Degrees & Majors

The degree is the academic credential awarded by the University upon successful completion of an approved program of study and its associated requirements. Degrees may include bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

The major is the primary field of study within a degree program, consisting of a defined set of courses and requirements that students must complete.

**University Manual 8.20.40 Major Fields of Study.** An undergraduate student’s concentrated field of study in a degree-granting college shall be the student’s “major”; Fannon Institute students may have a “preferred major.” The major field of study for graduate students shall be the student’s “program.”

Degree / Major Program Requirements

• Undergraduate programs are required to have a minimum or 120 credits, and a maximum of 148 (UM 8.21.10)
• Undergraduate programs shall include at least 6 credits of free electives (UM 8.21.10)
• General Education requirements shall apply to all undergraduate programs (UM 8.21.11)
• A cumulative average of at least 2.00 is required to graduate from all undergraduate degrees. (UM 8.22.10)
• Master’s degree programs with thesis require a minimum of 30 credits. 18 must be from content-based courses, 6 must be thesis courses. (GSM 7.44.1)
• Master’s degree programs without thesis require a minimum of 30 credits. (GSM 7.45.1)
• Doctoral students must complete a Program of Study with a minimum of 64 credit hours beyond the undergraduate degree (GSM 7.54) (See GSM sections 7.54 and 7.21)

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In Kuali, the term program refers to all credential types; Degrees, majors, minors, and certificates. In the Manual, program refers to a graduate student’s major field of study.

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Minor

A secondary concentration of undergraduate courses that provides students with a defined area of study outside their major. A minor generally requires 18 or more credits and is listed on the student’s permanent academic record after graduation.

University Manual 8.20.50 Minor Fields of Study. Undergraduate Students may declare a “minor” field of study. A minor is a secondary concentration of courses.

Minor Requirements

• 18 or more credits of related studies offered by one or more departments or programs and sponsored by a faculty member. (UM 8.20.50)
• At least 12 credits at the 200-level or above ( UM 8.20.51)
• At least 8 credits must be earned at URI (UM 8.20.51)
• Minimum GPA average of 2.0 must be earned in the minor’s required courses (UM 8.20.51)
• A maximum of two courses can apply to both the major and minor field of study (UM 8.20.52)

Certificate

An approved course of study designed to further knowledge in a field of interest, provide specialized training, and/or enhance professional skills.

Certificate Requirements

• Undergraduate certificates generally require 15-21 credits of coursework (UM 8.20.70)
• Undergraduate certificates are available to degree seeking and certificate-only seeking undergraduate students (UM 8.20.70)
• Undergraduate certificate courses may not be pass/fail (UM 8.20.71)
• Graduate certificates require 12 credits minimum, 16 credits maximum. (GSM Appendix J.1.1)
• Post-master’s graduate certificates require 12 credits minimum, 18 credits maximum. (GSM Appendix J.1.1)