Graduation Requirements

General Requirements

To earn any academic credential from RIT, students must satisfy a number of requirements. Graduation requirements may vary significantly from program to program, and all students should seek out and use the academic advising resources within their colleges. In general, students should expect to satisfy the following requirements before they can graduate from RIT:

Completion of academic curricula
I. Students must satisfactorily complete all of the courses in their academic program. General education requirements and specific course requirements for each program are identified in the following pages. This bulletin and careful consultation with an academic adviser provide the best resources for planning academic programs at RIT.

II. Program curricula may include several types of courses, including cooperative education, field experience, practicum, thesis and research, and wellness. Most RIT students will need to satisfy a wellness requirement, and many academic programs require one or more quarters of experiential learning, including cooperative education or internships.

III. The curriculum in effect at the time of admission into a program will normally be the curriculum one must complete in order to graduate. Occasionally, with departmental approval, course substitutions and other minor curricular modifications may occur. Although there is no time limit within which students must complete their course requirements, the curriculum under which a student is certified to graduate must be no more than seven years old.
Grade point average standard

I. Successful candidates for an undergraduate degree, diploma, or certificate must have a program cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. (The physician assistant program requires a program cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or better.)

II. Graduation honors are conferred on associate and bachelor’s degree recipients who achieve a 3.40 or higher program cumulative GPA.
Residency and minimum earned hours

At least 45 of the credit hours used toward a degree program must be earned by successfully completing RIT courses. In addition, at least 30 of the final 45 hours of any program must be earned through RIT courses. Credit earned through transfer, credit by exam/experience, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or audit are excluded from these residency calculations. RIT academic programs vary as to the total number of credit hours required; however, under no circumstances will a student be allowed to graduate with a bachelor’s degree with fewer than 180 cumulative earned hours (90 hours for associate degrees). Cumulative earned hours include RIT courses, transfer credit, credit by exam/experience, CLEP, AP, and IB credits.
Demonstration of writing skills

Students must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the dean of their college, that they have the writing skills needed for successful entry into their chosen careers. Each academic department determines the criteria and standards for evaluating abilities.
Full payment of all financial obligations to RIT

The Liberal Arts General Education Curriculum

Under the university’s revised curricular requirements (implemented September 1, 2005), students in all baccalaureate degree programs are required to complete at least 90 credit hours of general education. This includes a minimum of 36 quarter credit hours in the humanities and social sciences taken in the College of Liberal Arts. If a student selects to complete a minor in the College of Liberal Arts, the total number of required humanities or social science credits will be 44. Students enrolled in bachelor of science programs also must complete at least 20 quarter credit hours of general education in the College of Science.

The College of Liberal Arts general education curriculum is divided into an introductory core, an Arts of Expression course, and advanced courses in a liberal arts concentration or liberal arts minor. The requirements for baccalaureate degree programs are summarized below.

The introductory core totals 20 credit hours and is composed of the following 200- to 300-level courses:
A. Writing (0502-227) (4 credit hours)
B. Two humanities courses (8 credit hours) taken from two different disciplines:
Fine Arts
History
Literature
Philosophy
Science, Technology, and Values or Introduction to
Environmental Studies
C. Two social science courses (8 credit hours) taken from two different disciplines:
Anthropology
Economics
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Arts of Expression course (4 credit hours)
Advanced course work in a liberal arts concentration or minor (minimum 12 credit hours required in 400- to 500-level courses).

Students enrolled in associate degree programs will generally complete only a portion of the liberal arts requirements listed above. Additional information is provided in the academic program listings in this bulletin and through academic advisers.

Liberal arts advising

Liberal arts requirements vary within the individual degree programs on campus. Therefore, it is important that students carefully plan their liberal arts program to meet their specific degree requirements. Advising staff are available daily in the College of Liberal Arts’ Office of Student Services, located on the second floor of the Liberal Arts Building, to provide assistance in planning and selecting appropriate liberal arts courses. Through this office, the college provides academic worksheets for each degree program to help students maintain records of progress toward their degree.

