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No student shall be subject to regulations and academic requirements introduced during the student’s continuous enrollment in good standing in a single degree program if the new regulations involve undue hardships or the loss of academic credits earned to satisfy the requirements previously in effect. Undergraduate students are governed by minimum requirements for the undergraduate degree (each teaching unit may have further major and major-related requirements).
Bachelor’s Degrees
The university offers the following bachelor’s degrees: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Science (BS), and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA).
Credit Hour and GPA Requirements
All bachelor’s degrees require completion of at least 120 credit hours of course work with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better. The minimum graduation requirement of 120 credit hours must satisfy a major requirement and also satisfy the requirements for the General Education program, the College Writing Requirement, and the University Mathematics requirement.
Internships
The maximum number of internship credit hours that may count toward a major is six credit hours. Academic units may require fewer than six credit hours to count toward the major. Students may take up to a maximum of 12 internship credit hours that count toward the 120 credit hours of their degree program.
Residence Requirement
At least 45 credit hours out of the last 60 must be completed in residence at American University. A minimum of 15 credit hours must be completed in residence at American University in upper-level courses in the student’s major. A student may transfer a cumulative total of 75 credit hours from the following: 1) any approved AG-rated and regionally accredited two-year or four-year institution; 2) a maximum of 30 credit hours from one or a combination of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate, CLEP subject examinations, or other AU approved test credit; 3) a maximum of 30 credit hours for a combination of relevant work completed satisfactorily in college-level Armed Services School courses, or US Armed Forces Institute correspondence or extension courses, completed with a grade of 70 or better, as recommended at the baccalaureate level as appropriate by the American Council on Education and which is appropriate for academic credit as determined by the Admissions Office after consultation with the appropriate academic unit. Military Occupation Services (MOS) credit may be evaluated separately for academic credit.
Credit earned in any American University course, in any instructional modality, is residence credit. Some AU courses and programs are offered at physical sites other than the AU campus and may be considered in residence courses. Credit earned by an American University student through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area is also residence credit.
Courses considered not in residence include those transferred into AU, those taken through a Permit to Study at Another Institution, or credits accepted through exams including CLEP, IB, AP, or other approved exams for transfer credit.
A student will not be able to register for a second semester at AU until all final official transcripts have been received by the AU Office of Admissions from previously attended institutions.
Three-Year Bachelor’s Programs
The university offers a limited number of pre-defined three-year bachelor’s programs. These special programs offer an intensive cohort experience that continues through each summer session until the completion of the degree. Prospective students may apply directly through the Office of Admissions.
Dual Degrees
Students who decide to declare a second degree in a major field of study are expected to declare their second degree one year prior to the intended date of graduation, usually 90 credits earned at AU or the end of the junior year. Students must have a 3.00 cumulative GPA at the time of declaration of the second degree. Students who fulfill all the requirements for two bachelor’s programs (including major, major-related, and residence requirements) and who have earned a total of 150 credit hours may be awarded two bachelor’s degrees. At least 24 credits must be unique to each degree. Dual degree students can apply a maximum of thirty credits for approved exams. Students with financial aid or other awards are responsible for working with the Office for Financial Aid to determine the extent of aid or award for the additional credits needed for the dual degree.
Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees
American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. Students can choose from a wide variety of established bachelor’s/master’s programs, or they can create bachelor’s/master’s programs with the approval of the academic department supervising the graduate-level work. Students may complete graduate degrees in disciplines different than their undergraduate degrees, provided they are admitted to the master’s program by the supervising department and they have completed the prerequisites required for the graduate program.
A combined bachelor’s/master’s program involves tentative admission to graduate standing so that both a bachelor’s and master’s degree may be earned as the result of a planned program of study. Highly qualified students in good academic standing may apply to a graduate program for a combined degree as soon as they have completed 75 earned credits. With rare exceptions, students will apply no later than the semester in which they have 90 completed credits toward their degree. Admission during the junior year or equivalent allows sufficient time and preparation for curricular sequences and other research experiences that distinguish this option from separate bachelor’s and master’s degrees. No more than one graduate degree can be earned as a combined degree.
Students apply to the combined program at two levels: 1) for admission at the undergraduate degree level as described above, and 2) for admission to the graduate program upon satisfactory completion of the undergraduate degree. Each graduate program has set its own admission standards and requirements for the combined program. Specific information is available by the program.
