Academic Policies and Procedures

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GRADUATION

Applying for Graduation

Students planning to graduate must apply for graduation through the UCDAccess student portal between the first day of registration and census for the term they intend to graduate. Students must contact their academic advisor to determine what requirements remain for graduation, as well as complete any paperwork required by their school/college. Students will not be officially certified to graduate until a final audit of the student’s record has been completed approximately six weeks after the end of the term. After students have been certified to graduate, they must reapply with the Office of Admissions in order to return to the Denver Campus.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Architecture and Planning

All students MUST meet with their advisor at the beginning of their final term for a graduation check-out appointment.  We recommend students schedule an appointment PRIOR to the add/drop deadline of their final term in case schedule adjustments need to be made to fulfill final degree requirements.  After meeting with their advisor, students should apply for graduation online through UCDAccess.

College of Arts & Media

Students are encouraged to meet with a CAM advisor the semester before they intend to graduate to review graduation procedures and degree requirements. Students who have not attended the University for one calendar year or more must gain readmission to the university prior to applying for graduation. It is the student’s responsibility to apply with enough time for the readmission process to be finalized by the census date.

Business School

A senior audit is completed on all students who have completed 90 or more semester hours. Students must file an undergraduate candidacy form and diploma card and request a graduation evaluation prior to registering for their final semester. Failure to do so will delay graduation. Also, students desiring to change their area of emphasis after filing for graduation must have the change approved by the graduation coordinator prior to registering for their final semester. Changes after that time will delay graduation.

Students must complete the online intent to graduate form on the registrar’s website (www.ucdenver.edu/registrar) when they register for their last semester. Contact the graduate advising office to confirm receipt at grad.advising@ucdenver.edu.

College Of Engineering and Applied Science

Simultaneous Conferring of Degrees

For any double degree, both bachelor’s degrees must be conferred at the same commencement.

Four-Year Graduation Guarantee

The University of Colorado Denver has adopted a set of guidelines to define the conditions under which an undergraduate student will be guaranteed to graduate in four years. More information is available through the undergraduate advising offices for each college and the major program offices. The Denver Campus has five undergraduate colleges in which this guarantee applies: College of Arts & Media, Business School, College of Engineering and Applied Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and School of Public Affairs.

CU Denver guarantees that if a student begins studies in a fall semester and lack of scheduling of essential courses is found to have prevented a student from completing all course work necessary for a BA, BFA or BS degree from the university by the end of the student’s eighth consecutive fall and spring semester, the college/school shall provide tuition plus any course fees for all courses required for completion of the degree requirements. This applies only when needed courses are not offered by the college/school and does not apply to scheduling conflicts for individual students. Students must satisfy all the requirements described below to be eligible for this guarantee.

This guarantee applies to all students who enroll beginning in a fall term as first-semester, full-time freshmen without admission deficiencies, who do not need remedial course work and who satisfy all the requirements described below. This guarantee does not include completion of all options within the major, a second major, a double degree, a minor or a certificate program. The four-year graduation guarantee does not apply to programs in which the degree has been discontinued or is in the process of being phased out. In these cases, every effort will be made to allow students to fulfill requirements by taking courses at other universities and colleges to facilitate timely completion of the degree.

Some study abroad programs may not provide a sufficient range of courses to allow students to meet the requirements, thus, students who participate in study abroad programs during the fall or spring semesters may not be eligible for this guarantee. A student may be able to participate in a study abroad program during the summer semester and still meet all the requirements of this guarantee. It is essential that a student work closely with an advisor to determine if the student can participate in a study abroad program and still meet all the requirements of this guarantee.

Requirements

Students must satisfy all of the following requirements to be eligible for this guarantee.

