Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Non-Degree Courses

Courses numbered 444 or 544 (See Professional Development, Teacher Education Programs listed in School of Education Section) or Developmental Courses may not be applied toward a degree.

Associate Degrees

A candidate for an associate degree offered by WNMU must meet the specific requirements indicated in the degree program outlined by the major department in this Catalog. In addition, the student is subject to the following WNMU regulations:

1. A minimum of 60 credit hours is required. A minimum of 15 credit hours must be earned in residence at WNMU, including continuing education courses with no more than six credit hours of correspondence credit. The remainder may be acceptable transfer credits earned from fully accredited institutions of higher learning and/or from regionally accredited technicalvocational institutions (see Transfer Students under Academic Regulations);
2. Complete ENGL 1110  with a C or better and all courses required for the major with a grade of C or better. The A.A. in Liberal Studies does not require a grade of C or better in core courses. All Associate Degrees require the student to have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.0. Developmental Studies courses do not count toward degree completion. They do count toward the G.P.A.;
3. File an advisor approved degree plan and application for graduation by September 1 for spring graduation, February 1 for summer, or May 1 for fall graduation with the Office of the Registrar. The student will be advised by e-mail through their Mustang Express Account.
4. Remove any indebtedness to WNMU. Complete all coursework prior to the last day of the semester.

Bachelor Degrees

A candidate for a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.), Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.), or Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) offered by WNMU must meet the specific requirements indicated in the degree program outlined by the major/minor department in this catalog.

Students completing a bachelor’s degree may include a maximum of 44 credit hours earned through the ACT examination, CLEP examination (32 credit hours combined ACT/CLEP maximum), Adult Learning and Education Experiences (44 credit hours maximum), Advanced Placement Program and correspondence work (nine credit hours maximum). This does not include transfer work. Students may use any combination of the above listed programs, not to exceed individual program maximums (which may be more restrictive) or the overall maximum (44 credit hours). In addition, the student is subject to the following WNMU regulations:

1. A minimum of 120 credit hours is required (to include no more than nine credit hours of correspondence credit), with a minimum of 42 credit hours of upper level courses (300-400 series). B.A.S. and B.S.N. degrees may require less than 42 hours of upper division credit.
   
   Nine credit hours must be from designated writing intensive courses;
   
   Three credits of Service Learning courses are required for graduation.
2. Successful completion of General Education requirements (normally 31 credit hours), major (30 or more credit hours), and minor (18-24 credit hours). Some majors allow waiver of the minor requirement. Majors that allow waiver of the minor requirement indicate such under the major requirements;
   
   An associate’s degree may be substituted for a minor if the associate degree contains at least eighteen hours of required coursework in a specific discipline that is different from the coursework required for the major;
   
   A second major may be substituted for a minor requirement provided the second major has at least 18 hours of required coursework different from the course work required for the first major.
3. Second language requirement (for B.A.): This requirement is fulfilled by the satisfactory completion of any upper division Spanish course, or one of the following: BLED 431 , SPAN 2220 , SPAN 303  or CLEP for four semesters of Spanish. Students who have studied a language in high school, or who have proficiency in a language, may determine the level at which they should begin language study by consulting the School of Education.
4. Mathematics/Computer science requirement (for B.S., B.B.A., B.A.S. degrees): Students must complete six credit hours of mathematics and/ or computer science and/or GEOG 323 /SOC 323  Social Statistics, PSYC 2510  Statistical Principals for Psychology or EDUC 2375 , Computers in the Classroom, in addition to the three credit hours of mathematics used to fulfill the General Education requirements. Elementary Education majors and Special Education majors must take MATH 2132   and MATH 2133  for the B.S. requirement. Sociology majors may not use GEOG 323 /SOC 323  nor PSYC 2510  for the B.S. requirement; B.A.S. in Rehabilitation Services requires any combination of six credits (beyond General Education) in the areas of Statistics, Math, Biology, Chemistry, and/or Kinesiology;
5. Demonstrate a minimum competence (grade of C) by satisfactorily completing ENGL 1110  and ENGL 1120  or attaining an acceptable score on an authorized proficiency test, prior to graduation;
6. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required. No grade below a C is acceptable in the major and minor areas. Developmental Studies courses do not count toward any degree completion. They do count toward the G.P.A.;
   NOTE: Some departments require a G.P.A. higher than 2.0 to graduate. It is the student’s responsibility to meet individual departmental regulations;
7. Residence credit requirement for all candidates for a Bachelors degree:
   
   Regular Students: Twelve of the last eighteen credit hours of course work for the degree must be completed in residence. Students who lack no more than six credit hours to graduate and have met all other requirements may complete their course work in non-residence, provided such course work is completed no later than one year from the last time of residence enrollment and provided the student has requested and received permission from the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs prior to the end of the last semester in residence;
   
   Transfer Students: Thirty credit hours of course work for the degree must be completed in residence, of which 20 credit hours must be satisfactorily completed in the upper level courses (numbered 300-499). At least six credit hours in the elected major and three credit hours in the minor must be completed in residence. Credit is transferred at the level given at the sending institution for four year institutions. Credits earned at two year institutions cannot be used to meet upper division requirements;
   
   Transfer Students from Quarter hour system for General Education (see General Education section)
8. File an advisor approved degree plan and application for degree evaluation by September 1 for spring graduation, February 1 for summer, or May 1 for fall graduation with the Office of the Registrar. The student will be advised in writing of the results by the Office of the Registrar;
9. Remove any indebtedness to WNMU. Complete all course work prior to the last day of the semester.

