Graduation Requirements (prior to 2013-14 academic year)

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Last Updated: Apr 24, 2026, 12:19 PM

[The following graduation requirements for Southern Illinois University Carbondale were approved on July 6, 1984, with amendments on February 16, 2000, in accordance with provisions set forth in SIU Board of Trustees 1 Policies E.2.]

A. Undergraduate

  1. Baccalaureate Degrees
    1. Must complete at least 120 semester hours of credit, which can include credit for work experience, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement Program (AP), military credit, and proficiency examination credit, with at least 60 semester hours (or equivalent number of quarter hours) earned at or awarded through proficiency examination from an accredited senior-level institution;
    2. Meet the requirements of the academic unit, the major, and, when appropriate, the minor;
    3. Achieve at least a C average for all work taken at SIUC, and at least a C average for all major work taken at SIUC, with the exceptions granted by the forgiveness policy and the repeated grade policy.
      1. Students who do not meet the overall C average requirement may be graduated if he or she satisfies either of the following methods of computing their average:
        1. by excluding from calculation of the grade point average a maximum of ten semester hours of D or F grade earned outside the major which was taken prior to the last 60 semester hours of completed work at the university; or
        2. by earning a grade point average of 2.10 or higher for the last 60 semester hours of work completed at the university.
      2. The repeat grade policy allows for only the last grade of a subsequently repeated course to be counted in the grade point average as approved by the chancellor, effective with courses taken Summer 1996 and beyond.
    4. Complete the last 30 semester hours or a total of 90 semester hours, in residence at SIUC. Residence credit is awarded for those courses for which the student has registered and earned a satisfactory grade at SIUC. Students enrolled in programs offered for the military will have completed the residence requirement for the university upon completion of all courses required by the program;
    5. Satisfactorily complete the university core curriculum requirements.
  2. Associate Degree
    1. Complete a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit with at least a C average;
    2. Complete the course requirements of the specific major.
    3. Complete the residency requirement by completing a minimum of 15 semester hours of technical courses within a major for the associate of Applied Science degree at SIUC.
  3. Dual Degree 
    A student may earn two different degrees at the same time by completing requirements for each degree and a total of at least 150 semester hours. 
    If a student chooses to graduate with a single bachelor's degree after completing more than one-half of the requirements for the second degree,
    1. the student will be granted seven years beyond the date of initial graduation to complete requirements for the second degree;
    2. the student will be responsible to monitor the passage of time and complete all degree requirements by the official deadline.
  4. Second Bachelor's Degree 
    A student may earn a second bachelor's degree upon completion of the following:
    1. a minimum of 30 hours beyond the requirement for a first bachelor's degree, making a total of 150 hours minimum;
    2. fulfillment of the requirements of the department and college for the second bachelor's degree;
    3. the university core curriculum requirements if the department or college requires;
    4. if a student's first bachelor's degree is from another university, 30 hours in residence is required to fulfill the requirements for the second bachelor's degree. If the first bachelor's degree was earned at SIUC, a minimum of 10 semester hours of the 30 required must be taken in residence at SIUC.

B. Graduate

  1. Master's Degree Requirements
    1. A minimum grade point average of 3.00;
    2. A minimum of 21 semester hours of graduate course work graded A, B, or C in courses graded A through F;
    3. Completion of a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit. Faculty of a degree program may establish additional hourly requirements beyond the graduate school's minimum;
    4. A minimum of 15 semester hours in courses numbered 500 or above which must be completed at SIUC;
    5. A minimum of 9 semester hours completed at SIUC after admission to the degree program;
    6. A minimum of 9 semester hours completed in courses taught on the Carbondale campus or in an approved residency center;
    7. Courses to be applied to the degree must have been taken within a 6 year period prior to the conferring of the degree;
    8. Transfer credit taken at another institution or as an unclassified student must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School and the department;
    9. Thesis, research paper, comprehensive examination, or other requirement will be determined by the program, as approved by the Graduate School.
    10. Registration in Continuing Enrollment--601, as required.
  2. Doctoral Degree Requirements
    1. A minimum grade point average of 3.00;
    2. Satisfactory completion of any specific courses required by the degree program;
    3. Fulfillment of the residency requirement;
    4. Satisfactory completion of the research tool required by the faculty of the degree program;
    5. Confirmation by department that all requirements have been met;
    6. Satisfactory completion of the preliminary examination;
    7. Admission to candidacy;
    8. Registration in Continuing Enrollment--601, as required;
    9. Completion of an approved dissertation with 24 semester hours of dissertation credit;
    10. Satisfactory oral defense of dissertation;
    11. Degree conferred not less than 6 months nor more than 5 years after admission to candidacy;
    12. Fulfillment of required procedures, including payment of fees, 2 approved copies of the dissertation, and submission of forms as these procedures are prescribed in the Graduate Catalog.

C. Professional Degree Requirements

  1. Juris Doctor Degree
    1. Fulfillment of residency of 6 semesters, last 2 in SIUC School of Law;
    2. Satisfactory completion of a total of 90 semester hours of credit;
    3. Satisfactory completion of all required courses as prescribed, from time to time, by the School of Law faculty.
  2. Doctor of Medicine Degree
    1. Satisfactory completion of the curriculum.