The catalog used to determine major requirements is the catalog in effect at the time the major is declared. A change of major will effect a change of catalog; a change of emphasis is considered a change of major. Minors, additional majors, licensures and endorsements follow the major catalog. The catalog used to determine Liberal Arts Core requirements is the catalog in effect during the semester that the student first takes courses at UNC.
To change a major or minor, complete and print the Major/Minor Change Form, then submit it to the appropriate academic office(s) for signature approval. The completed form must then be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. (Changes to licensure or endorsements are approved in the School of Teacher Education). A minor cannot be declared unless a degree-seeking major has been declared.
Exploring the Liberal Arts
Any new or transfer student entering the University of Northern Colorado can choose to be designated as Exploring the Liberal Arts when he or she enters the University. Students with a declared major who wish to change their major status to Exploring the Liberal Arts should contact the Office of Academic Support and Advising (www.unco.edu/asa) to make an appointment for review and approval. Students requesting this change must have fewer than 18 credits combined of registered and/or previously earned hours. Students who would like to explore other major or minor options may receive services from the Office of Academic Support and Advising regardless of their current major status.
30-Credit Policy for Exploring the Liberal Arts Students
The 30-Credit Policy directs students towards successfully completing a degree at the University of Northern Colorado. 120 credits are required to complete a degree at Northern Colorado. A student who has earned 30 credits should have completed one quarter of the requirements for earning a degree. Usually students reach 30 credits after either their second or third semester. Ensuring that students have a clear path for degree completion is of utmost importance to Northern Colorado, and the 30-Credit Policy illustrates this commitment to student success.
The 30-Credit Policy requires students who have earned 30-credits to declare a major. Credits used in calculating earned hours at Northern Colorado include all applied transfer credit, college credit earned in high school, and Northern Colorado credit hours. A No-Major Hold is applied to Exploring the Liberal Arts students’ accounts upon the completion of 30 credits. Once a student has completed the appropriate paperwork and met any admission requirements for declaring a chosen major, the No-Major Hold is removed from the student’s account.
Seeking Programs
Students matriculating into UNC under seeking programs (Nursing, Athletic Training, Dietetics) will be required to change to the most current catalog once officially accepted into the program.
Concurrent Degrees and Multiple Majors
Concurrent Degrees
Students who complete multiple majors can be awarded multiple degrees if they complete an additional 30 credits (above and beyond the 120 credits required for the first degree) for each additional major. For example:
- Students who complete two majors and 150 or more credits can receive two degrees.
- Students who complete three majors and 180 or more credits can receive three degrees.
The following examples illustrate transcript and diploma display when the additional 30 hours are completed, and also when fewer than 30 additional hours are completed.
Student who complete two majors and 150 or more credits earn a double degree. Example: For a student with a first major of Business Administration and a second major of Social Science:
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Major Concentration: Finance
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Geography
Major Concentration: Global and Area Studies
Degree of Bachelor of Science
Business Administration
Degree of Bachelor of Arts
Geography
Emphases are not printed on the diploma.
Single Degree, Multiple Majors
Students who complete two majors but have fewer than 150 credits earn one degree with two majors. Example: For a student with a first major of Business Administration and a second of Social Science:
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Major Concentration: Finance
Major: Geography
Major Concentration: Global and Area Studies
- Diploma display (a single diploma is produced):
Degree of Bachelor of Science
Business Administration
Sociology
Emphases are not printed on the diploma.
Single Major, Multiple Emphases
Students who complete one major with multiple emphases (in selected majors where allowed) earn one major and one degree, regardless of the number of credits completed.
Example: For a student with a major of Business Administration, with emphases in Finance and Accounting:
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Major Concentration: Finance
Major Concentration: Accounting
Degree of Bachelor of Science
Business Administration
Emphases are not printed on the diploma.
Degrees and majors are approved through the Colorado Department of Higher Education. All credits acquired during pursuit of a degree are incorporated in that degree and may not be used to satisfy any future degree. Students may not pursue both an undergraduate and a graduate degree program simultaneously without prior approval from both the Registrar’s Office and the Graduate School.
Only course work that is required for a degree will count towards a student’s enrollment status. Additionally, if a student has completed the degree requirements for a single degree, even if the student has not applied for graduation, that student is no longer eligible for Title IV aid for that program. The fact that a student might be getting a dual degree and has not completed the requirements for the second degree does not change this.
Questions regarding multiple majors and concurrent degrees should be directed to the Registrar’s Office.
Undergraduate Certificate Completion
Students who intend to complete an undergraduate certificate must apply the semester before completion through the Office of the Registrar by emailing graduation@unco.edu. The following guidelines apply for the completion of the certificate:
- A $50.00 application fee will only be charged one time per certificate and is applied to your student account.
- Certificates can be completed and noted on the transcript at any time of the semester once all requirements have been completed.
- All certificates must be declared in the Fall 2014 catalog and forward in order to complete and cannot be retroactively awarded.
- The catalog used to determine certificate requirements is the catalog in effect at the time the certificate is declared. If a certificate is being completed in conjunction with a major, it does not have to follow the major catalog year.
- To change or declare a certificate, complete and print the undergraduate certificate program form, then submit it to the appropriate academic office(s) for signature approval. The completed form must then be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. http://www.unco.edu/regrec/PDF%20Forms/Undergraduate_Certificate.pdf
Updating/Changing Certificate Programs
A student may select at any time a newer, active catalog year as long as they attended UNC during that respective academic year; this change requires submission of a Undergraduate Certificate Program form (found at http://www.unco.edu/regrec/PDF%20Forms/Undergraduate_Certificate.pdf).
Students may not declare or select at any time certificate programs that no longer exist.
Certificates are not recognized nor awarded at the commencement ceremony.