Graduation Requirements & Procedures
Graduation Requirements And Procedures
The associate in arts (A.A.) certificate may be granted upon formal written application to the Undergraduate Student Success Center for students who have completed a minimum of 60 semester hours with a 2.0 grade point average or above and successfully completed) General Education sequence and Gordon Rule courses. The last 30 semester hours must have been earned at FAMU. Beginning with students initially entering the university in 2014-2015 and thereafter, coursework for an associate in arts degree shall include demonstration of competency in a foreign language pursuant to s. 1007.262, except for developmental education required pursuant to s. 1008.30, all required coursework shall count toward the associate in arts degree or the baccalaureate degree
To qualify for a bachelor’s degree in an academic discipline specified in this catalog, the student must have:
- Earned a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.00
- Completed Gordon Rule requirements (see list of approved courses elsewhere in this publication)
- Completed General Education requirements (see list of approved courses elsewhere in this publication)
- Completed Foreign Language requirement (see suggested courses elsewhere in this publication)
- Satisfied the Summer term attendance requirement - minimum of 9 semester credits
- Completed at least 30 semester credit hours at FAMU. At least 25% of the credit hours
required for an undergraduate degree program must be earned through instruction offered
by FAMU. The university requires at least two semesters completed in residence for
any degree and the last 30 hours must be earned in residence. If the term of residence
is only two semesters, that period must be the student’s senior year, provided that
at least 30 semester hours are earned at FAMU during this period.
Petitions for a waiver of up to six hours of the last 30 hours in residence, due to a documented hardship or unusual circumstance, may be submitted through the student’s academic advisor, chair or program leader to the dean or director for consideration. Only waivers approved by the dean or director are valid. Courses taken while on university-sponsored study abroad programs count as residency requirement for graduation purposes. - General and specific degree requirements are listed elsewhere in this catalog.
- Students must complete the “Student Intent to Graduate” form and submit to the department or division Chairperson immediately prior to or at the beginning of the term in which degree requirements are expected to be met.
- Successful applicants must have earned at least a “C” average in all work attempted toward the degree.
- The applicable degree with the appropriate major will be awarded upon the recommendation of the faculty, department and the dean of the college or school in which the student is enrolled.
- Student must have completed a minimum of 120 semester required hours, which must include satisfactory completion of all State of Florida/institutional undergraduate requirements and curriculum requirements.
Note: Some academic areas require more than 120 hours for graduation. In addition, a student who changes his or her major may have to earn more than 120 hours in order to meet requirements for graduation.
Important: Credit hours in excess of 144 may incur extra charges. See information on Excess
credit hours surcharge in this publication or on the Registrar web page: Excess Credit Hours
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
To qualify for a Bachelor of Arts degree, all requirements listed under the bachelor’s
degree requirement must be met, in addition to completing 12 semester hours in the
(same) foreign language. Contact your academic department for details.
Second Bachelor’s degree
Second Bachelor's degree
A student who wishes to receive two baccalaureate degrees in the same semester must
(1) declare double majors, (2) complete the prescribed degree requirements of each
program, and (3) complete a minimum of 150 semester hours (30 hours must be taken
in residence). Departments and colleges may have additional requirements. Students
are advised to consult their academic advisor or department chair for departmental
requirements. Students must complete an application for graduation online for each
major. If a student holding a bachelor’s degree from FAMU wishes to obtain a second
bachelor’s degree, the student must earn a minimum of 30 semester hours after the
requirements for the previous bachelor’s degree.
All undergraduate students are required to have two years of Foreign Language study prior to graduation with a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University. Two years of Foreign Language study is defined as two (2) units in high school or eight to ten (8-10 credits with grade “C” or higher) semester hours in one Foreign Language or American Sign Language - French, Spanish Language and Literature, Arabic, Japanese, German, Chinese, and American Sign Language at Florida A&M University or another accredited College/University. Students may meet this requirement by successfully demonstrating equivalent foreign language competence on the basis of scores determined by the Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC) Credit-By-Exam Equivalencies as adopted by the Board of Governors, or demonstrating equivalent foreign language or American Sign Language competence through other means approved by the university. A student who demonstrates proficiency in a native language other than English may be exempt from the requirement of completing foreign language courses (1007.262 F.S.).