Once accepted into the combined program during the junior year, students must follow a prescribed program of work approved by a faculty advisor that identifies which courses will be applied toward both the undergraduate degree and the master’s degree. Once students have graduated in good standing from their undergraduate degree program, students will be officially admitted to and enrolled in their graduate program if they have met all University and academic unit or teaching unit requirements for admission to the master’s program. Once enrolled in the master’s program, students are subject to the academic regulations governing graduate students.
Students enrolled in a combined bachelor’s / master’s program may share credits between their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. These credits must be taken at the graduate level (500-level and above) and must meet degree requirements for each degree, as stipulated in the Academic Catalog. Credits at the graduate level may only be shared if they satisfy major requirements for the bachelor’s degree or if they satisfy free electives for the bachelor’s degree. Graduate credit cannot be shared to satisfy requirements for General Education, University Mathematics, or College Writing. Graduate credit cannot be shared with minors. The maximum number of credit hours that can be shared between the bachelor’s and master’s degrees is determined by the number of credit hours required for the master’s degree, as shown in the chart below.
| Credit hours required for the master’s program |
Maximum number of shared credit hours between bachelor’s and master’s degree |
| 30-35 |
9 |
| 36-38 |
12 |
| 39 and above |
15 |
Individual programs may set lower limits than those specified here. Students are required to complete the graduation application and clearance process once for the bachelor’s degree and once for the master’s degree.
Evaluation of Progress
An evaluation of each undergraduate student’s progress is made by the office of the student’s dean after each semester. In addition to the cumulative grade point average, this evaluation considers completion of all university requirements and the ratio of courses satisfactorily completed to all courses attempted by the student. Students who are not making satisfactory progress are informed in writing of the result of their evaluation and offered academic advising.
The university has no strict regulations governing the total amount of time an undergraduate student may take to fulfill the requirements for a degree, provided the student maintains the appropriate grade point average and gives evidence of being seriously interested in the eventual achievement of his or her academic objective.
Major Requirements
A major requires a minimum of 36 credit hours, at least 18 of which must be earned in residence at American University. At least 18 credits must be earned in upper-level courses in the major, and at least 15 of those credits must be earned in residence. Students who wish to take an upper level course at another institution in the first 18 hours of major course work must receive permission from their teaching unit chair or equivalent. A grade of C or better is required for each course used to satisfy the major. Students should note that a C- does not qualify and any course with a C- or lower will have to be repeated or an equivalent course taken to satisfy the major requirement involved. Courses in the major may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.
Declaration of Major
Students are expected to declare a major before completing 60 earned credits. The declaration must be approved by the academic unit or teaching unit designee in charge of the proposed major. The academic units or teaching units may require higher than minimal performance in major and related courses as a condition for acceptance as a major.
Students can declare more than one major if they have a minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA and if at least 18 credits are unique to each major. Individual academic units or teaching units may require a higher GPA and have other requirements that exceed the regulations.
Double Majors
If the majors are offered by more than one academic unit within the University, then students will designate at the time of declaration of the majors the single academic unit in which they will be registered and from which they will be graduated. Students will need to satisfy the general academic unit requirements of that single academic unit. When majors lead to different degrees (e.g., BA and BS), students will specify which degree they wish to be awarded. Electives may be used to satisfy double major requirements.
Minor Requirements
Specific course requirements for minors are listed under departmental programs. All minor programs consist of a minimum of 18 credit hours, including at least 9 credit hours at the 300 level or above. For all minors, at least 9 credit hours of the stated requirements must be taken in residence at American University. At least 12 credit hours of the minor must be outside of the course requirements for each major or other minor the student is pursuing. A grade of C (2.00) or better is required for each course used to satisfy the requirements of a minor.
Students who decide to declare a minor field of study are expected to declare their minor no later than one year prior to the intended date of graduation, usually 90 credits earned at American University or the end of the junior year.
Students should consult with their advisors as to the procedure for declaring a minor. Minors are noted as a comment on the student’s permanent record at the time of graduation, but will not appear on the student’s diploma.
Individualized Majors and Minors
Students may design their own majors and minors by applying to a review committee overseen by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies. Students intending to pursue an individualized major must submit his or her proposal at least a year before their intended graduation date. A maximum of 18 credit hours completed prior to the semester in which the application is being submitted may be included in the individualized major. No such restriction applies to an individualized minor. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 in order to submit proposals for individualized majors and for individualized minors.
