Credit Hour Requirements and Policies

Maximum and Minimum Credit Hours
Courses without Degree Credit
Duplication
Regression
P/N and S/F or S/U Credit in the Major
Credit or Exemptions Earned by Examination
(AP, IB, CLEP)
Transfer Credit
Undergraduate Use of Graduate Course Credit

Students who want to earn a degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must earn a minimum of 120 semester hours of credit. (Some students earning a BM degree may find that they need more than the minimum 120 semester hours to complete the requirements for that degree.)

Students who choose a major later or change majors may also need to earn additional semester hours. Some students may want to earn additional semester hours to complete a second major, a minor, or a certificate.

Each student's degree evaluation records the number of hours earned toward graduation. Students should note their progress by reviewing the degree evaluation frequently.

Maximum and Minimum Credit Hours

Maximum Hours Rules
Ordinarily, a maximum of 50 semester hours of credit from one academic department is accepted toward the minimum 120 semester hours needed for a BA, BS, or BLS degree (for exceptions, see below under Minimum Hours Rules).

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication, however, does not permit students to apply more than 40 semester hours from Journalism courses to a BA or BS degree.

Students earning a BM degree have no maximum hours restriction for semester hours from the School of Music.

For the BFA a maximum of 62 semester hours from the major department is accepted toward the minimum 120 semester hours needed.

The maximums above include both UI and transfer course work. If more than the maximum semester hours from one department is earned toward the degree, the student will not receive credit toward graduation for those hours. These hours will be used for all other purposes (GPA, registration, and so on).

A maximum of 60 semester hours of degree credit from two-year colleges is accepted in transfer toward meeting the 120 semester hours required for graduation. A student who has earned more than 60 semester hours of degree credit from two-year colleges cannot count the extra credit toward the total semester hours needed for graduation. However, the extra semester hours and grades are used in computing grade point averages and may be used to satisfy course requirements.

Ordinarily, a maximum of 16 semester hours of vocational-technical credit is accepted in transfer toward the 120 semester hours required for graduation.

The number of hours transferable by students with AS and AAS degrees from institutions that have established special articulation agreements with The University of Iowa may vary.

Departments may have different policies on the maximum number of semester hours of transfer credit that may be applied toward the requirements for a major. Information is available from each department.

Some students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences participate in the programs of Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC) and Military Science (Army ROTC). CLAS Students who enter these programs earn graduation credit from courses offered by these programs. A maximum of 20 semester hours of ROTC credit is accepted toward the minimum 120 semester hours required for graduation in the CLAS. Students in other UI colleges also may earn credit toward graduation from courses offered by Aerospace Studies and Military Science.

A maximum of 30 semester hours of credit by examination from all approved sources is accepted toward the 120 semester hours required for graduation. A maximum of 15 semester hours of credit by examination may be awarded in the major; however, each department decides how much credit by examination to accept.

A maximum of 30 semester hours of credit from all sources (UI and transfer) with a grade of P (pass) or S (satisfactory) is accepted toward the 120 semester hours required for graduation. A maximum of 15 semester hours of P and a maximum of 15 semester hours of S credit from The University of Iowa is accepted.

A maximum of 9 semester hours of credit from independent study is accepted toward the 120 semester hours required for graduation.  Practica, capstone courses, internships, Honors Thesis, and Honors Project hours are not included in the 9 s.h. limit. Students may request a waiver of this policy from the Associate Dean for Academic Programs; waivers will be granted only with support from the student's advisor

The second grade only option may be applied to a maximum of three courses.

Minimum Hours Rules
A student earning two majors or a major and a minor from a department that offers degrees in more than one subject area (for example, a student earning a BS in Physics and a BS in Astronomy from the department of Physics and Astronomy) may apply more than 50 semester hours from that department to the 120 semester hours needed for graduation, but must earn a minimum of 56 semester hours from course work taken outside of the major department.

A student seeking double majors in the teacher education programs must earn a minimum of 56 semester hours in courses taken outside the College of Education.

The rules on minimum semester hours apply to both UI and transfer course work.

Courses without Degree Credit

Courses 010:009, 22M:001, 22M:002, and 22M:003 carry no degree credit. Students who take these courses, or courses equivalent to them at another college or university, may not count semester hours from these courses toward the 120 semester hours required for graduation.

Although these courses carry no degree credit, grades awarded in them are used in computing grade point averages, and the hours count toward semester loads for all official purposes (e.g., full-time and half-time status, maximum schedule, minimum semester hour requirement, reasonable academic progress, dean's list eligibility, and so forth).

