Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree:

To achieve a baccalaureate degree, the student must:

1. Successfully complete the General Education Requirements detailed in Section VII, including the senior seminar. ¹
2. Successfully complete one of the degree programs listed in detail in Section VIII, “Academic Program Requirements,” and attain a minimum GPA of 2.00 in his/her major area. A GPA of at least 2.65 both cumulative and in the major is required for graduation from a teacher education program. Other curricula may also require a cumulative GPA higher than 2.0 for acceptance to the major and/or graduation. Consult the catalog description for specific information.
3. Successfully complete a minimum of 12 semester hours in residence in courses applicable to the GPA in his/her major discipline.
4. Successfully complete at least 40 semester hours in upper division courses (3000-4000 numbered courses). ²
5. Earn a minimum of 42 semester hours in residence with a minimum of 32 in the junior and senior years, 12 of which must be in residence during the senior year. Cooperative degree candidates must complete 38 semester hours in residence.
6. Successfully complete at least 120 hours with a CGPA of 2.0 in all courses attempted.
7. Successfully complete two courses in a single foreign language. ³
8. Earn a “C” or better in English 1001G, English 1002G, and Speech Communication 1310G or in accepted substitutions.
9. Successfully complete the Electronic Writing Portfolio ⁴.
10. A transfer student must successfully complete a minimum of 56 semester hours applicable to a baccalaureate degree in senior institutions, with at least 42 semester hours earned at EIU. ⁵

¹ Because the terminal year is taken off-campus in cooperative programs, students completing cooperative degree programs, i.e., Engineering and Clinical Laboratory Science, will not be required to take a Senior Seminar or to submit the 4th writing sample for the Electronic Writing Portfolio.

² Courses from a community college or other two-year institution will not count in the 40 semester hours of upper-division credit.

³ Students entering as freshmen in Fall 1993 and thereafter must have completed two years in a single foreign language in high school with an average grade of C or better for the two years’ work in order to have previously satisfied this requirement.

⁴ The first essay/document will come from a writing-centered course in the General Education curriculum, ENG 1001G, ENG 1002G, ENG 1091G, or ENG 1092G (generally completed before the student has earned 30 hours); the second essay/document will come from a writing-intensive course at the 2000 or 3000 level or from an introductory, writing-intensive course in the major field (generally completed when the student has earned between 30 and 59 hours); the third essay/document will come from an upper-division, writing-intensive General Education course or from a 3000- or 4000- level writing-intensive course in the major (generally completed when the student has earned between 60 and 89 hours); the fourth essay/document will come from the Senior Seminar (generally completed after the student has earned 90 hours). Further information about the Electronic Writing Portfolio is available at www.eiu.edu/~assess.

Official course requirements for specific baccalaureate degrees are detailed in “Academic Programs” (see the navigation bar on the left side of your screen).