Office of Admission & Records

Graduation/Catalog-in-Force Requirements

Office of Admission & Records

GRADUATION/CATALOG-IN-FORCE REQUIREMENTS

Graduation Requirements
Catalog-in-Force Requirements

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT

In order to receive a baccalaureate degree from the University of Guam, a student must complete at least 32 credit hours for the degree in residence at the University of Guam. The residence requirements will not be waived under any circumstances. A student who is no longer in residence at the University of Guam may request to be graduated in absentia. In this situation, no more than 16 semester hours of the last 28 semester hours attempted may be completed in absentia. In absentia credit hours must be completed over the next two consecutive semesters following departure for UOG. Diplomas for those graduating in absentia are filed at the Office of Admissions & Records. Graduates who wish to have their diplomas mailed to them must pay the postage applicable at the time they file the request.

MINIMUM GPA REQUIREMENT

As a condition for meeting graduation requirements of the University, students must have at least the minimum overall GPA prescribed by the particular college, which in no case is lower than 2.000, and must have at least a 2.000 (“C”) average or better in specific courses required for the major; or a “C” or better in specific courses required for the major if their college or program so requires. (See Grades, Grade Changes, Grade Points, and GPAs section.)

A student’s cumulative grade-point standing at the University will, at any time, be based on all academic work attempted at the University of Guam and at the institution(s) from which the student transferred.

CREDIT HOUR REQUIREMENT

A minimum of 124 credit hours must be completed for the baccalaureate degree and must include 40 upper-division credits. (See Transfer credit for specific information about upper-division credits for transfer students.)

DEGREE/GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Degree requirements or graduation requirements means all courses and credits needed to graduate, including general education requirements, college requirements, university-wide requirements and major course requirements. If a second concurrent major is attempted by the student, courses acceptable for the general education requirement for the first major may be used to satisfy requirements in the second major, but credits will not be counted twice. Students will not be allowed to participate in the University of Guam commencement ceremony if they have not been officially certified by the Registrar as completing all program and degree requirements.

ASSESSMENT OF CORE COMPETENCIES

As an administrative requirement for undergraduate graduation and to comply with accreditation requirements, the University will conduct an assessment of student core competencies (e.g., written communication, oral communication, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and information literacy). These assessments will provide the University with information directly from students to help improve curriculum and student success with the mastery of these core competencies. Individual results will be kept confidential and will not be publicly reported. The results of these assessments will not be used to influence or impact any grade for any of the classes a student takes; however, the results will be a requirement for graduation.

Questions regarding this administrative requirement may be addressed to:

Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Tel: (671) 735-2646
Email: oie@triton.uog.edu

If you would like to request for accommodations when taking these assessments, at least two weeks prior to testing, contact:

Sallie Sablan, Senior Academic Counselor
Tel: (671) 735-2460
Email: sssablan@triton.uog.edu

OUTSTANDING BALANCE

If a student’s financial obligations have not been met, the Office of Admissions & Records will not release transcripts, diploma, or other official records of the student, and the student will not be permitted to register for further courses.

ACADEMIC EVALUATION

An academic evaluation considers all required courses and credit hours and determines which have been completed and which have not. After successful completion of approximately one-half (60) of the credit hours required for the baccalaureate degree, a student may request an academic evaluation at the Records Office. (For information about transfer credit, see Policies about Academic Credit Transfer).

APPLICATION FOR DEGREE

An application for degree must be filed and fee must be paid early in the semester prior to the semester in which the student plans to complete. Should the student fail to file this request for graduation at the Records Office, the necessary steps preparatory to official awarding of the degree will not be taken, and the actual awarding of the degree may be delayed. If a student fails to complete degree requirements, after having filed the application, he or she must then submit a new application and pay the graduation re-application fee.

Diplomas include the following information:
Student’s name (first, middle, and last), degree, and major
University honors for qualifying students
Diplomas DO NOT include minors. Minors will be officially included on official record (transcript).
Double-major degrees are listed on one diploma; however, a student may request and make payment for a separate diploma for each degree.

