 1.2) of the plan of study underlying the degree, including:
• 10.2.1.1: For an associate degree, the registration in and completion of at least 32 credits of resident credit (see Section 1.2), including at least 15 credits of resident credit in courses applicable to the major as defined by each department in the catalog.
• 10.2.1.2: For a bachelor's degree, the registration in and completion of at least 32 credits of resident credit (see Section 1.2) at the 200 level or above, including at least 15 credits of resident credit at the 300 level or above in courses applicable to the major as defined by each department in the catalog.
• 10.2.2: Normally, the final 30 credits must be completed with resident credit (see Section 1.2). However, with the prior approval of their major department and their school/division/college, a student who has satisfied the resident credit requirement may complete the remaining requirements in another approved college or university.
• 10.2.3: Establishment of a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better.
• 10.2.4: Registration, either in residence or in absentia, as a candidate for the desired degree during the academic session immediately preceding its conferral.
• 10.3: Double majors and double degrees. A student who will be completing the requirements for two or more degree programs simultaneously may be eligible to be registered as a candidate for more than one degree according to the following criteria:
• 10.3.1: Double major. If the degree programs are in the same school and lead to the same degree, only one degree shall be awarded.  The academic record shall reflect multiple fields of study, as appropriate.
• 10.3.2: Double degree. If the degree programs are in different schools, two (or more) degrees may be awarded upon special request approved by the deans of the schools concerned and filed with the registrar at the beginning of the semester or session in which the degrees are to be awarded.  If the degree programs are in the same school and lead to different degrees, the appropriate degrees shall be awarded.
• 10.4: Graduation with distinction. A candidate for the bachelor's degree with distinction must have a minimum of 60 resident credits included in the computation of the cumulative GPA. A candidate for an associate degree with distinction must have a minimum of 35 resident credits included in the computation of the cumulative GPA. The required GPA, calculated each spring as outlined below, shall also apply to degrees for the following summer sessions and fall semester.
• 10.4.1: In each college, school or division, the minimum cumulative GPA for graduation with distinction from an associate or bachelor's- degree program shall be 3.80-3.94.
• 10.4.2: In each college, school or division, the minimum cumulative GPA for graduation with highest distinction from an associate or bachelor's-degree program shall be 3.95-4.00.
• 10.4.3: In each school or division, the requirements for graduation with distinction or with highest distinction from an associate-degree program shall be separately calculated as outlined above for bachelor's-degree programs.
• 10.5: Conferring of degrees. Degrees may be granted as of the close of each academic session. The names of the degree nominees will be presented by the Registrar to the appropriate board of trustees for approval.

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