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Each undergraduate student’s degree plan includes, at minimum, the Core Curriculum (general education) requirements and at least one major field of study. Students may add to their degree plans by officially declaring additional majors, concentrations within their major(s), and/or minors. Students admitted to the Honors College will have coding equivalent to an additional major added to their record as well. A student’s transcript will show all declared majors, concentrations, and minors. Upon graduation, the transcript will list all that were completed as part of the final degree entry.
Individual colleges (e.g Liberal Arts and Sciences, Maine Business School, etc.) may have specific requirements for students completing their majors, concentrations, or minors, as outlined in this Catalog. Some majors require the addition of a concentration or a minor. To learn more about these requirements, refer to the catalog for your college. Students’ degree plans and their progress in meeting the requirements are tracked in MaineStreet, the University’s student information system. The degree progress report is available on MaineStreet for students and advisors.
Catalog of Record
The academic requirements and policies listed in the Catalog are updated on a regular basis. These changes are updated in the next published Catalog. A student’s degree requirements for graduation are determined by the Undergraduate Catalog in effect for the year when they began the program. Students may, in consultation with their academic advisor(s), select graduation requirements from a newer Catalog published after their
admission. No student may select requirements from any Catalog that was published prior to their term of admission.
Students who change to a different major or are absent from the university for two or more years must meet the academic requirements outlined in the Catalog in effect at the time of the change or of their return to the university. The Associate Dean of the college offering a student’s major may request that a returning student be permitted to resume their former Catalog.
Majors
Majors are the core of each student’s degree plan, designed to develop in-depth knowledge and skills in a specific discipline. Each student must declare and complete the requirements for at least one major to earn their degree.
Concentrations
Concentrations are sets of courses designed to allow students to focus on a specific topic within a particular major and are available only to students who have declared that major. The courses for the concentration are completed in addition to the core courses for the major and are usually upper-level (300-400) level courses. Concentrations are awarded when a degree is conferred and may not be awarded later than the
degree conferral date.
Minors
Minors are sets of courses, typically 18 credits or more, designed to provide students with substantial knowledge of a subject area outside of their major course of study. Minors are independent of any specific major and generally available to be declared by any degree-seeking student. As noted in this Catalog, certain majors and minors may not be declared together due to significant overlap in content, courses, or other reasons as stated by the relevant academic units. Students may normally apply no more than one third of the credit hour requirements for the minor to meet the requirements of their major.
Minors are awarded at the same time a degree is conferred. Students who complete their associate degree program but not their minor(s) requirements by graduation may complete their minor(s) as part of a subsequent baccalaureate degree program. Students who complete their baccalaureate but not their minor(s) requirements by graduation will not be allowed to return to the university to complete declared minors. If a student begins work on a minor but fails to meet all of the requirements, there is no penalty unless completion of the minor is required by their major and/or College.
Students must complete a minimum of nine credit hours toward their minor requirements in residence at UMaine. Individual programs may require higher minimum residency requirements for specific minors, as noted in the program text in this catalog.
Non-Degree Certificates
Certificate programs are non-degree programs composed of sets of courses, typically 12 or more credit hours, designed to provide individuals with substantial knowledge of a subject area or prepare for employment in a field. Certificate programs may be enrolled in and completed by any individual enrolled as a non-degree student. Degree-seeking students may declare and pursue certificate programs, and complete them at any time, independent of their degree programs. If a degree-seeking student seeks to continue working toward a certificate after graduation from their degree program, their remaining enrollment toward the certificate will be as a non-degree student.
Students must generally satisfy all requirements for certificate programs in residence at UMaine, as non-degree programs are ineligible for transfer credit. In cases where a formal agreement (e.g. MOU, articulation) with another institution permits the inclusion of transfer credits in a specific certificate program, students must complete a minimum of nine credit hours toward their certificate program requirements in residence. Individual programs may require higher minimum residency requirements for specific certificates, as noted in the program text in this catalog. All certificate programs require a minimum 2.00 GPA in all relevant coursework for completion. Once the certificate requirements have been completed, students must apply to have their certificate reviewed and awarded following the same process described in the Baccalaureate and Associate Degree Requirements section of this Catalog.
