Graduation

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120-Hour Requirement for Undergraduate Degree

The number of hours for a UNO undergraduate degree is 120 credit hours. Please review the requirements for your specific program to determine all requirements for the program. In order to graduate on-time (four years for an undergraduate degree), you need to take 30 hours each year.  See Degree Completion Guarantee below.  

Bachelor's

An undergraduate degree awarded by a college or university upon successful completion of a program of study.. Common degree types include bachelor of arts (B.A. or A.B.), and bachelor of science (B.S.). A bachelor's is required before starting graduate studies.

Major

A program of courses that meets the requirements for a degree in a particular field of study.

  • Majors consist of a minimum of 30 hours of undergraduate or graduate coursework;
  • Majors are discipline and content specific with a coherent plan of study;
    (Ensure that the program of study follows the appropriate undergraduate or graduate academic guidelines)
  • Majors have limited overlap with other majors;
  • Majors provide both depth and breadth within a specific-content area; and
  • Majors are not printed on diplomas, but recognized on transcripts.

Concentrations

Are a subset of a major with a limited number of hours required in a focused area.

  • Concentrations generally consist of 12-18 undergraduate credit hours or at least 9 graduate credit hours. The BMS concentrations have 30 hours of coursework;
  • Concentrations share a core set of requirements for the major;
  • Concentrations may overlap with other concentrations within a major; 
  • Concentrations have some distinct or unique requirements that differentiate from other concentrations or within the major; and
  • Concentrations are recognized on transcripts.

Minors

A program of study requiring fewer courses than a major. Some majors require a minor and other majors do not require a minor.

  • Minors generally consist of 15-18 hours of undergraduate coursework, must include 9 hours as 3000 level or higher, or 9 hours of graduate coursework;
  • Minors provide an opportunity for a secondary set of skills and knowledge in addition to a major; 
  • Minors cover an area outside of the major; and
  • Minors are recognized on transcripts.

Certificates

  • Certificates generally consist of 12-18 hours of coursework;
    (Ensure that the program of study follows the appropriate undergraduate or graduate academic guidelines)
  • Certificates provide an opportunity for a recognized specific set of skills and knowledge;
  • With departmental approval, the certificate coursework may be applied to a graduate or undergraduate degree program; and
  • Certificates provide an independent or professional credential that is awarded in addition to, or independently from, a graduate or undergraduate degree.

Degree Completion Guarantee

Board of Regents Resolution

The four‐year guarantee for undergraduate graduation is the University of Nebraska’s promise, to those students who so desire, to do our part to support your academic journey and completion of an undergraduate degree within four years. While every student’s path is different, degree plans support students who are planning to complete their degree in four years, as well as support students who prefer their own flexible schedule.

For those students looking to complete a degree within four years, it is, of course, critical to have appropriate high school preparation, pursue a course of study that is intended for four‐year completion and follow these prudent practices:

  • Select a major early (by your third semester) in college and stay with that major.
  • Fulfill the bachelor’s degree requirements* and general studies requirements as outlined in the academic catalog.
  • Follow the four‐year course of study plan published by your major and pass all required courses on the first attempt (no deficient grades as defined by your major).
  • Meet with your advisor every semester and respond promptly to all communications from academic advisors, the registrar, and Advising and Career Services staff.
  • Sign up for classes during each semester’s priority period.
  • Register for and complete at least 15 credit hours per semester for eight semesters with acceptable grades.
  • When a required course is not available, notify the department chair in a timely fashion (one week).
  • Not be subject to any disciplinary action per the Student Code of Conduct during your time as a student that restricts your academic progress.
  • Apply for graduation by the deadline.

In turn, the university guarantees the student will be able to enroll in courses that permit graduation in four years. If that is not possible, the university will provide alternatives or substitutions. If a student fulfills the requirements detailed above and isn’t able to graduate in four years, the University of Nebraska will cover 100% of tuition for any additional course(s) needed to graduate. Of course, not all students are in a position or desire to graduate in four years. Some may need or prefer to engage in experiential or service‐learning opportunities, represent their school on a collegiate team, or work more hours and attend school part‐time, or they may be enrolled in a program that requires more than four years. Others may choose a different pace or the opportunity to take a wider range of courses that are not directly related to their field of study. Additionally, those students seeking dual degrees or multiple majors may need more time to complete their work. This program is designed for those who want to complete their degree program as quickly as possible.

The Four-Year Graduation Guarantee was approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in 2002. The program recognizes the importance of Nebraska undergraduate students being able to earn their bachelor’s or first-professional degrees in timely fashion.

* Unless specified by an accreditor and approved by the Provost, the Board of Regents requires that University of Nebraska undergraduate programs be completed in 120 credit hours.

