Graduation

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BACHELOR’S DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Since receiving its statewide liberal arts and sciences mission in 1985, Truman’s faculty, staff, and students have been studying and deliberating the meaning of a quality liberal arts and sciences education as they seek continuous improvement in their programs. These conversations culminated in a new liberal studies curriculum in 1998 that heavily utilized the recommendations of the University’s Liberal Arts and Sciences Task Force and the national publications of Phi Beta Kappa for evaluating essential characteristics of a liberal education. The University’s Liberal Arts and Sciences Task Force identified two important models of the liberal arts tradition and recommended that Truman’s curriculum embrace them both as necessary and interdependent learning paths for the whole, liberally educated person. The artes liberales model emphasizes social virtues, community and good citizenship through the study of established knowledge and norms while the liberal free model emphasizes individual freedom through independent intellectual exploration and development of critical and integrative thinking skills.

From Phi Beta Kappa, the University’s Liberal Studies Program (LSP) adopted the following standards to help clarify the characteristics of liberal arts courses and sciences and a liberal education:

1. “In acquiring a liberal education, the undergraduate will study primarily subjects which illuminate the human condition, subjects which explore aspects of taste and feeling, of the reasoning process, of the physical and moral worlds, of individual and group responsibility, of the meaning of life as a whole;”
2. that “a liberal education is not primarily vocational;”
3. that “a liberal education seeks to quicken the mind and spirit by encouraging the full development of human capacities;” and
4. that “it is true that often a liberal education may have a definitive market value and may in that sense be considered vocational. It is true also that vocational programs sometimes contain liberal content. Nevertheless, the main lines of cleavage can, in practice, be seen. It is not difficult to distinguish between broad cultivation and technical competence.” (Phi Beta Kappa: The Founding of New Chapters, 1985, pp. 3-4)

To accomplish these objectives, Truman State University created a Liberal Studies Program that consists of three areas: (a) essential skills needed for life-long learning; (b) breadth across the traditional liberal arts and sciences and their modes of inquiry; and (c) interconnecting perspectives that stress interdisciplinary thinking and multiple cultural perspectives regardless of a student’s academic major. Students are also encouraged to supplement these requirements by taking advantage of some of the other opportunities the University offers such as: academic minors, General Honors, undergraduate research, study abroad, internships, service learning, and numerous academic organizations.

A graduation application is required for a student to be eligible for graduation and to be included in the commencement ceremony at the end of each semester. An undergraduate student may file an application for graduation any time between the completion of 90 credit hours and the graduation application deadline for the semester in which he or she wants to graduate. Application deadlines are posted each semester on the Registrar’s website.

All problems cited by the Registrar after review of the graduation application must be resolved within the time period specified, or the student will be removed from the graduation list.

Students having questions concerning graduation requirements should consult this catalog and speak with their academic advisor. In addition to the items stated above, candidates should also take note of the following:

1. Off-campus and correspondence courses taken during the final semester must be cleared with the advisor, the Department Chair, the Provost, and the Registrar.
2. All courses substituted or waived must be submitted through the Registrar’s Office using the Substitution Form. To be used in degree requirements, a substitution or waiver must be approved by the Department Chair and Provost’s Office.

All graduating students will have successfully completed a minimum of 63 hours of liberal arts and sciences coursework of which 34-58 hours will be derived from Liberal Studies Program offerings, and a major program of study that reinforces liberal studies objectives and culminates in a capstone experience. Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degrees will have demonstrated intermediate proficiency in one foreign language, and all candidates for the Bachelor of Science degrees will have an elementary proficiency in one foreign language. Additionally, BS graduates will have at least six hours of quantitative coursework.

MULTIPLE BACCALAUREATE DEGREES

The University confers five types of baccalaureate degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Students may earn only one of each type of baccalaureate degree. For example, a student may earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree, but not two Bachelor of Arts degrees. A student may still, however, earn a single degree with multiple majors, such as a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in English and French.

Students may receive more than one degree from the University only when the following requirements are met:

1. To earn more than one degree, students must complete at least twelve hours in addition to those required by the degree with the highest cumulative hour requirement.
2. Students may not earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in the same major.

POST-BACCALAUREATE MAJORS AND ADDITIONAL DEGREES

A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree and wishes to pursue further undergraduate work may complete a post-baccalaureate major and have it noted on the transcript with the date of completion, or earn a second degree if it is different from the first degree (for example, earn a Bachelor of Science degree if the first degree earned was a Bachelor of Arts).