A student's degree evaluation gives the correct number of hours taken toward the 120 semester hours required for the degree by subtracting any hours from courses without degree credit. However, a student's permanent record (official transcript) includes these hours in "hours earned" even though they do not count toward the 120 semester hours required for graduation.

Duplication

Duplication is charged when a student takes a course more than once, and credit toward graduation is not earned for the repeated course. The following guidelines outline the policies of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Other colleges may have other policies.

Duplication Guidelines

1. Ordinarily, the course number, not the title, determines duplication. A department may change a course title but still consider the course as duplicating earlier versions. However, when a department drops a course and adds a new course that uses the same number, duplication is not charged. Questions about the status of a course should be directed to the department or to graduation analysis.
2. In evaluating duplication, all numbers of cross-listed courses are considered the same number.
3. At the time courses are transferred, the Office of Admissions determines if transfer course work duplicates work already completed. The Office of Admissions will also provide information on duplication before a student takes a course; contact the Office of Admissions for more information.
4. Duplication will be charged if a student takes a course which has been identified as equivalent to a course for which the student has transfer, AP, CLEP, or IB exam credit. Consult the Office of Admissions for transfer course equivalencies, or check the transfer course database in ISIS.
5. Duplication of courses taken at The University of Iowa is determined at the time of final graduation analysis, and any hours of duplication are deducted from the total hours earned toward graduation.
6. Although duplicated courses carry no degree credit, grades awarded in them are used in computing grade point averages, and the hours count toward semester loads for all official purposes. Grade reports and the permanent record include duplicated hours in "hours earned" even though these hours do not count toward graduation.
7. Departments sometimes identify a course as "repeatable;" that is, the course may be taken more than once with credit toward graduation awarded each time. If a course has not been marked as "repeatable" by the department offering the course, duplication will be charged.
8. Duplication is not charged when a student chooses to exercise the second-grade-only option.

Regression

Departments and programs sometimes identify courses as part of a particular learning sequence that require a progression from one course to the next.

Regression occurs when a student takes a course that is earlier in such a sequence after a later course in the sequence has already been taken and passed.

Regression is identified only at the time of final graduation analysis, and hours of regression do not count toward graduation. It is the student's responsibility to be aware of situations where regression might occur.

Other colleges may have other rules concerning regression. Questions should be addressed to the appropriate academic advisor, to the department in question, or to CLAS.

The following list shows current duplication and regression situations in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

1. Biology course sequences as determined by the Department of Biological Sciences (information is available at the department and at CLAS Academic Programs & Services).
2. Chemistry course sequences as determined by the Department of Chemistry (information is available at the department and at CLAS Academic Programs & Services).
3. Computer Science course sequences as determined by the Department of Computer Science (information is available at the department and at CLAS Academic Programs & Services).
4. All foreign language courses shown on ISIS as having prerequisites.
5. Mathematics course sequences as determined by the Department of Mathematics (information is available at the department web site and at CLAS Academic Programs & Services).
6. Elementary Psychology 031:001 after any other course from the psychology department.
7. Statistics courses as indicated on ISIS.
   

P/N and S/F or S/U in the Major

Students may not use the P/N grading option for any courses taken in the department of their major.

In special circumstances, a department or program may authorize a P/N grading option for a student in a course in the department if it will not be applied toward the requirements of the major. These P/N exceptions must be authorized by the major department or program in writing to Graduation Analysis, 1 Jessup Hall.

Courses required for the major in cognate or related areas may be taken as P/N only if the department offering the major has approved the P/N status for the requirement in question.

P/N grading option restrictions apply to both University of Iowa and transfer course work.

S (satisfactory) grades may be earned in the major.

For all restrictions and more information on P/N and S/F or S/U options, see the Grading section.

Credit or Exemptions Earned through Examination

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences permits students to use up to 30 semester hours of credit earned by examination toward graduation. Credit earned by examination may be applied toward completion of the General Education Program, toward a major, a certificate, or minor requirements (if the department permits), or used as elective hours.

The college awards credit by examination for Advanced Placement Program (AP), the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) as shown in the University's Credit by Examination tables.

The college also offers two incentive programs through which students may earn credit toward graduation: the Foreign Language Incentive Program (FLIP) and the Mathematics Incentive Program (MIP). The credit earned through these programs is counted as credit by examination. (For more information on FLIP and MIP, see Special Opportunities).

Students who enter the College without having completed the high school course requirements may complete those requirements by earning acceptable scores on approved standardized tests (see High School Requirements and the University's Credit by Examination tables).

Credit for Military Service
The University Admissions Office is authorized to evaluate transcripts from the military services.

Validation of Credit
Students with educational experience obtained at a non accredited institution or in a formal training program in which there is no standardized procedure for evaluation of credit may request the validation of their credit. Students should consult CLAS Academic Programs & Services and the department concerned for approval to take the appropriate examinations.