CATALOG-IN-FORCE REQUIREMENTS

COURSE WAIVERS

The University makes special allowances to waive a course under circumstances in which a student has demonstrated satisfactorily that they would not materially benefit from that course because of their previous experiences, knowledge, and understanding in that particular subject matter. However, this does not imply that credit will be granted for the course or courses waived. It does indicate that the student granted the privilege is prepared to enroll in a more advanced course in the subject area. Waiving of a course does not reduce the number of credit hours required in a given program; consequently, students will be expected to take more advanced courses or electives (either in the same subject area or in related areas) in lieu of the courses waived in order to meet the total minimum credit requirements in a given program. Thus, a waiver is not the same as credit-by-examination.

The authority to grant such waivers is given to the deans of the colleges or schools in which the courses concerned are listed. The deans have made provisions for such waivers through appropriate methods of examination and evaluation of the student. The respective dean’s approval for a waiver must be given in writing to the Office of Admissions & Records.

ELECTION TO CHANGE CATALOG-IN-FORCE

Students may elect to change the catalog-in-force from the one in force at the time of their initial admission to the one in force at the time they request such a change of major. The 10-year timeline will be dated from the time of the request.

Students who enter as undeclared majors may choose the catalog in force at the time of their initial admission to the University or the one in force at the time they declare a major. The 10-year timeline will be dated either from the time of first admission or from the time a major is declared, whichever one the student chooses.

PROGRAM DISCONTINUATION & TEACH-OUT POLICY

Academic programs may only be removed upon approval of the Board of Regents after an extensive consultation process as per BOR Resolution 15-15. As part of this process, a teach-out plan will be developed to ensure that all currently enrolled students have the opportunity to complete the program and that the integrity of the academic quality of the program is maintained during the teach-out period.

Students will be notified of the plan for discontinuation, the expected timetable for phasing-out, and any planned changed in the overall study options that will be available to them. The program faculty will be available for academic advising for those students who need advice on their specific completion pathway.

During the phase-out period, special arrangements will be made when there are students needing to take a discontinued course when it is no longer viable to run the course with a very small number of students. When special arrangements are required, the student follows existing University procedures (i.e., course substitutions or change in program contract).

Students seeking to resolve a dispute or question arising under this policy must do so in accordance with the Student Discipline and Appeals Committee and related procedure.

FACULTY SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 17-01

“RELATIVE TO ENDORSING THE GENERAL EDUCATION REVIEW COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATION OF A “GE TEACH-OUT” POLICY FOR CONTINUING UOG STUDENTS

… WHEREAS, continuing University of Guam students are bound by the program requirements as established by the catalog in force and those requirements may change in the following two situations:

A student returns after not attending the University of Guam for two consecutive regular semesters.

A student changes majors by filing a “Change of Major” form with the Office of Admissions & Records [except when going from undeclared to declared where a student may elect to stay under the catalog in force at the time of initial enrollment or to the catalog in force at the time of declaration].

And WHEREAS, continuing UOG students are bound by the catalog in force policy and transfer students are given a three-year grace period.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the UOG Faculty Senate hereby endorses the GERC’s recommendation to offer our continuing students who entered the University prior to Fall 2017 the same opportunity we offer the transfer students by providing a three-year grace period for determining which General Education Framework to follow not to extend beyond 2019; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate endorses the GERC recommendation that this “same opportunity” apply to students who are changing their major (only if the major still exists in the appropriate 2017, 2018, or 2019 catalog).

Adopted this 19 Day of October 2017.”

SUBSTITUTIONS OF COURSES OR MAJOR IF NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Students should be aware that the University of Guam does not guarantee that all courses or all programs (majors) will continue to be offered during the 10-year period permitted to fulfill graduation requirements under a given catalog. Suitable course substitutions will be made in consultation with the student’s major advisor for courses fulfilling the major requirements. For courses meeting general education requirements, the Course Substitution Request procedure will initiate a review and consideration in these cases. If a major no longer exists, the student may:

select another major from the catalog in force and must complete the requirements with the time specified for that plan; or

select a major from the catalog in force at the time of change, thereby establishing a new timeline.

TIMELINE TO FULFILL CATALOG-IN-FORCE REQUIREMENTS

Students will be allowed 10 calendar years of continuous enrollment, from their first enrollment at the University of Guam to the date of certification of completion of degree requirements for the major, to fulfill degree requirements of the catalog in force at the time of entrance. The student must meet all requirements of the catalog in force at the time of initial enrollment. The initial 10-year timeline and catalog will be dated from the time when either of the following two situations occurs:

A student returns after not attending the University of Guam for two consecutive regular semesters. (summer sessions are not regular semesters.)