When a person returns to the University to pursue an additional major or degree after stopping out, he or she must file for admission through the Admission Office. The student is required to earn an additional 12 hours in residence after the first degree, and complete all requirements for the post-baccalaureate major or degree, including all Liberal Studies Program, Required Support, and BA/BS requirements.

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES

Commencement exercises are held at the end of the fall and spring semesters. To participate in the commencement ceremony, students must have an approved graduation application on file in the Registrar’s Office, and must have been cleared to graduate pending the satisfactory completion of final degree requirements.

May and December degree candidates should be present for commencement except under unusual circumstances, and should usually participate in commencement at the end of the semester during which they complete their degree. May and December degree candidates may petition to participate in a later commencement ceremony by filing a petition through the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. May and December degree candidates may not participate in the commencement ceremony in a semester earlier than their semester of graduation.

August degree candidates should participate in the December commencement in the calendar year they complete their degree or the following May’s commencement. August degree candidates must notify the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Office of the commencement exercise in which they wish to participate.

The Bachelor’s degrees granted by Truman State University are:

BA		Bachelor of Arts
BFA		Bachelor of Fine Arts
BM		Bachelor of Music
BS		Bachelor of Science
BSN		Bachelor of Science in Nursing

For information about specific graduate degree requirements see the masters programs in the Academic Programs section of this catalog, or see the Graduate Studies section for general graduate information.

“Major” refers to the primary area of specialization for which recognition is given by the conferring of a degree. Course requirements of the major are given in each major’s description in the Academic Programs section of this catalog.

“Area of Concentration” or “Pattern” refers to additional coursework in the major which allows a student to explore an area of interest in greater depth.

“Minors” provide contrasting and parallel study to the major. Serving to complement the major and help students further expand and integrate knowledge, academic minors are offered in a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary subjects. Students who choose to pursue minors should seek advice from faculty members in their minor disciplines as well as from their advisors in their major program(s).

UNDERGRADUATE AREAS OF STUDY:

MAJORS OFFERED (BY SCHOOL)

Any student may apply “pre-law,” “pre-medicine,” “pre-Master of Arts in Education,” “pre-dental,” “pre-occupational therapy,” “pre-medical technology,” “pre-pharmacy,” “pre-physical therapy,” “pre-physician’s assistant,” or “pre-veterinary” to almost any major. Students should consult their advisors as soon as possible when choosing one of these designations.

SCHOOL OF ARTS & LETTERS

Art (BA)
Art (BFA) with concentrations in:
        Studio Art
        Visual Communications
Art History (BA)
Classics (BA)
English (BA) with concentrations in:
        American Literature
        British Literature
        Writing
        Criticism
        Linguistics
        World Literature
French (BA)
German (BA)
Linguistics (BS)
Music (BA) with concentrations in:
        General Concentration with Emphasis Groups
        Liberal Arts
Music: Performance (BM)
Romance Language (BA)
Russian (BA)
Spanish (BA)
Theatre (BA)

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Accounting (BS)
Business Administration (BA/BS) with concentrations in:
        Finance
        International Business
        Management
        Marketing

SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES & EDUCATION

Athletic Training (BS)
Communication Disorders (BA/BS)
Exercise Science (BS) with specializations in:
        Pre-medical Sciences
        Applied/Clinical
        Physical Education/Health
Health Science (BS) with patterns in:
        Community, Worksite, and Public Health
        Health Administration
        Individualized
        Pre-Medical Sciences
        Pre-Occupational Therapy
Nursing (BSN)

SCHOOL OF SCIENCES & MATHEMATICS

Agricultural Science (BS)
Biology (BA/BS)
Chemistry (BS)
Computer Science (BS)
Mathematics (BA/BS)
Physics (BA/BS)
Psychology (BA/BS)

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL & CULTURAL STUDIES

Communication (BA) with concentrations in:
        Communication Studies
        Journalism
        Public Communication
Economics (BA/BS)
History (BA/BS)
Justice Systems (BS)
Philosophy & Religion (BA)
Political Science (BA/BS)
Sociology/Anthropology (BA/BS)

INTERDISCIPLINARY

Interdisciplinary Studies (BA/BS)

OTHER

Undeclared

MINORS OFFERED (BY SCHOOL)

A minimum grade point average of 2.0 is required for all coursework within each Academic Minor Program. A minimum of nine credit hours of the coursework for Academic Minor Programs must be taken through Truman unless the discipline specifies a greater number of hours at Truman. A student cannot pursue a minor and a major in the same area.