Individualized programs must meet the minima described in the Major Requirements and Minor Requirements sections.
Certificate Programs
All credit certificate programs must include a minimum of 12 credit hours. Admission to credit certificate programs is open only to those students who meet University minimum nondegree enrollment requirements. Admission requirements in excess of University minimums must be stated explicitly in the credit certificate program proposals.
Equivalent credit earned at an accredited college or University may be applied toward a certificate at the following rate: 3 credit hours for certificates from 12 to 18 credit hours in length, and 6 credit hours for certificates over 18 credit hours in length.
Students enrolled in undergraduate certificate programs must maintain a 2.0 grade point average to remain in good academic standing. Nondegree certificate students may be placed on academic probation, dismissed, or readmitted to certificate study according to regulations governing nondegree students.
Certificate students who are also enrolled in undergraduate programs may be placed on academic probation, dismissed, or readmitted to certificate study according to regulations governing undergraduate students.
Grades of C- or D in certificate program courses will not be accepted toward the fulfillment of certificate requirements although these grades will be included in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average. Students in other than graduate certificate programs must have at least a 2.0 grade point average in certificate courses in order to be awarded a certificate.
Students in certificate programs must take a minimum of 6 credit hours during each 12-month period after they are admitted. All programs must be completed within four years.
Study at Another Institution
An enrolled student who plans to take courses at another college or university for transfer credit to American University must be in good academic standing and must receive prior approval from the student’s department chair and dean using the Permit to Study Abroad form or the Permit to Study at Another US Institution form. Students will not be granted a Permit to Study at an institution in the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area; the Consortium process should be followed. For study abroad, approval is also required from the AU Abroad director. If the course to be taken is outside the area of the student’s major, the chair of the department which would offer credit for such a course must also approve the permit. Approval is granted for specific courses. Permits to Study may not be authorized for courses at community colleges or non-accredited four year institutions.
The visited institution, if in the United States, must be regionally accredited. With departmental approval, transfer credit is applicable toward the requirements of a major. Transfer credit may be used to fulfill General Education Requirements through the evaluation of equivalent courses taken at another institution and with the approval of the student’s dean. Because of the special nature of the program, after the student has been admitted to American University no credit toward General Education Requirements may be earned through transfer credit.
Transfer credit from a Permit to Study is accepted for courses with earned grades of C or better. Grades for courses taken during a Permit to Study at another institution are not recorded on the AU transcript and are not computed in the GPA. Such courses will not count in the total number of credits needed for graduation if the grade received is below a 2.0 on a 4-point scale. However, students must meet GPA requirements for individual courses taken at other institutions as required for electives or major or minor courses. Students must satisfy any additional requirements provided on the Permit to Study form.
Permit to Study at Another US Institution
Students in good academic standing who wish to take courses that would not be considered in residence courses must receive prior approval by their academic unit. Students who want to apply a course to their major or minor must receive teaching unit or equivalent approval. Students must secure approval from the academic unit prior to registering for the course and such approval is granted only for specific courses. Students may transfer up to a total of 10 credits during this course of approved study at another US institution, but they may not earn general education credit on a Permit to Study.
Permit to Study Abroad
Undergraduate students in good academic standing who wish to study abroad on any non-AU Abroad study abroad program or at any foreign university not partnered with AU must receive prior approval of their academic unit and of AU Abroad. Permission for such study is granted only when the student can demonstrate that the academic opportunity offered by the program or foreign university cannot be met through study at any one of AU’s existing partner universities or study abroad programs. Grades for courses taken during a Permit to Study Abroad are not recorded on the AU transcript and are not computed in the GPA, though they will count in the total number of credits needed for graduation. Students will be allowed to transfer a maximum of 36 credits from studying abroad in a non-AU program via the permit process. Complete permit applications must be submitted before the end of the semester prior to the anticipated study abroad program. The University will not approve retroactive permits.
Students who complete the Permit to Study Abroad form and enroll in a non-AU study abroad program are required to pay the Permit to Study Abroad fee for each semester, including summer, they are registered.
Medical Permit to Study
While on a temporary leave for medical reasons, students may request from their academic unit a medical permit to study in order to minimize disruptions to their academic progress. In order to receive a Medical Permit to Study, students must have an approved Medical Temporary Leave. Students should provide medical documentation only to the Office of the Dean of Students. With a medical permit to study, students may take two courses at another institution for up to eight credits per semester for a maximum of four courses for up to 16 credits. Individual academic units may have additional restrictions. Courses must be preapproved by the student’s academic unit prior to enrollment. Course credits that are approved may count toward the 120 credits needed for graduation as defined in the academic in residence requirement.