Placement
Advisors and departments will help students use the results of placement and proficiency examinations to choose appropriate courses to continue their study

Summary of Credit by Examination Policies

1. A maximum of 30 semester hours of credit by examination will be accepted toward the minimum 120 semester hours required for graduation.
2. Ordinarily, credit earned through examination is applied first to the General Education Program. Credit may also be applied to requirements of a major, minor, or certificate, or as elective credit.
3. Departments determine whether any credit by examination will be accepted toward major requirements. Under CLAS policy, no more than 15 semester hours of credit by examination may ever be approved for use in the major.
4. Most credit by examination is placed on the permanent record at the end of the student's first session of enrollment.
5. Credit earned through the Foreign Language Incentive Program (FLIP) and the Mathematics Incentive Program (MIP) is considered credit by examination and included in the maximum 30 hours of credit allowed by examination.
6. Credit hours earned through examination are ungraded and are not used to compute the GPA.
7. Credit by examination that is part of a student's transfer record is not considered residence credit. Other credit by examination hours are residence credit.
8. Credit by examination brought to The University of Iowa on transcripts from other institutions will be evaluated by the Office of Admissions under the same rules as other transfer credit. If 12 semester hours or more of graded classroom credit is accepted by transfer, credit by examination will be accepted from the transferring institution without reevaluation of individual scores by The University of Iowa.
9. Some CLEP, AP, and IB tests may overlap. Credit hours earned from overlapping tests will result in duplication (see the Credit by Examination tables and Duplication) and students will not earn credit from all tests.
10. Students may not earn credit from a CLEP test if they have already received college credit for an equivalent course or if they have been enrolled for more than three weeks in an equivalent college level course. Students interested in taking a CLEP test should consult with their academic advisers and complete a CLEP eligibility form before registering to take a test.
11. Students may use appropriate scores on University of Iowa Mathematics and Foreign Language tests to complete high school requirements (High School Course Requirements). Credit is never awarded for these exams, which function primarily as placement exams.
12. Students may complete high school course requirements in English, Mathematics, Natural Science, or Social Studies with credit-earning scores on CLEP, AP, and IB tests (see the University's Credit by Examination table).

Transfer Credit

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences accepts course work and grades from two-year and four-year institutions and lets you use such credit in earning a degree from the College. There are some restrictions, discussed below.

A maximum of 60 semester hours of degree credit from two-year colleges is accepted in transfer toward meeting the minimum 120 semester hours required for graduation. If a student earns more than 60 semester hours of degree credit from a two-year college, the credit and grades are used in computing grade-point averages and course work may be used to satisfy requirements, but the credit hours beyond the first 60 do not count toward the total hours needed for graduation.

There is no limit on the number of credit hours that may be transferred from four-year institutions. However, a student must satisfy the College's residence requirement regardless of the amount of transfer work that is accepted.

Once enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students should seek prior certification of the transferability of courses to be taken at either two-year or four-year institutions (whether the courses will transfer for General Education, major, or elective credit) from the Office of Admissions, 108 Calvin Hall. If approval is not secured before taking courses at another institution, the transfer credit may not be accepted. Unofficial information is available from the ISIS transfer search page.

Students must report all work done at other institutions, whether before first admission to Iowa or after first admission. Failure to have an official transcript sent from other institutions to the Office of Admissions may result in disciplinary action and in the loss of registration privileges. (see additional information from the Office of Admissions).

Restrictions on Transfer Credit

1. Ordinarily, a maximum of 16 semester hours of vocational technical credit is accepted in transfer toward the 120 semester hours required for graduation. The number of hours transferable by students with AS and AAS degrees from institutions that have established special articulation agreements with The University of Iowa may vary.
2. Departments may restrict the use of transfer credit that may be applied toward the requirements for a major, minor, or certificate; students should consult the department to determine the acceptability of transfer course work.

Undergraduate Use of Graduate Course Credit

Undergraduates may enroll in graduate-level courses (numbered 200 and above) only with the permission of the instructor and after completion of any prerequisites. There are no CLAS restrictions on the number of graduate-level credit hours taken by undergraduates.

Graduate courses offered by CLAS and taken by an undergraduate are counted as undergraduate credit for the degree and are applied to the CLAS residence requirement.

Students should be aware that graduate credit earned as an undergraduate cannot be used as credit toward a graduate degree.

CLAS academic policies for undergraduate students apply to graduate courses taken by undergraduates. Questions should be addressed to clasps@uiowa.edu (Academic Programs and Services, 120 Schaeffer Hall).