SCHOOL OF ARTS & LETTERS

Art History
Art Studio
English
French
French Minor in Translation
German
Greek
Jazz Studies
Latin
Linguistics
Music
Russian Studies
Spanish
Spanish Minor for the Professions
Theatre

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Business Administration

SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES & EDUCATION

Health Studies

SCHOOL OF SCIENCES & MATHEMATICS

Actuarial Science
Agricultural Business
Agricultural Studies
Biology
Chemistry
Computer Science
Equine Studies
Mathematics
Physics
Psychology
Statistical Methods
Statistics

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL & CULTURAL STUDIES

Anthropology
Communication
Economics
Geography
History
Justice Systems
Military Science
Philosophy & Religion
Political Science
Public Administration
Sociology

INTERDISCIPLINARY

African/African-American Studies
Asian Studies
Classical Studies
Cognitive Science
Environmental Studies
Folklore
Forensic Science
International Studies
Italian Studies
Mathematical Biology
Medieval Studies
Women’s and Gender Studies

1. Grade Point Average Requirements
2. Total Credit Hour Requirement
3. Course Level Requirement
4. Residence Credit Requirement
5. Truman Week Requirement
6. Liberal Studies Program Requirement
   
7. Writing-Enhanced Course Requirements
   
8. Liberal Arts and Sciences Course Requirements
   
9. Missouri Statute 170.011 Requirement
   
10. Requirements for Specific Bachelor Degrees
    
11. Major Component Requirement
    
12. Assessment Requirements
    
13. Clearance Materials

Grade Point Average Requirements
A 2.0 minimum cumulative grade point average (unless a higher requirement is specified in the Academic Programs section of this catalog), a 2.0 minimum cumulative grade point average in all coursework completed at Truman State University, and a 2.0 minimum major grade point average (unless a higher requirement is specified) are required to graduate from Truman State University.

Total Credit Hour Requirement
Students must complete and pass a minimum of 124 total credit hours to earn a Bachelor’s degree at Truman State University.

Course Level Requirement
Students must complete and pass at least 40 semester hours in 300-, 400-, and 500-level courses in order to meet graduation requirements for all baccalaureate degrees.

Residence Credit Requirement
The minimum residence credit required for a Bachelor’s degree is 45 semester hours, 28 of which must immediately precede completion of requirements for the degree. At least 15 of the 45 hours must be for courses which count toward the student’s major requirement. A student’s program of study must include 2 semesters of not less than 9 hours of work in each semester. These requirements may be waived only with approval of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Students are advised that an official transcript for coursework completed from another college or university must be received by the Truman Registrar’s Office prior to the first day of classes of the last 28 semester hours immediately preceding completion of degree requirements, or an approved waiver of the residency requirement will be required.

Truman Week Requirement
The primary purpose of Truman Week is to help first-year students in their personal and academic adjustment to university life and thus enhance their academic success. Included in the activities is a required interdisciplinary short-term course. The one-hour pass/fail course is an experience that applies interdisciplinary connections, employs various collegiate and intellectual skills, and uses knowledge-building resources of the University. While general guidelines are set for all sections, the approach, techniques, and specific content of the course may vary with each section.

Liberal Studies Program Requirement
Students must complete the requirements outlined for the Liberal Studies Program to total 34-58 credit hours.

Writing-Enhanced Course Requirements
All students must complete one Writing-Enhanced Junior Interdisciplinary Seminar (JINS) course and two additional Writing-Enhanced courses. (Preferably one Writing-Enhanced course should be completed in the major and one Writing-Enhanced course should be completed outside the major.) Selected courses may fulfill other requirements, including LSP Modes of Inquiry. Specific sections and specific instructors of Writing-Enhanced courses will be designated in each Open Course List.

Liberal Arts and Sciences Course Requirements
Each student must complete 63 credit hours of courses designated Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Missouri Statute 170.011 Requirement
All students receiving baccalaureate degrees must comply with the provisions of Missouri Statute 170.011. Students may meet the requirements of this law by taking one of the following courses at Truman:

HIST		201		U.S. History and Historiography, To 1877		3
HIST		298		American Institutional History		1
HIST		326		History of Missouri		3
HIST		424		National Development		3
POL		101		Constitutional Government		1
POL		161		American National Government		3
POL		262		American State and Local Government		3

Transfer students who have completed an American History course including the Constitutional Period and the Missouri Constitution at another Missouri institution may be certified for graduation. AP credit, CLEP credit, and transfer courses from institutions outside Missouri do not meet this requirement.

