Basic Degree Requirements

Students are responsible for full knowledge of the provisions and regulations pertaining to their program contained in this Catalog and elsewhere. Students have final responsibility for completing the requirements for a degree and are urged to seek advising. Students should never assume that they have approval to deviate from a stated requirement without a properly signed statement to that effect. Please refer to the Academic Policies and Procedures  in this Catalog.

Requirements for All Bachelor’s Degrees

To earn a bachelor of science, a bachelor of arts, bachelor of music education, or a bachelor of fine arts degree, a student must satisfy the following minimum requirements, plus any others stipulated for the degree for which a student is a candidate. Please refer to the Academic Policies and Procedures  in this Catalog.

• Complete a minimum of 120 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher for all coursework.
• Complete at least 40 semester hours in upper-division courses (3000- and 4000-level courses).
• Complete all General Studies requirements listed for the degree and major.
• Complete a three-credit hour Multicultural course requirement.
• Complete a three-credit hour Senior Experience course requirement. This course must be taken at Metro State.
• Complete one subject major consisting of not less than 30 semester hours. With certain exceptions, complete a minor consisting of at least 18 semester hours (see the Degrees and Programs section  in this Catalog for exceptions). If a student completes two majors, the second major satisfies the minor requirement. Completing two concentrations under one major does not constitute the completion of two majors. Completion of two majors does not result in two degrees or diplomas. Coursework used to meet requirements for one major or minor may not be used to meet requirements for another major or minor. Students may not major and minor in the same discipline and are encouraged to obtain verification from an advisor if uncertainty exists.
• Complete all special requirements of a department and school.
• Achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in all Metro State courses that satisfy the requirements for the major and for all Metro State courses that satisfy requirements for a minor. Students should check with an advisor for special GPA program requirements.
• File an Application for Graduation with the Office of the Registrar according to published dates in the 2011-2012 Academic Calendar .
• Academic residency (classroom credit) requirements:
  • Complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of academic credit at Metro State, including the last 12 semester hours applicable to the degree.
  • Complete at least 8 upper-division (3000- and 4000-level courses) semester hours of the major and 3 upper-division semester hours of the minor at Metro State (classroom credit).
  • Students should be aware that University of Colorado Denver pooled courses will not satisfy academic residency requirements at Metro State. Physics (PHY) courses are excluded from this restriction. To use a Metro State-UCD pooled course for the last 12 hours residency requirement, a student must (1) complete a minimum of 30 hours of credit at Metro State prior to graduation and (2) obtain permission from the major or minor department prior to taking a pooled course to meet a requirement in the major or minor program.  UCD pooled credit will not count towards the 50 resident credit hours required for Honors.

Credit Limitations

• No more than 30 semester hours of omnibus-numbered courses may be applied toward graduation requirements, except for music.
• No more than 30 semester hours taken by correspondence may be applied toward a bachelor’s degree.
• No more than 4 semester hours in human performance and leisure activity (HPL) or varsity sports (ATH) courses will be counted toward a bachelor’s degree for students who are not majoring in Human Performance and Sport.
• No more than 7 semester hours in music ensemble courses will be counted toward a bachelor’s degree for students who are not majoring in music.

Student Bill of Rights

The General Assembly implemented the Student Bill of Rights (C.R.S. 23-1-125) to assure that students enrolled in public institutions of higher education have the following rights:

1. Students should be able to complete their baccalaureate programs in no more than one hundred twenty credit hours unless there are additional degree requirements recognized by the commission;
2. A student can sign a four-year graduation agreement that formalizes a plan for that student to obtain a degree in four years, unless additional degree requirements are recognized by the commission. Students interested in signing a four-year agreement must be admitted to Metro State by July 1, must work with the Advising Center during July, and register for 15 credits approved by the Advising Center by July 30. Students should go to the Advising Center for details.
3. Students have a right to clear and concise information concerning which courses must be completed successfully to complete their degrees;
4. Students have a right to know which courses are transferable among the state’s public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education;
5. Students, upon successful completion of core general education courses, should have those courses satisfy the core course requirements of all Colorado public institutions of higher education;
6. Students have a right to know if courses from one or more public higher education institutions satisfy the students’ degree requirements;
7. A student’s credit for the completion of the core requirements and core courses shall not expire for ten years from the date of initial enrollment and shall be transferable.

Requirements for a Second Degree

For an additional bachelor’s degree, students must comply with the following:

• The first bachelor’s degree must be recognized by Metropolitan State College of Denver.
• General Studies will be considered complete unless deficiencies exist according to the major department.
• Students must complete all requirements for a new major with a minimum of eight Metro State academic upper-division semester hours in the major department.
• Students do not need to complete a minor unless specifically required by the major department for the contemplated degree.
• Students must satisfy the Multicultural and Senior Experience course requirements for the second degree.
• Students must spend at least two additional semesters in residence.
• Students must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of Metro State classroom credit after the awarding of the previous degree.
• Credit limitations for a bachelor’s degree also apply to the second degree. (See College Opportunity Fund under Tuition and Fees  for specific limitations.)
• An Application for Graduation must be filed with the Office of the Registrar according to published dates in the 2011-2012 Academic Calendar .