Change of Major
Students planning to change majors should contact the academic unit (e.g. college, department, school, etc.) offering the desired new major to discuss the requirements and expectations of the program, and how their existing credits may apply. Students who have a 2.0 or better cumulative GPA are normally admitted to the major they are seeking to enter, but certain majors have special admission criteria. The unit makes the final decision on whether each student is admitted. Students who have less than a 2.0 cumulative GPA may be admitted to their major of choice contingent on previous coursework and related factors. Students may also be referred to alternative pathways to completing a degree, such as the Undergraduate Advising Center in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Bachelor of University Studies (BUS) through the Division of Lifelong Learning, or the Bachelor of College Studies (BCS) through UMaine Machias.
Programs Leading to Licensure
Certain programs may lead to licensure. Students who declare or change to a program leading to licensure, or those enrolled in such a program online who move to a new state, should visit the UMS State Authorization & Licensure page to learn more about their specific program and the licensure requirements in other states and territories, in addition to the contact information needed to inquire further into the licensure requirements associated with the program.
Double Majors
Double majors are possible within a single baccalaureate degree. Both majors may be within the same college, or they may be in different colleges. Students may complete two different majors simultaneously with no prescribed increase in total credits beyond those required to satisfy both majors. Students intending to complete the requirements of more than one major are required to declare their intent in writing to the dean of their college (or to the deans of both colleges, if the majors are in different colleges) no later than the first semester of the senior year. At this time the student must declare a primary major. The baccalaureate degree granted will be associated with the primary major, and the student is required to satisfy all of the requirements imposed by that college. To complete the second major, the student need only complete the specific requirements
established for that major.
The primary and secondary majors will be noted both on the diploma and on the transcript, worded according to the following example: Bachelor of Science in Biology, with a second major in Art, or Bachelor of Art in Studio Art, with a second major in Biology (depending upon which is designated the primary major). Students who drop their second major at the time of graduation may return later to complete it as an additional baccalaureate degree. Readmission will follow the guidelines outlined in the Dual Degree policy if the relevant criteria are met, or the Readmission policy if they are not.
Dual Degrees
Students may earn two baccalaureate degrees with distinct majors at the same time. To do so, they must complete:
- at least 30 credits beyond the number required for the degree with the lesser number of credit hours, typically a minimum of 150 total credits,
- the UMaine Core Curriculum requirements,
- unique writing in the major and capstone courses for the second degree program, in addition to those completed for the first degree and Core Curriculum,
- all requirements of each major and any associated concentrations,
- all requirements of any declared minors, and
- all requirements of each college.
In cases where both programs involved in a dual degree allow the Honors Thesis course (HON 498/499) to fulfill the capstone requirement, or list a common course option in their catalog text, students may request to satisfy both capstone and writing in the major requirements by completing a single course. Such a request must be approved by both degree program coordinators. Students intending to complete more than one degree are required to declare their intent to the dean of their college (or to the deans of both colleges, if the degree programs are in different colleges). Students who complete a dual degree will have two degree entries on their transcript, and receive two diplomas, upon graduation.
Students may also complete a second degree subsequent to graduation. Students selecting this option must be readmitted by the college where the new major resides*, complete at least 30 credits beyond the minimum required for the first degree, and complete all college and major requirements for the second degree. Students may apply any credits previously earned in excess of the minimum number required for the first degree.
The GPA for the second baccalaureate degree program is based on a student’s entire undergraduate career, including courses completed before graduation with their first degree and during enrollment toward the second degree. The GPA for the original degree is fixed at graduation and will not be adjusted subsequently. Students in pursuit of a second baccalaureate degree under this policy are eligible for Federal financial aid only in the form of unsubsidized loans.
* The readmission requirement is waived in cases where a student both:
1) Declared the dual degree (or double major) prior to graduating with only one degree, and
2) Enrolls in coursework for the second degree in the immediately following academic year
semester (i.e. fall or spring)
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