1. Students must begin studies in a fall semester and enroll in CU Denver course work as specified on the student plan of study for eight consecutive fall and spring semesters.
2. Students must complete all required course work by the end of the eighth semester.
3. No fewer than 60 semester hours of applicable course work must be completed successfully by the end of the second year (24 calendar months); 90 semester hours by the end of the third year (36 calendar months); and 120 semester hours by the end of the fourth year (48 calendar months). Students must successfully complete an average of 15 semester hours each semester.
4. Students must meet with their college advisor and their major advisor for academic advising during the first, third, fifth and seventh semesters of study.
5. The major must be declared no later than the end of the first semester of study and students must not change their major or any options within the major.
6. A required plan of study toward the major must be agreed upon and signed by the student and advisor at the end of the first semester. Thereafter students must make satisfactory progress toward completing the major, as defined by each major, and the general education requirements. Courses with certain grades may not meet the satisfactory progress requirement of this guarantee. A statement of what constitutes satisfactory progress and what grades are acceptable is available from the major or departmental office at the time the major is declared.
7. A minimum of 30 semester hours of college general education courses should be completed by the end of the second year, including core curriculum courses that also meet major requirements and foreign language proficiency.
8. All lower-division graduation requirements must be successfully completed by the 90-semester-hour mark.
9. Students must remain in good academic standing according to their school/college academic policies.
10. Grades of C-, C or C+, as defined by the college/school, must be earned in all course work required for the major, and students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all major course work attempted.
11. Students must register each semester within one week of the student’s specified eligibility to register.
12. Students must take courses that are specified in the student plan of study approved by their advisor.
13. Elective courses must be avoided if they conflict with required major or general education courses. Elective courses must not be given a higher priority than required courses.
14. Students must meet all departmental, school or college and university policies regarding graduation requirements.
15. The college/school must be notified in writing of the student’s intent to graduate no later than the beginning of the seventh semester of study. A graduation application must be filed no later than the deadline for the appropriate graduation date. The student must complete a graduation checkout/senior audit with their advisor.

The student is responsible for and must keep documentation proving that these requirements were satisfied (e.g., records of advising meetings attended, advising records and instructions, etc.).

General Graduation Requirements

To receive a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Denver, students must satisfy all of the requirements below, in addition to completing a Major  and fulfilling all of their School or College requirements  .

Please note that the requirements below are basic university requirements. Consult your School/College and Major to determine whether they have put additional requirements in place that further restrict these categories.

• A minimum of 120 credit hours is required to graduate from CU Denver with a bachelor’s level degree
• A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA is required for all University of Colorado coursework
• A maximum of 60 credit hours of transfer courses from a two year institution may be applied
• A maximum of 90 credit hours of transfer courses from a four year institution, or a combination of two year and four year institutions may be applied

Though students may take any course more than once, credit toward graduation is counted only once for a typical course, unless otherwise noted in the course description. Some types of courses (e.g. Internships, Independent Studies, etc.) may be repeatable for applicable credit within a certain range of total semester hours. See course descriptions for the max semester hours applicable from each course.

Petitioning for Exceptions to Standing Academic Policy

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

Students are required to complete the CAM General Course Requirements that were in effect when they began as a degree-seeking student at CU Denver, and major requirements as outlined when they declared their degree, major and emphasis and were admitted to the program. If a program revises its curriculum, students have the option of following their original degree requirements or the revised curriculum. Courses under the original requirements may no longer be taught or may not be available for a set duration. In this case, the department will approve course substitutions.

Course substitutions in the major or minor must be approved by the designated area head in the specific program area, the department chair and/or possibly the associate dean. Course substitutions in the CAM Core requirements must be approved by the university Core Curriculum Oversight Committee through a petition process. Please contact CAMadvising@ucdenver.edu for additional information.

The CAM Academic Policies Committee is the appellate committee for all student-related academic petitions, issues and appeals. The committee is responsible for the evaluation and interpretation of the approved academic policies of the college. Questions about interpretation of policies may be directed to the Office of Advising and Student Services. Procedures and petition guidelines are available at the CAM Web site or by emailing CAMadvising@ucdenver.edu.

Business School

 Students should contact a staff advisor in the Business School’s programs office (undergraduates call 303-315-8100) for appeal and petition procedures pertaining to rules and regulations of the school.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The CLAS Academic Standards Committee is responsible for the administration of the academic policies of the college as established by the faculty. This committee constitutes the bridge between the faculty in its legislative capacity and the students upon whom the legislation comes to bear. The committee is empowered to grant waivers of exemptions from and exceptions to the academic policies of the college. Students wishing to submit a petition to the committee should meet with an advisor in the CLAS Academic Advising Office first to discuss the petition. The Graduate Council reviews grievances related to procedural issues for graduate students that cannot be resolved at the college level.

Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may appeal a grade. Every attempt is made to resolve grade disputes at the department level. However, unresolved grade issues may be appealed to the CLAS Academic Standards Committee and initiated through the CLAS Academic Advising Office, North Classroom, 4002, 303-556-2555. Details of the grade appeal policies are available in the CLAS Academic Advising Office.

Selection of Catalog for Degree Requirements

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

Students who switch majors (e.g., BS in music to BA in theatre, film and television) are required to complete the major curriculum in place when they declare their new degree or major. Students who switch degrees within the same major (e.g., BFA in fine arts to BA in fine arts) will be required to complete the degree curriculum that is in place when they declare their new degree. Students who switch emphases within a degree and major will be required to complete the emphasis curriculum that is in place when they are accepted into the new emphasis.

Due to the dynamic nature of the CAM programs, returning students who have not attended in more than five years must complete their programs based on the current curriculum and policies.