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree - Fine Arts (additional requirements)

In addition to the above listed requirements, a candidate for the B.F.A. in Fine Arts degree is subject to the following WNMU regulations:

1. The student must be admitted to the B.F.A. Program. Admission packets and information are available at the Expressive Arts Department. A student must have a 3.0 grade point average in all art classes previously taken and have completed the Art & Design courses (27 credit hours) to be eligible to apply to the program;
2. Application requires a portfolio of the student’s work (20 labeled 35-mm slides or a CD-PC Adobe Photoshop compatible), list of works, statement of BFA goals and art philosophy, and sponsorship from a member of the art faculty;
3. B.F.A. students must successfully complete 83 credit hours in art as follows: 27 credit hours in Art & Design courses, 12 credit hours in introductory Studio courses, 24 credit hours in upper division Studio courses, 13 credit hours in Art History (including 1 credit for the Art History Visual Thesis), and 7 credit hours of additional B.F.A. required courses.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (additional requirements)

In addition to the above listed requirements, a candidate for the B.S.N. degree is subject to the following WNMU regulations:

1. The student must be admitted to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. A student must have an approved A.D.N. or Diploma program in nursing with a valid license as a Registered Nurse in the State of New Mexico or a Multi-state Licensure compact state. The student must also have a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5 at the time of admission;
2. Successful completion of 42 credit of upper division courses are required.

Bachelor of Social Work Degree (additional requirements)

In addition to the above listed requirements, a candidate for the B.S.W. degree must meet the following WNMU degree requirements and is subject to the following WNMU regulations:

1. The student must be admitted to the Social Work program. Admission packets and information are available at the School of Social Work website online at https://socialwork.wnmu.edu/bsw. A student must have a 2.5 cumulative grade point average to be eligible to apply to the program;
2. Students must be admitted to the program prior to enrolling in any of the following courses: SWK 386 , SWK 398 , SWK 460 , SWK 461 , SWK 487 , SWK 488 , SWK 492 , and SWK 499 . Academic credit for life or previous work experience will not be awarded. Demonstrate minimum competency (grade of C) in all Social Work professional foundation courses;
3. Students who have completed a degree, must complete 44 credit hours of professional foundation courses, other courses required by the B.S.W. degree and all other regulations regarding their particular status;

Earning a Second Certificate:

Students may receive additional certificates if all course requirements have been completed with a C or better. These additional certificates will be recorded on a student’s permanent record. Additional core requirement credits cannot have already been used to satisfy graduation requirements in the student’s prior certificate. If a core requirement course is required by both certificates, a substitution must be approved by the department.

Earning a Second Undergraduate Degree

It is possible for a student to earn more than one undergraduate degree/major. To obtain a second associate/baccalaureate degree/major, the student must complete the following requirements:

1. Meet admission criteria for the second degree/major;
2. Meet all degree requirements of the new degree/major. There are no minor requirements for a second bachelor’s degree. General Education will be satisfied with the first baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university or college;
3. Transfer students wishing to obtain a second degree/major must meet the residency requirements specified for associate/baccalaureate degrees.

DOUBLE MAJORS: Completion of a second major is recorded on a student’s permanent record, but as a second major, not a second degree. A second degree is not awarded for an additional major or for an additional minor. Example: A person earning a B.B.A. in Accounting could not obtain a second B.B.A. in Management. Rather, the transcript would reflect a single B.B.A. with two majors.

DUAL DEGREES: Students who wish to be granted two undergraduate degrees (A.A., A.S., A.A.S., B.S., B.A., B.B.A., B.A.S., B.F.A., B.S.N., B.S.W., etc.) must fulfill all the requirements specified for each individual degree. Example: A person earning a B.A. in Botany could earn a B.S. in Zoology, but would be required to meet the second language requirement for the B.A. degree and/or the math/computer science requirement for the B.S. degree. A student will also need to meet the major requirements. A person cannot obtain a second degree with the same major as the first degree. Example: A person cannot earn both a B.A. and a B.S. degree in Biology.

The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree may not be used as a second baccalaureate undergraduate degree. The Associate of Liberal Studies degree may be used as a second associate undergraduate degree providing that the student has 15 hours of coursework beyond the General Education and major coursework that was required for the first associate degree.