Transfer students who have completed an American History or American National Government course including the Constitutional Period outside the State of Missouri may qualify by taking one of the following courses:

HIST		298		American Institutional History		1
HIST		326		History of Missouri		3
POL		262		American State and Local Government		3

Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements

1. Liberal Studies Program. 34-58 semester hours.
2. Foreign Language. Intermediate proficiency (0-6 credit hours) in ONE foreign language must be earned in addition to the Liberal Studies Program requirements. For further information, please see the foreign language sections of Transferring In and Testing Out and Academic Policies and Procedures in this catalog as well as requirements of the desired degree major.
3. Major Subject. A major consists of no fewer than 30 semester hours. The sequence of courses for each major is found in the Academic Programs section of this catalog.
4. Electives to bring the total to a minimum of 124 semester hours.

Bachelor of Music Degree Requirements

1. Liberal Studies Program. 34-58 semester hours including MUSI 340 and MUSI 341.
2. Foreign Language. Intermediate proficiency (0-6 credit hours) in ONE foreign language must be earned in addition to the Liberal Studies Program requirements. For further information, please see the foreign language sections of Transferring In and Testing Out and Academic Policies and Procedures in this catalog as well as requirements of the desired degree major.
3. Major Subject. The Bachelor of Music (BM) degree constitutes the initial professional collegiate degree in music. Truman offers the BM performance concentration, a program of studies designed expressly for students who possess superior capabilities and demonstrate sustained, outstanding achievement in applied performance. Both a junior and a senior public recital are required. The course sequence for the performance concentration is listed under the Academic Programs offerings.
4. A total of 124 semester hours.

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree Requirements

1. Liberal Studies Program. 34-58 semester hours.
2. Foreign Language. Intermediate proficiency (0-6 credit hours) in ONE foreign language must be earned in addition to the Liberal Studies Program requirements. For further information, please see the foreign language sections of Transferring In and Testing Out and Academic Policies and Procedures in this catalog as well as requirements of the desired degree major.
3. Major Subject. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree represents the first professional degree step in the visual arts. The degree therefore has a heavy program of studio and art history classes, and will normally require an extra summer for completion. Course sequences are listed under the Academic Programs offerings.
4. A total of 129-131 semester hours.

Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements

1. Liberal Studies Program. 34-58 semester hours.
2. Additional required math and science-based courses, minimum 6 semester hours.
3. Major Subject. A major consists of no fewer than 30 semester hours. The sequence of courses for each major is found in the Academic Programs section of this catalog.
4. Electives to bring the total to a minimum of 124 hours.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Requirements

1. Liberal Studies Program. 34-58 semester hours.
2. Major subject. A major in Nursing consists of 50 semester hours. The sequence of courses for the program is listed in the Academic Programs section of this catalog.
3. Each student must complete 24 semester hours of discipline directed and BS degree Liberal Studies Program requirements. The requirements and sequencing of these courses are listed in the Nursing (BSN) degree description under Academic Programs.
4. Electives to bring the total to a minimum of 128 semester hours.

Major Component Requirement:
Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours in a Truman-designated major. Fifteen of those hours must be earned at Truman, unless a major specifies a higher minimum requirement.

Assessment Requirements:

1. Junior Tests: Each student with at least 75 cumulative credit hours is required to take the junior assessment test. Students must complete this requirement the semester they have earned 75 credit hours prior to registering for the next semester’s courses. Transfer students who enroll at Truman and have completed an associate’s degree are excused from the junior assessment exam by contacting the Assessment and Testing Office, VH 1130.
2. Portfolios: Undergraduate students are required to maintain a portfolio containing representative pieces of work from their in- and out-of-class experiences at Truman. The purpose of the portfolio is fourfold: (a) to provide students with a record of their academic growth and achievement; (b) to encourage self-reflection on what has been learned; (c) to give advisors useful information about what their advisees are learning; and, (d) to allow the University to ascertain what knowledge and skills are promoted by a variety of courses and University experiences across the curriculum.
3. Senior Tests: All students are required to complete a nationally-normed or licensing exam in their major or a designated alternate senior exam during the senior year and prior to graduation.
4. Graduating Student Questionnaire: As part of the graduation clearance process, students are required to complete an exit survey online during their final semester at Truman.

Clearance Materials
Each student must complete the clearance materials to be cleared for graduation. This includes the graduation fee, other outstanding fees, and the Graduating Student Questionnaire.