Study Abroad
American University offers numerous study abroad programs through the AU Abroad Program. Students may also participate in study abroad programs offered by other institutions that are part of a regionally accredited US college or university, and are recorded on the transcripts of those institutions. For determination of regional accreditation, the publication Credit Given is the accepted reference.
After consultation with and approval of the student’s dean and the AU Abroad director, application is made directly to the institution for admission to its foreign study program. Transfer credit will be granted on the basis of the transcript from the sponsoring US college or university.
Students may also attend institutions abroad not affiliated with an American college or university. For details, see Permit to Study Abroad .
Transfer and Exam Credit
This section describes the policy for all external work for which American University awards credit. Transfer students should also refer to Undergraduate Degree Requirements , for the full policy, including the applicability of transfer credit, to College Writing and University Mathematics Requirements.
The Admissions Office evaluates official documents showing previous college-level work completed. Individual teaching units determine how this credit will apply to specific degree programs. Once a student has matriculated, transfer work will only be accepted if it has been approved in advance by the academic unit via the Permit to Study process. A student must satisfy all requirements of the Permit to Study process, including advance approval for specific courses and a maximum number of credits. General Education credit and University Mathematics and College Writing requirement credit may not be earned after matriculation to AU through the Permit to Study process.
Grades and quality points earned in courses accepted for transfer will not be included in the grade point average to be maintained at American University, but the credits will count toward the total number required for graduation.
Transfer students may normally expect to receive credit for courses taken at collegiate institutions that were, at the time the courses were taken, an AG-rated regionally accredited institution. These courses must be appropriate for academic credit at American University towards an undergraduate degree program. A maximum of 75 cumulative credit hours will be accepted from the following: 1) any approved AG-rated and regionally accredited two-year and four-year institutions; 2) a maximum of 30 credit hours from one or a combination of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate, CLEP subject examinations, or other AU approved test credit; 3) a maximum of 30 credit hours for a combination of relevant work completed satisfactorily in college-level Armed Services School courses, or US Armed Forces Institute correspondence or extension courses, completed with a grade of 70 or better, as recommended at the baccalaureate level by the American Council on Education and which is appropriate for academic credit as determined by the Admissions Office after consultation with the appropriate academic unit. Military Occupation Services (MOS) credit may be evaluated separately for academic credit.
A student will not be able to register for a second semester at AU until all final official transcripts have been sent to the AU Office of Admissions from previously attended institutions.
Minimum Transfer Requirements
Courses eligible for transfer upon matriculation to AU must have a recorded grade of C or above. Courses with a grade of “P” or Pass are eligible for transfer, providing that the grade of “P” is the equivalent of a C or above. Only courses in which the student has received a grade of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scale will be recorded on the student’s AU transcript and will be applied towards the total number of credits required for graduation. Grades for transfer courses are not computed in the cumulative grade point average.
Courses taken on the quarter system will receive the standard .67 credit per credit hour of study (e.g., a 3 credit hour course at a quarter school will merit 2 credit hours at AU). A transfer course must have the same number of credit hours as an AU course in order to be considered “equivalent.”
Courses below the pre-calculus level will not receive transfer credit.
Credit hours for remedial courses and internship/externship are not eligible for transfer to AU.
Technical or vocational credit hours may not be eligible for transfer to AU.
Transfer of Foreign Language Courses
A student who wishes to transfer foreign language courses from previous institutions must follow the guidelines established by AU’s Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC). For more information, please visit the WLC website at www.american.edu/cas/wlc/placement.cfm.
Credit Through Examination
Credit through examination will be given in accordance with the guidelines AU stipulates for all admitted students. All scores must be sent by the testing agency directly to AU. Credit will be applied toward a student’s program of study at the academic unit’s discretion.
All exam scores must be received by the AU Office of Admissions no later than the end of the second enrolled term. Exam scores more than six years old may not be accepted for credit. A student whose exam scores articulate as credit for one or more courses in the General Education Program may apply up to 4 credit-by-exam courses to their General Education requirement. Additional courses may still be applied toward the major or minor, or as elective credit. For more information, see the AU policy concerning credit by exam at: www.american.edu/admissions/examcredit.cfm.
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