Undergraduate Degree Requirements

In addition to the specific departmental requirements for degree plans, students should refer to Academic Regulations for general university requirements. A portion of that information is listed here for convenience.

Residency Requirement

The full senior year must be completed in residence except that a senior who has already met the minimum residency requirement will be permitted to earn not more than 12 of the last 30 hours in extension or correspondence courses or in residence at another accredited institution granting the baccalaureate degree. No more than six of these 12 hours may be correspondence courses. The minimum residence requirement is 36 weeks and 30 semester hours. Residency for the senior year is defined as a period during which the student must be enrolled in courses offered on the campus in Fayetteville. This is intended to provide adequate contact with the University and its faculty for each student who is awarded a degree. Colleges and departments have the authority to prescribe residence requirements that exceed those described here.

Grade-Point Average

A candidate for a degree from the College of Engineering must have earned a grade-point average of no less than 2.00 on all courses in the student’s major area of study, all engineering courses, and all work completed at the university and presented for the degree. Grades on work taken at other colleges and presented for transfer credit must also meet this standard.

Courses That Do Not Count Toward a Degree

The following courses do not count toward degree credit: ANTH 0003, PHSC 0003, ENGL 0003, MATH 0003, CIED 0003, MATH 1203, MATH 1213, MATH 1285, and ENGL 2003.

"D" Rule

No student will be allowed to present more that eight (8) credit hours of ‘D’ to meet the requirements for a degree.

68 Hour Rule

Students who transfer into the University may present for degree credit no more than 68 hours of lower division course work (1000 and 2000 level).

Minors in Other Colleges and Schools

Students in the College of Engineering may pursue an academic minor in other colleges. For example, a minor in business is popular among engineering students. For requirements regarding minors, check the catalog listing for the department offering the minor. Students must notify the College of Engineering dean's office of their intent to pursue a minor.

Requirements to Graduate with Honors

Students who have demonstrated exceptional academic performance in baccalaureate degree programs will be recognized at graduation by the honors designation of cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude. To earn this designation, the student must meet the following criteria:

  1. Must have at least a 3.50 GPA on University of Arkansas course work, computed at graduation (students with grade-point averages lower than 3.50 do not receive honors designation at graduation);
  2. Must successfully complete the Engineering Honors Program, which includes a minimum of 12 hours of honors courses (at least 6 of these hours in engineering), an undergraduate research experience and thesis, and any additional departmental requirements;
  3. Research and thesis material shall be evaluated by each department;
  4. For cum laude, the student must achieve a GPA of 3.50 or higher and have good or better performance on the undergraduate research and thesis;
  5. For magna cum laude, the student must achieve a GPA of 3.75 or higher and have good or better performance on the undergraduate research and thesis;
  6. For summa cum laude, the student must achieve a GPA of 3.90 or higher and have outstanding performance on the undergraduate research and thesis.

The criteria may be evaluated and changed periodically by the College of Engineering.

Requirements to Graduate with Distinction

Students who have not completed the Engineering Honors Program but have demonstrated excellent academic performance in baccalaureate degree programs will be recognized at graduation by the designation of "with distinction," "with high distinction," or "with highest distinction." To earn these designations, the student must meet the following criteria on his or her University of Arkansas course work:

  1. Must have completed at least one-half of his or her degree work at the University of Arkansas;
  2. For "with distinction," the student must achieve a GPA of 3.60 or higher;
  3. For "with high distinction," the student must achieve a GPA of 3.75 or higher;
  4. For "with highest distinction," the student must achieve a GPA of 3.90 or higher.

The criteria may be evaluated and changed periodically by the College of Engineering.