This requirement will not apply to transfer students (a) who received Associate in
Arts degree prior to September 1, 1989, or (b) enrolled in a program of study leading
to an associate degree from a Florida College System institution and maintained continuous
enrollment until they are admitted to a university prior to August 1, 1989.
Students who earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited postsecondary
institution prior to enrollment as students seeking second bachelor’s degree are exempt
from this requirement.
A student who wishes to apply for graduation is encouraged to complete the 'Student Intent to Graduate' form and take it to his/her academic advisor at least one semester prior to the one in which the student intends to graduate. Students will complete and print/forward "Student Intent to Graduate" form to their academic advisors prior to applying for graduation via iRattler on their Student Center page. This form is available on our "Forms" page. Students applying for the Associate in Arts Degree should forward completed "Student Intent to Graduate" forms to the Office of Retention.
Upon receipt of the "Student Intent to Graduate" form, the academic advisor reviews student’s academic record for graduation purposes. The department’s business process for graduation reviews should be followed. If student is determined eligible to apply for graduation, the department Coordinator with appropriate access places a Positive Service Indicator ETA (Eligible to Apply) on the student. This enables student to submit the application online via iRattler prior to or at the beginning of the term in which a student expects to complete all requirements for a degree. Deadline dates are published on the University Calendar. If a student fails to graduate, he or she should consult with his/her department, division chairperson or dean and reapply for a subsequent term.
Eligibility for graduation with honors for students seeking the Bachelor's/Doctor of Pharmacy degree requires the following cumulative grade point averages:
3.70-4.00 - Summa Cum Laude;
3.30-3.69 - Magna Cum Laude;
3.00-3.29 - Cum Laude.
Transfer students must earn a minimum of 45 semester hours at FAMU in order to be eligible to graduate with honors. Students receiving the masters and doctor of philosophy degrees are excluded. The cumulative grade point average on file at the time of application for graduation (usually the term prior to the term in which the student intends to graduate) will be used to determine eligibility and designate graduation honors in commencement program. However, the student’s final cumulative grade point average (usually the last term in which the student graduated) will be used to list the graduation honors on the student’s final transcript.
Specific degree requirements for the Masters, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Philosophy and Juris Doctor (JD) are listed in the applicable graduate programs. Normally, 5000 level courses or higher may be counted toward a master’s degree. Upon the recommendation of the division Chairperson and Dean, a maximum of six semester hours of 4000 level courses may be included in the requirements for a graduate degree. Students seeking second master’s degree must complete 18-24 graduate semester hours beyond what is required for the first master degree. Please see the School of Graduate Studies and Research section of this publication for additional information on graduate degree requirements.
A maximum of six credit hours from other institutions approved by their regional accrediting agency with “B” grades or better may be allowed
- Six semester hours may be allowed for extension credits provided such credits were earned through a Florida Institution with regional accreditation; or
- Six semester hours may be allowed for workshop participation, in keeping with the regulation above; or
- Six semester hours may be allowed for credits earned while in residence at another university; or
- Up to six semester hours in any combination of the three categories above may be allowed.
Acceptance of such credit does not reduce the period of required residence for the master’s degree. Workshops are not normally classified as residence work on or off campus. Credit toward the master’s degree is not allowed for courses taken through correspondence.
The requirements for the master’s and doctoral degrees should be met within seven (7) calendar years. For work that has extended beyond the seven-year period, the student should contact his or her program director for a re-evaluation of his or her entire program. In this re-evaluation, additional courses may be required that will provide a well-rounded program.
As partial fulfillment of the requirements for the master’s or doctoral degree, a candidate may be required by the division Chairperson to pass a comprehensive examination in his or her major field. At the option of the division concerned, the examination may be written or oral. Doctoral students should consult their academic department and/or refer to specific degree requirements listed elsewhere in this catalog.
The residence requirements for the master’s degree will be determined by the college or school within which the degree is offered. Students completing theses or dissertations must register each term until the degree is awarded.
Students writing theses and dissertations are required to be enrolled. All candidates for the Master of Science degree and Doctor of Philosophy are required to submit an acceptable thesis or dissertation.
Some master’s degree programs offer two types of programs: the thesis-type and the internship-type. With departmental approval, the student may choose the option he/she wishes to follow.