Graduation Checklist

• Review the Requirements for All Bachelor Degrees.
• Review the Academic Policies and Procedures (pertaining to CAPP, graduation, diplomas and commencement, and honors and awards).
• Obtain a CAPP Compliance Report from their major department.
• If necessary, correct any discrepancies on CAPP report.
• File an Application for Graduation by the deadline listed in the 2011-2012 Academic Calendar .
• Ensure correct address is on file with the Office of the Registrar.
• For a complete graduation check list and details refer to: mscd.edu/registrar/student/graduationevaluation.

The General Studies Program

Philosophy of the General Studies Program

Metropolitan State College of Denver seeks to prepare its graduates for a lifetime of learning, which, in our changing and complex society, requires focused expertise (such as that provided by a major area of study) and the ability to communicate with and learn from experts in other fields. Undergraduate education fosters the critical thinking necessary for the exploration of unfamiliar disciplines and for the synthesis of learning and exposes students to the richness and variety of the intellectual universe.

General Studies Information

With the exception of the General Studies program, students must use a single, Metro State catalog to meet all degree requirements, including major and minor requirements.  To satisfy a particular General Studies requirement, a course must be designated as General Studies during the semester in which the course is taken.

State Guaranteed General Education Courses

Certain Metro State General Studies courses are approved as state guaranteed general education courses. This designation means that a particular course is transferable as a general education or elective course at any public institution in Colorado for any undergraduate degree program. Some General Studies courses that are not identified as state guaranteed transfer may also be eligible for transfer to other institutions of higher education.  Even if a state guaranteed course is selected, students should select their General Studies courses with care.  A Colorado core framework restricts the number of courses that may be taken, and some majors require specific general education courses. In addition, certain statewide articulation agreements require specific General Studies courses. With the exception of the sciences, students are advised to take only one state guaranteed course in each category below to maximize applicability for general education at another institution. For further details, consult an advisor within your major or go to highered.colorado.gov/Academics/Transfers.

Transfer Codes

State guaranteed general education courses are designated with a GT for Guaranteed Transfer. The rest of the code indicates the part of the core to which the course may apply.

General Studies Goals

The General Studies Program is designed to help graduates achieve the following competencies. Students at Metropolitan State College of Denver should be able to:

• write and speak with clarity;
• read and listen critically;
• draw conclusions from quantitative data;
• recognize faulty reasoning;
• organize ideas; and
• communicate and learn from experts in other disciplines.

Metro State students should:

• have an open attitude toward different approaches to problems;
• have an informed awareness of the principal human achievements in history, arts and letters, society, and science;
• and be introduced to the basic methods, knowledge, problems or attitudes characteristic of a field.

Structure of the General Studies Program

The General Studies Program is structured to foster the development of skills and to encourage students to use their mastery of skills to explore knowledge in a variety of disciplines. The General Studies Program provides two levels of experience:

Level I-Skills 

Level I courses provide students with the basic skills of reading and listening critically, recognizing faulty reasoning, drawing conclusions from quantitative data, organizing ideas, and writing and speaking with clarity.

Level II-Breadth of Knowledge 

Level II courses introduce students to the basic methods, knowledge, problems or attitudes characteristic of a field: encourage in students an open attitude toward different approaches to problems, enable students to communicate with experts in other disciplines and learn from them and cultivate in students an informed awareness of the principal achievements in history, arts and letters, social science and science. In addition, in Level II courses students will continue to develop their skills in language and mathematics.

Distribution and Credit Requirements of the General Studies Program

To complete their General Studies Program, students must take approved courses that fulfill the following distribution and credit requirements:

*A transfer course or courses judged to be similar in skill development and content to a Level I course will satisfy an individual Level I course requirement. Equivalency will be determined by the department offering the Level I course.
**One-hour deviations in the Level II categories may be allowed.
***Except for Mathematics majors and minors, a student’s completed General Studies Program must contain at least 33 semester hours.

Basic Rules of the General Studies Program

• Only approved courses may be used to satisfy the General Studies requirements. A listing of these courses can be found in the General Studies portion of this catalog, which contains all approved General Studies, Multicultural and Senior Experience courses. The document is available online and from academic departments, the Academic Advising Center and Academic Affairs (CN 318). This document also indicates which of the courses are approved as state guaranteed general education courses.
• General Studies courses need not be counted toward General Studies requirements. They may be taken as electives or to satisfy requirements in the major or degree program.
• Departments or programs may specify, by prefix and number, some General Studies courses in addition to courses required for the major or a professional credential. Check with your departmental advisor.