The College of Liberal Arts faculty recommends that students who wish to pursue their liberal arts studies beyond the minimum general education requirement consider any of the following options:

the additional courses needed to complete a liberal arts minor,
the additional courses needed to complete a second liberal arts minor,
the additional courses needed to complete a liberal arts double major,
a 500-level seminar course,
at least one multicultural or international/global studies course,
additional courses that feature writing,
courses that complement or add depth to professional studies,
courses that respond to personal interests—even if immediate ties to professional studies are not apparent, or
the study of a foreign language to facilitate study abroad or professional development.

The Mathematics and Science General Education Curriculum*

* The mathematics and science general education curriculum requirement applies to all students pursuing the bachelor of science degree. Students in bachelor of fine arts programs need not complete this requirement.

The general education curriculum in mathematics and science is a component of all RIT bachelor of science degree programs and is completed through one of three options. These options offer a balance between mathematics and science. A minimum of 20 credits is required. Students should consult with their individual program chairperson or academic adviser for specific course requirements and approved sequences.

Plan A: Balanced
Mathematics—One three-course sequence
Science—One three-course sequence and associated laboratories

Plan B: Emphasis on Science
Mathematics—One two-course sequence
Science—One two-course sequence and associated laboratories, plus two additional science electives

Plan C: Emphasis on Mathematics
Mathematics—One two-course sequence, plus two additional mathematics electives
Science—One two-course sequence and associated laboratories

Wellness Education Requirement

RIT recognizes the need for wellness education in today’s society and offers specifically designed courses to help students develop and maintain a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle that encourages the use of free time in an enjoyable and constructive manner. The wellness education requirement is designed to assist students in making healthy decisions to support their academic and social interactions in college and beyond. The wellness curriculum provides learning experiences that are an integral part of the educational experience at RIT.

Students seeking a Bachelor’s Degree

Students seeking a bachelor’s degree must successfully complete two different wellness activity courses. (Important Note: Different courses would include different levels of and/or forms of a course that may have the same course number (e.g., Karate/Beginners and Karate/Advanced would count as two different activity courses).

Students seeking an Associate Degree

Students seeking an associate degree must successfully complete one wellness activity course.

Transfer Students: Transfer students may apply course work successfully completed at a previous institution. The student’s home department will determine and make decisions regarding transfer of health, wellness, or activity courses. The Center for Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation will be available for consultation

Exemption Scenarios

Age: Students who are 25 or older at the date of matriculation are exempt from the wellness education requirement but may enroll in any course on a space-available basis.

Club Sports Participation: Students participating in an RIT-recognized club sport may be granted 1 activity course credit for the year of participation. Participation on the same club team for multiple seasons (e.g., four seasons) can be counted only one time for activity course credit toward the graduation requirement. Students must see the club sports adviser before the end of the spring quarter add/drop period to facilitate the credit process.

Credit by Experience: Retroactive credit may be granted for certain independent activities if completed within one year before matriculation at RIT. A formal written request must be submitted that clearly outlines the activity that is being considered for wellness education credit along with all documentation of the experience (signatures of instructors/copy of certificate). A minimum of 16 hours of a previous activity is required. Formal requests should be submitted to Dugan Davies (Wellness Instructional Program), dnddhd@rit.edu, (585) 475-6232.

Intercollegiate Athletics: Students participating in the university’s intercollegiate athletic programs will be granted wellness activity course credit for the season(s) of participation, but must still successfully complete First-Year Enrichment or Wellness for Life. The Center for Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation encourages student athletes to enroll in wellness activity courses that are different from their intercollegiate experience to ensure full engagement in a variety of leisure time pursuits.

Intramural Participation: No credit is granted for intramural sports participation.

Medical Excuse: A medical excuse may exempt a student from participation in the activity segment of the graduation requirement but the student must still successfully complete First-Year Enrichment or Wellness for Life. The exemption will be granted only by a college dean, with input from the director of wellness for the Center for Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation. One copy of the medical excuse (signed physician’s memo) should be filed with the Center for Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation and the other copy taken to the student’s academic department.

Military Duty: Students who have completed six months or more of active military duty are not required to complete the wellness education program but are encouraged to enroll in any wellness course on a space available basis.

Nonmatriculated Status: Nonmatriculated students are exempt from the wellness education requirement.

Prior Bachelor’s Degree
Students who have acquired a prior bachelor’s degree are exempt from the wellness education requirement.