Students may graduate under the catalog in force when they first enroll in the University, or any subsequent catalog, subject to the approval of the appropriate department head and dean. Students should keep in mind that curricula change in order to maintain relevance, up-to-date knowledge, and, in some cases, accreditation standards. The University reserves the right to make effective immediately any change in graduation requirements for students whose studies have not advanced beyond the level at which the change becomes operative.

Degree Audit and Application for Graduation

Candidates for graduation must complete the application for graduation located within their Degree Works Audit. Seniors completing graduation requirements at the end of the fall semester must submit an application before the end of the eighth week of the previous fall semester. Seniors completing graduation requirements at the end of the spring semester or either of the following summer sessions must submit an application for graduation before the end of the eighth week of the previous spring semester.

Graduation Honors

The bachelor’s degree with honors will be conferred upon candidates who at graduation have earned a minimum grade point average on all courses taken at Arkansas Tech as follows: Summa Cum Laude-3.900 - 4.000, Magna Cum Laude-3.700 - 3.899, Cum Laude-3.500 - 3.699. Graduation honors will be determined by work taken at Arkansas Tech only. The associate degree with honors will be conferred upon candidates subject to the grade point average criteria listed above. Honors will be limited to candidates for the associate and bachelor's degree.

Commencement Participation

• Students completing graduation requirements for the fall term will participate in the December commencement ceremony.
• Students completing graduation requirements for the spring term will participate in the May commencement ceremony.
• Students completing requirements during the summer term who apply to graduate by March 1 will participate in the May commencement ceremony.
• Students completing requirements during the summer term who apply to graduate after March 1 will participate in the December commencement ceremony.

The March 1 deadline for summer graduates is the deadline for the production of the spring commencement program. Should you choose to participate in the May commencement ceremony after March 1 your name will not appear in the spring commencement program.

Note: Diploma and transcript showing degree awarded will not be produced until all graduation requirements are satisfied.

Bachelor candidates are expected to be present at commencement for the conferral of the degree unless absentia is granted by the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost in writing via email at graduationabsentia@atu.edu for permission to have the degree awarded in absentia.

Academic regalia shall be worn by the student during the graduation ceremony (See Bookstore). Students may wear honor cords, pins, or stoles representative of university groups over their gown during the ceremony. Decoration on caps is permitted.

Following commencement, graduates will receive information on claiming their digital diploma and asked to confirm their mailing address for the Associates and Bachelors degrees paper diplomas. Graduate Certificates will be available in digital download format only.

Students taking courses at other institutions must have official transcripts submitted to the Registrar’s Office and have completed all degree requirements prior to the commencement ceremony to be allowed to participate.

Requirements for Associate Degrees

1. No more than a total of 30 semester hours of correspondence, extension, military service, or credit by examination work, Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) may be applied as credit towards a degree.
2. Refer to major field of study for semester hour requirements.
3. The cumulative grade point average must not be less than 2.00 and not more than 25 percent of the semester hours may carry the “D” grade. Students must have a 2.00 grade point in their major.
4. No more than four semester hours of activity credit may be counted toward graduation. The only exception is that a student may have the standard allowance of military credit (three hours of military science and three hours of PE credit) and four other hours of activity credit for a total of ten semester hours. A student registering for an activities course in excess of these limits receives no credit for the additional course and the grade is not included in the computation of grade point.
5. Only six hours of freshman English composition may be used to satisfy degree requirements.
6. An official record of any correspondence or transfer work completed at another institution must be on file in the Registrar’s Office prior to the end of the semester or term in which graduation is planned.

Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees

In compliance with Act 1014 of 2005, Arkansas Tech University has developed guaranteed, eight-semester degree completion plans for most of the baccalaureate degree programs offered by the institution.

