Academic Affairs

Understanding Graduation and Degree Requirements

The goal of every student entering Muskingum University is to graduate, and to move on towards a successful career and personally-satisfying future.

(NOTE: The following is an overview of general undergraduate graduation policies presented for the convenience of parents and others. Complete policies may be found by consulting the Muskingum University Undergraduate Catalog which is to be considered authoritative.)

In order to graduate from the university, students need to pay careful attention to requirements in each of the following areas:

  • Total Completed Overall Credits
  • Total Completed Upper-Level Course Credits
  • The Completion of Requirements in a Major
  • The Completion of the General Education (Gen Ed) Curriculum
  • Completion of the Residency Requirement, and
  • The meeting of Grade Point Average (GPA) requirements, both
    • Overall (All Courses), and in
    • Courses in the Major.

(Licensure is in addition to the undergraduate degree. For licensure information, kindly visit the website of the licensure discipline.)

The Completion of Overall Credits

To obtain a degree from Muskingum University, students must complete a minimum of 120 credits.

  • For the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 127 credits are required as of Fall, 2015.

Upper-Level Course Course Credits

A minimum of 40 credits, overall, must be earned in "Upper-Level" courses. Upper-level courses are courses that have a 300 or 400-level course number. For example, History 380 is an upper-level course.

The Completion of Requirements in the Major

Each student at Muskingum University is required to complete at least one departmental or inter-disciplinary major. All work completed with the student's declared (specified) major is counted towards the major. Each major offered at Muskingum University has its own specific requirements. In some cases, these requirements may push the total, overall, required completed credits above the 124 credit minimum noted above. For the specifics of any given major, you may locate the major in question following this link, and then click through to the department's website, or consult the online (pdf) catalog.

The Completion of the General Education (Gen Ed) Curriculum

The General Education Requirements (referred to as Gen Ed) at Muskingum University ensure the breadth inherent in a liberal arts education. A liberal arts education requires that we understand the foundations of knowledge and inquiry about nature, culture, self, and society; that we master core skills of perception, analysis, and expression; that we recognize the importance of historical and cultural contexts; and that we explore connections among formal learning, citizenship, and service to our communities. Students will take most of their Gen Ed requirements in their freshman and sophomore years, along
with some courses in their major, or other elective courses.

  • For complete information about Muskingum University's General Education requirements, kindly refer to the Gen Ed Page.

The Completion of the Residency Requirement

The word "residency" in this case refers to work completed at Muskingum University. They are, thus, completed "in residence." The last 31 credits counting towards graduation must be earned as a degree-seeking student at Muskingum University, or in approved off-campus study.

  • In order to receive credit for off-campus courses, the courses taken must be approved in advance.
  • To seek approval for such courses, students should contact the Registrar's office, or the Academic Affairs office.

Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements

  1. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for all work taken at Muskingum University, and (additionally)
  2. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for all courses in the major(s).
    • Where the option of pursuing a minor is taken, a minimum GPA of 2.0 is also required for the minor(s).

In the case of students pursuing multiple majors or minors in the same department, the GPA is calculated separately, but an overall GPA of 2.0 in the academic discipline must be maintained. For further details, the reader is kindly directed to the Muskingum University Undergraduate Catalog.

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