A student changes majors by filing a “Change of Major” form filed with the Office of Admissions & Records (except as indicated below).

TRANSFERRING CREDITS AND ALTERNATE WAYS TO SATISFY CREDIT REQUIREMENTS

COLLEGE-LEVEL EXAMINATION PROGRAM (CLEP)

The University of Guam also recognizes and accepts general sections of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests. The CLEP general examination in English will be accepted for the University of Guam course equivalent (middle column below) if the student’s score reported by Educational Testing Service (ETS) reaches or exceeds the listed percentile ranks:

35th to 49th percentile: EN-110 – 3 credit hours

The University of Guam will also accept the following CLEP subject examinations for credit if the student’s score reported by ETS reaches or exceeds the listed percentile ranks:

Titles	Required Percentile	UOG Equivalent
Law and Ethics in Business and Government	50	LW-442
Principles of Management	50	BA-240
Principles of Marketing	50	BA-260
Introduction to Educational Psychology	50	ED-300
Human Growth and Development	50	ED-201

Other subject examinations will be evaluated individually. Information regarding the General Education requirements that can be met through CLEP, the minimum required scores, and the amount of credit granted is available at the Office of Admissions & Records. Credit from these examinations may also be used to fulfill course requirements in major areas with departmental approval.

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION

Definition and Eligibility

Credit by examination refers to the granting of credit to a student who passes a specific, pre-determined exam for a class that they have not actually taken. This credit may be granted in certain cases, but only if the course is one on the credit-by-examination listing in the Registrar’s Office and only if the student is eligible for earning such credit. A person is ineligible for credit by examination if they have previously enrolled or is currently enrolled in the course. Before applying for credit-by-examination, any person who has not previously been enrolled at the University of Guam must have been accepted by the University, following completion of the standard Application for Admission form.

Application Timeframe

Application for credit by examination can be made only during the first nine weeks of a regular semester or the first three weeks of each summer (June-Aug.) session.

Form and Procedures

Students who wish to complete individual courses by taking credit-by-examination tests must begin the process by picking up Request for Credit-by-Examination forms in the Records Office and by following the procedures outlined.

Examination and Grade

A standard examination will be at least equal in time and intensity to a final examination in the approved course. This examination must be taken during the semester in which the person enrolls for such credit. If the exam is not taken before the end of the semester, the grade of “UW” will be assigned. The student does have the right to make application again for the same course credit by examination. Upon completion of the examination, the prescribed evaluative symbols (appropriate for the course) and quality points toward the GPA will be recorded in the Registrar’s Office.

Fees

For individual courses, the person will be charged the same tuition fees per credit hour they would pay if registering for the course.

DEFENSE ACTIVITIES FOR NON-TRADITIONAL EDUCATION SUPPORT (DANTES)

The University of Guam will accept the DANTES subject examinations in the following courses (left column) for the University of Guam equivalent listed beside it if the student’s score reaches or exceeds the 40th percentile rank for that test as reported by ETS:

Course	Course Title	Credits	Term Offered
EN110	FRESHMAN COMPOSITION + This is a basic college composition course. Emphasis is on constructing grammatical sentences in standard written English, on developing unified paragraphs employing appropriate principles of organization, on developing papers employing appropriate principles of organization, and upon improving skills in critical reading of non-fiction prose. EN110 must be completed with a grade of "C" or better before taking EN111. Grades are A, B, C, D, F, I or NC. Prerequisites: Completion of EN109 or test out.	3 credit hours	FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS
EN111	WRITING FOR RESEARCH + In this course, students are introduced to the conversation model of scholarship and to the work of composing academic research from topic development to final edit. This course emphasizes the development and advancement of information literacy skills for the purpose of acquiring knowledge of and cultivating a practice for conducting academic research and composing research-related documents such as annotated bibliographies and research manuscripts. Throughout the course, students learn to skillfully navigate information systems to access both print and electronic sources of information related to their research endeavor, with special attention on ethical and legal use of information in their academic research processes and research products. Prerequisite: EN110 with a grade ''C'' or better. REVISED AS APPROVED 042116	3 credit hours	FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS

The University will also accept the following DANTES subject examinations for credit if the student’s score reported by ETS reaches or exceeds the 50th percentile rank:

Numbers	Titles	UOG Equivalent
SB-433	Statistics	MA-385 Statistics
SA-960	Quality Control I	MA-385 Statistics
SB-453-4	Principles of Economics I & II	BA-110 Principles of Economics
SA-497	Introduction to Law	LW-101 Introduction to Criminal Justice
SA-525	Principles of Accounting	BA-200 Principles of Financial Accounting
SB-533	Law and Ethics in Business and Government	LW-442 Business Law I
SB-534	Business Law II	LW-443 Business Law II
SA-539 & SB-543	Principles of Management & Introduction to Business	BA-240 Management of Organizations
SA-548	Money and Banking	BA-321 Money and Banking
SA-549	Marketing	BA-260 Fundamentals of Marketing

SENIORS TAKING GRADUATE COURSES

Graduate Courses

Under certain circumstances, a senior standing student with a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or better may take certain 400G or 500-level courses for graduate credit. If the credits are counted toward a baccalaureate degree, they may not subsequently also be counted toward a graduate degree. Please note that no undergraduate student may register for or receive credit for graduate courses except according to these policies.

Form and Procedures

The student must 1) procure and complete the Graduate Credit Request form available from the Records Office; 2) submit it to the Registrar, who will certify that senior has a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher and is in the semester prior to graduation; 3) obtain the signatures of their advisor or division chair of their major and the school or college dean for the course(s) and the Interim Vice Provost, Academic Excellence, Graduate Studies, and Online Learning.

Grading

Grading will be on the same basis as that of graduate students.

Petitioning for Credit

A student denied credit for coursework completed at the University or at other accredited universities and colleges may petition the University for acceptance of such courses for credit. Petitions must be accompanied by approvals of the chairman of the department or division and the dean of the college/school in which the course is offered. Petition forms are available in the Records Office. (See Policies about Academic Credit Transfer.)

TRANSFER OF COLLEGE-LEVEL CREDIT

Transfer students’ transcripts must be forwarded by the registrar of the institution previously attended directly to the registrar at the University of Guam. Determination of acceptable courses and credit hours from other institutions and the particular courses that will apply toward the completion of the student’s program will be made by the registrar of the University of Guam. The major program faculty and relevant dean may recommend course equivalencies for major or upper-level courses. For other courses, the discipline faculty, dean, or General Education Committee may recommend equivalencies.

All degree-level courses completed at any university, along with their grades, will be recorded on the University of Guam transcript with the credits accepted for transfer indicated. The recording procedures will be determined by the Office of Admission and Records, and an effort will be made to provide information for academic advisement as soon as possible.

Credits earned from other institutions are evaluated for transfer on the basis of a minimum grade of “C” and the maximum number of credit hours allowed is assigned on this basis.

Students requesting evaluation of credits from unaccredited institutions (those not listed in directories such as Accredited Institutions of Post- Secondary Education) must submit a copy of the school catalog and, if necessary, supportive information from the school’s registrar in order to have their credits evaluated. Credit acceptance will be based on the recommendations of the University of Guam department offering similar courses (after the unit is requested by the Office of Admissions & Records to evaluate the credits.) The registrar’s decision is final. Furthermore, students must earn 30 semester hours at the University before an evaluation can be made.

Lower-division transfer courses that are equated to upper-division courses at the University of Guam do not carry upper-division credits, even though they may satisfy certain University of Guam upper-division course requirements. They do not relieve the student of the requirement of having a minimum of 40 upper-division credits for graduation.

See details on articulation agreements with regional community colleges

USAFI AND CORRESPONDENCE COURSES

The number of credit hours earned either in the U.S. Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) and/or in correspondence courses that may be applied toward a degree at the University of Guam is restricted only by the following policies:

Correspondence credits must have been earned from an accredited college or university.

Those USAFI and correspondence courses submitted to the University of Guam as transfer credits may be applied toward major or minor program requirements when approved by the college school in which the degree program is offered; and

Credit hours from these sources cannot be substituted for those credit hours to be earned at the University as part of the residency requirements of the University of Guam.

Graduation/Catalog-in-Force Requirements

Office of Admission & Records