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Graduation Requirements

To earn your degree, you must meet the requirements which are in effect at the time you enter Bethel University. If your enrollment is interrupted for more than two academic years, you must meet the requirements in effect at the time of your readmission. Candidates for degrees in May must have their graduation applications filed with the registrar by April 30 of the preceding academic year. It is expected that graduates will attend commencement exercises.

Bachelor’s degree candidates complete the following requirements:

  1. A major consists of courses specified by each division and outlined in this catalog: A minimum total of 120 semester hours of courses (not including the basic skills courses) must be completed with at least a “C” cumulative grade point average (2.0 on the four-point scale).
    • A minimum of 25% of credits required for a degree* need to be earned through institutional instruction at Bethel University. (*The BSN-Completion degree comes under separate accreditation requirements through the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing)
      • The last 30 hours of a bachelor’s degree in a traditional major must be completed at Bethel University.
      • Transfer credit for degrees in the Adult and Graduate Studies programs must be posted prior to the student's last semester of enrollment.  The last semester of coursework must be completed through institutional instruction
    • Traditional students may not obtain credit by CLEP examinations within these last 30 hours.
    • In cooperative programs (e.g., engineering) the 25% requirement is to be fulfilled prior to completing work at Bethel.
    • Courses for which a grade below “C-” are received will not be credited as hours earned in a major or minor (some programs require a “C” for courses in the major).
  2. The Bethel core: These courses are specifically designed to achieve the goals of a Bethel University education. Courses for which a grade below “D-” is received will not be counted as earned hours for Bethel Core requirements. A “C-” or higher must be earned in ENGL101 and ENGL102.
  3. A minor consists of a planned concentration of course work as specified by the division and catalog. Unless specified with a given major, a minor is not required. A minimum of one-half of the required courses for the minor must be completed at Bethel University.
  4. Transfer students must also meet all requirements listed in the preceding sections.
  5. Full financial settlement with the university. Financial settlement consists of paying in full the amount due the university. Academic credits, transcripts and diploma are withheld if the account is not paid in full.

Associate’s degree candidates complete the following requirements:

  1. A major consists of courses specified by each division and outline in this catalog. A minimum total of 60 semester hours of courses (not including the basic skills courses) must be completed with at least a “C” cumulative grade point average (2.0 on the four-point scale).
    • A minimum of 25% of credits required for a degree need to be earned through institutional instruction at Bethel University.
    • The last 18 hours of an associate’s degree in a traditional major must be completed at Bethel University. Traditional students may not obtain credit by CLEP examinations within these last 18 hours.
    • Courses for which a grade below “C-” is received will not be credited as hours earned in a major. (Some programs require a “C” for courses in the major.)
    • Transfer credit for degrees in the Adult and Graduate Studies programs must be posted prior to the student's last semester of enrollment.  The last semester of coursework must be completed through institutional instruction.
  2. The Bethel core: These courses are specifically designed to achieve the goals of a Bethel University education. Each student is expected to follow the program as outlined. Courses for which a grade below “D-” is received will not be counted as earned hours for Bethel Core requirements. A “C -” or higher must be earned in ENGL101.
  3. Transfer students must also meet all requirements listed in the preceding sections.
  4. Full financial settlement with the university: Financial settlement consists of paying in full the amount due the university. Academic credit, transcripts and diploma are withheld if the account is not paid in full.