Double Major

To pursue a double major, a student only needs to fulfill the college requirements of his/her primary college. The degree awarded will be associated with the major pursued at the primary college. The student will also have to fulfill the university general education curriculum, as well as the major requirements for both subject areas. The student would be awarded one degree (e.g. a BSED) with the double majors (e.g. in Secondary Education and English). 

*Note: No additional hours are required if the student can complete the additional major within the minimum hours required for the degree.

Process of Declaring Additional Majors

A student wanting to declare an additional major must first check with the department of the desired major to determine if it is allowed, then the student's advisor must complete a Change of Program eForm within MavLINK, which will route to the necessary approvers before it is processed by the Office of the University Registrar. The student and submitting advisor will receive an email notification once the change is processed.

Double Degree ¹

For UNO to award a double degree, a student needs to meet all the college requirements for both degrees. The student also must fulfill the university general education curriculum. In addition, the student must complete at least 30 semester hours in each field and a minimum total of 150 semester hours.

The University awards double degrees to students who are earning different degrees. For example, it is possible for a student to be awarded both a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree with a major in Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Education (BSED) degree with a major in Elementary Education since these are two separate degrees.

The University does not award the same degree twice. For example, it is not possible for a student to be awarded two Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees with majors in Biology and Political Science or two Bachelor of Science in Education (BSED) degrees with majors in Secondary Education and Library Science. Instead, the student would be awarded one BS degree with two respective majors or one BSED degree with two respective majors.

1

A double degree is not the same as a dual degree. A dual-degree program refers to a specifically approved combination of degree programs.

Candidacy for a Second Baccalaureate Degree

A student who has met the requirements for a baccalaureate degree at the University of Nebraska at Omaha may earn additional, different baccalaureate degrees by completing a minimum of 30 additional semester hours at the University for each additional degree, and by also satisfying all degree requirements for each degree. At the undergraduate level, each degree earned must be unique.

A plan of study for the additional hours, approved by the department head primarily concerned, must be filed in the Office of the Dean of the College offering the degree by the completion of the fifteenth (15th) additional hour. Students must consult an academic advisor prior to starting this program. Two baccalaureate degrees may be awarded simultaneously when the student becomes eligible to receive them.

Application for Degrees

Every student working toward a degree or certificate program at UNO, must apply for their degree in order to receive degree conferral and their diploma. All applications for degree must be filed via MavLINK. Deadlines can be found on the Academic Calendar. Directions and guidelines on completing this process can be found on the Registrar website at http://registrar.unomaha.edu/graduate.php.

All requirements for graduation must be completed and certification by the appropriate College must be on file in the Office of the University Registrar no later than the close of business on the fifteenth (15th) working day, following the last day of finals for a particular semester. This includes the satisfaction of all grades of Incomplete.

Outstanding Debts and Fees Owed to the University

Diplomas and official transcripts will not be released for students who have outstanding debts or fees owed to the University of Nebraska System. The student is responsible for contacting the Office of Cashiering and Student Accounts at the respective campus to make arrangements to clear his/her account.

Degrees with Honors

The baccalaureate degrees with honors are awarded as follows:

  • Cum laude: Have a scholastic average for their entire undergraduate career of 3.51 or above, but below 3.63
  • Magna cum laude: Have a scholastic average for their entire undergraduate career of 3.63 or above, but below 3.87
  • Summa cum laude: Have a scholastic average for their entire undergraduate career of 3.87 or above

To qualify for honors, a student must have earned at least 60 semester hours within the University of Nebraska system, 30 hours of which must be completed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and in which letter grades of “A,” “B,” “C,” or “D” are received.

Students who declare Academic Amnesty are not eligible to graduate with honors.

Grades awarded in all courses taken at all colleges and universities attended are included in computing the Grade Point Average (GPA) for determining eligibility for honors. It should be noted that the GPA included on the UNO transcript reflects only courses taken at UNO, UNL, UNMC, and UNK.

Degrees with Honors Extra Muros

These degrees are awarded to transfer students who have not completed the required 60 semester hours of credit within the University of Nebraska system required for cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude honors.

To be eligible for Honors Extra Muros the transfer students must meet both the following standards and requirements:

  • Have a minimum of 24 graded credit hours from UNO
  • Have a minimum of 77 graded credit hours

If those requirements have been met, baccalaureate degrees with Honors Extra Muros are awarded as follows:

  • Cum laude: Have a scholastic average for their entire undergraduate career of 3.51 or above, but below 3.63
  • Magna cum laude: Have a scholastic average for their entire undergraduate career of 3.63 or above, but below 3.87
  • Summa cum laude: Have a scholastic average for their entire undergraduate career of 3.87 or above

Attendance at Commencement

Two commencement ceremonies are held at the University of Nebraska at Omaha during the academic year. The two ceremonies are held in May (Spring) and December (Fall). Academic regalia is required for degree candidates to participate in the ceremony. Students not wearing academic regalia will not be permitted to participate in the ceremony.