1. General Requirements
   1. A student must earn a minimum of 30 hours taken from Arkansas Tech, at least 6 semesters hours of which must be upper division work in the student's major. Certain programs may have more rigorous standards due to, for example, accreditation standards or licensure requirements.
   2. No more than a total of 30 hours of correspondence, extension, military service, or credit by examination, credit for Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) work may be applied as credit towards a degree.
   3. At least 120 hours (excluding pre-college level courses) must be successfully completed.
   4. The cumulative grade point average must not be less than 2.00 and not more than 25 percent of the hours may carry the “D” grade. Students must have a 2.00 grade point in their major and a 2.00 grade point in their minor, if applicable.
   5. At least 40 hours must be in junior (3000) and senior (4000) courses, preferably more.
   6. No more than four hours of activity credit may be counted toward graduation. The only exception is that a student may have the standard allowance of military credit (three hours of military science and three hours of PE credit) and four other hours of activity credit for a total of ten semester hours. A student registering for an activities course in excess of these limits receives no credit for the additional course and the grade is not included in the computation of grade point.
   7. Only six hours of freshman English composition may be used to satisfy degree requirements.
   8. For non-business majors, no more than 30 hours of courses offered by the School of Business, excluding Health and Information Management, may be counted towards completion of degree requirements.
2. General Education Requirements
   To meet the need for all students to have educational experiences which broaden their knowledge of the arts, humanities, and sciences, all curricula are designed to include basic courses in these areas. Students should refer to the curriculum in their major area of study for specific courses either recommended or required by the academic department to fulfill the General Education Requirements.
3. Competence in English, Mathematics, and Reading
   Each candidate for a baccalaureate degree is required to demonstrate the ability to write English clearly and correctly by completing the freshman composition courses (ENGL 1013 Composition I and ENGL 1023 Composition II) with a grade of “C” or better. A student who receives a grade of “D” or “F” in ENGL 1013 Composition I must repeat the course to earn a grade of “C” or better before enrolling in ENGL 1023 Composition II. The same criteria apply to transfer students.
   Students showing evidence of deficiency in mathematics will be counseled to enroll in appropriate remedial courses. All students must earn a grade of “C” or higher in the course used to satisfy the general education mathematics requirement.
4. Examination for Education Majors or Teacher Candidates
   Section 1 (b) of Act 5 of the first Special Extraordinary Session (1983) of the Arkansas General Assembly stipulates: “After July 1, 1984, all colleges and universities in this State shall require persons who are education majors or teacher candidates to take the examination prescribed by the State Board of Education for initial certification as a teacher in the public schools of this State and to report the results of the examination to the college or university prior to graduation. All colleges and universities in this State shall report the results of the examinations to the Department of Education upon request.”
5. An official record of any correspondence or transfer work completed at another institution must be on file in the Registrar’s Office prior to the end of the semester or term in which graduation is planned.

Requirements for a Certificate

Arkansas Tech University offers certificates with requirements varying from 6-21 semester hours. In order for the certificate to be awarded a student must earn a 2.0 grade point average in the courses used to complete the certificate. Specific requirements for each certificate are stated in the respective sections of this catalog.

Requirements for a Minor

Arkansas Tech University offers several minors with requirements varying from 16-22 semester hours. Only candidates for a bachelors degree are eligible for minors. In order for the minor to be awarded a student must earn a 2.0 grade point average in the courses used to complete the minor. A minimum of 6 semester hours must be taken in residence and the same catalog must be used to complete requirements for both the major and the minor. Specific requirements for each minor are stated in the respective sections of this catalog.

Requirements for Additional Degrees

For both baccalaureate and associate degrees, a student may not receive multiple degrees within a semester for a single approved degree program. Students wishing to earn multiple degrees in different degree programs within the same semester may do so by completing all degree requirements for each degree, which typically takes more than 120 hours.

Baccalaureate Degrees

Students who have already received a baccalaureate degree may earn an additional baccalaureate degree by completing a minimum of 30 additional semester hours from Arkansas Tech, at least 6 semester hours of which must be upper division work in the student's major. Certain programs may have more rigorous standards due to, for example, accreditation standards or licensure requirements. All degree requirements must be satisfied. Students pursuing a second baccalaureate degree must use the Arkansas Tech University catalog in effect at the time they first enroll subsequent to receiving the first degree or any subsequent Tech catalog provided they were enrolled at the University during the year the catalog was in effect.

Associate Degrees

Students who have already received an associate degree may earn an additional associate degree if the following have been completed:

1. all University catalog requirements for the major field of study
2. applicable requirements specified under “Requirements for Associate Degrees”

Students who have already received a baccalaureate degree may earn an associate degree if the following have been completed:

1. all University catalog requirements for the major field of study
2. applicable requirements specified under “Requirements for Associate Degrees”

Certificates

Students who have already received a certificate may earn an additional certificate.  See applicable requirements specified under “Requirements for a Certificate”.

Freshman Orientation

Beginning fall, 2008, all entering freshmen are required to take an orientation course during their first semester of enrollment (fall or spring). A number of the academic majors have an orientation course designed specific to the major. Students whose declared major does not have an orientation course or who are undeclared will take TECH 1013 Introduction to the University, or TECH 1001 Orientation to the University.

All orientation courses are designed to introduce the beginning student to the Arkansas Tech University campus, its culture, and traditions, and will contain certain common topics. Important policies governing campus life will be explained, and campus resources will be identified. Topics covered in each course will answer many questions typical freshmen have, which will assist in the transition from a high school environment. Subject matter will include managing time, setting academic goals, exam preparation, study and note-taking skills, introduction to library resources, and choosing a major and career.

State Minimum Core

The courses that comprise Tech’s general education curriculum also constitute the University’s State Minimum Core, established in accordance with Act 98 of 1989, for implementation the fall semester of 1991. Act 98 requires colleges and universities to identify “a minimum core of courses which shall apply toward the general education core curriculum requirements for baccalaureate degrees at state supported institutions of higher education and which shall be fully transferable between state institutions.”