Bachelor's Degree | Master's Degree | Thesis

University Degree Requirements

General Requirements for A Bachelor’s Degree

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All candidates for a bachelor’s degree at UH-Victoria must meet the following outline of minimal requirements. Additional requirements may be imposed by the individual academic school.*

1. Complete a minimum of 122 semester hours of work.* At least 54 of the 122 semester hours are to be advanced, according to the requirements of the respective degree plans, and at least 18 of these 54 advanced semester hours must be in the student’s major. Any change or substitution must have the approval of the appropriate dean with the advice and consent of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
   

2. The following core requirements continue to apply to students who first entered college before fall 1999 and who have been continuously enrolled. See below for new core requirements. Complete a minimum of 42 semester hours in the core curriculum, 28 of which are prescribed and the balance of which are electives to be taken from designated areas.* These 42 semester hours must be divided as follows:
   
   A. University Core Requirements:
    

   Nine semester hours in English at the lower division level (a minimum of three semester hours in composition and three semester hours in literature).
    

   Six semester hours in political science at the lower division level (federal and state government or equivalent).
    

   Six semester hours in United States history at the lower division level (three semester hours of Texas history may be applied toward this requirement).
    

   Three semester hours of college algebra or the equivalent, as determined by the major program.
    

   Four semester hours of an upper level course in advanced writing and research.
    

   
   B. Core Distribution Electives: Each degree program must include at least 12 semester hours of electives selected from the following disciplines:
   Anthropology English Philosophy
   Art Geography Physics
   Biology Geology Political Science
   Chemistry History Psychology
   Computer Science Languages Sociology
   Drama Mathematics Speech
   Economics Music Statistics
   Certain courses are never applicable toward the core distribution elective requirements. These courses are identified by a dagger symbol in the course description section of the catalog.

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   *Each student should always refer to the appropriate school section of this catalog for complete requirements and total number of hours prescribed for a specific degree and major.

   
   

3. Other Requirements
   
   A. A 2.0 grade point average is the minimum permitted for graduation, as applied to credit hours attempted at this institution. Students are therefore expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0. Averages below that number may result in probation and suspension, as specified in the section entitled 'Academic Probation or Suspension'. Only the semester hours and grades earned on the last enrollment in a repeated course will be used for computation of the cumulative grade point average for graduation. Any grade of I not made up by the date of graduation will be treated as an F for determination of graduation requirements.
   B. A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (A=4.0) is required for all hours attempted in the major at this institution. Grades for repeated courses are computed as in IIIA above. Students in the School of Business Administration cannot accumulate more than two D’s in the business major. Any grade of I not made up by the date of graduation will be treated as an F for determination of graduation requirements.
   C. 30 of the last 36 advanced semester hours must be completed with UH-Victoria. These residence hours are not to include correspondence work. The following regulations are in effect:
   1. Maximum correspondence credit applicable to the degree is 18 semester hours, with no more than six applicable toward the major.
   2. Complete a minimum of six semester hours of advanced work in the major field in residence at this university.
   D. In addition to these general requirements, the candidate for graduation must meet all special degree requirements outlined by the appropriate academic school in which the student is majoring.
   E. Students must be clear from academic probation at the time of graduation.
   F. In addition to other graduation requirements, students in teacher education programs must meet all requirements for admission to and retention in the teacher education program.

Please Note: A student who has completed the core curriculum at another Texas public institution will have satisfied the core curriculum requirements for UHV. New core curriculum requirements may result in future changes to major field of study requirements as currently described. Changes would affect only students first entering college in fall 1999 or later and would be represented on degree plans for those students.

Additional Majors
Students may earn and receive credit for more than one major. This provision is often referred to as a “double major”, consisting of a first major and an additional major or, in rare instances, more than one. The following conditions apply:

1. The majors must ordinarily fall under the same degree heading (e.g., B.B.A.). Otherwise, the conditions for an additional bachelor’s degree apply.

2. Only one major will be used for institutional data reports, whichever one the student indicates should be listed first.

3. All majors completed will be represented on the student’s official transcript.

4. As long as a student is continuously enrolled, excluding summers, a student can complete another major without being subject to an additional 30 hour requirement.

Additional Bachelor’s Degree
The fact that a student has a bachelor’s degree from UH-Victoria or from another recognized institution, does not preclude receiving an additional bachelor’s degree from UH-Victoria. Before being awarded a second bachelor’s degree, the student must have completed a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond those required for the first degree. For each subsequent bachelor’s degree, the student must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours in addition to those earned toward previous degrees.
 

The general and specific requirements for each degree must be met. The student must have 30 semester hours of residence credit earned at UH-Victoria for each degree awarded the student by the university.
 

As long as a student is continuously enrolled, excluding summers, a student can complete another major without being subject to an additional 30 hour requirement.

 

General Requirements for a Master’s Degree

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Planning the Graduate Program
In general the graduate student is expected to be enrolled each semester until completion of the degree program and award of the degree. The graduate student who is not enrolled should not expect the facilities of the university to be available. Such facilities include (but are not limited to) office and classroom space, laboratories, faculty resources and administration of oral or written examination. Exceptions to this requirement may be granted upon petition.

The graduate student should consult the program’s graduate advisor before each registration. The student is required to fulfill the special requirements of that particular degree program in addition to the general requirements stipulated for graduate studies. Additional requirements are listed with the appropriate degree programs in this catalog.

Applicable Graduate Credit
Graduate credit is not granted for courses taken prior to a student’s admission to any regionally accredited graduate school. The ‘Time Limitation’ section specifies additional restrictions.

Second Master’s Degree
With the advisor’s approval, a maximum of 50% of credit required for a master’s degree earned at this institution may be applied to a second master’s degree. Regulations concerning time limitations apply to transfer credit as well as to credit earned at UH-Victoria.

Course Numbering and Level of Credit
Credit for a 3000- or 4000-level course may be applied to a graduate degree upon approval by the school of the student’s major.

Any undergraduate courses counted toward a graduate degree must be taken when the student is a graduate student and must be part of the student’s approved degree plan. Courses taken as an undergraduate for undergraduate credit cannot be used for graduate credit.

The graduate student who does not wish to earn graduate credit in a course must file a Mixed Program Petition with the Office of Admissions and Records immediately after payment of tuition and fees. A UH-Victoria senior in good academic standing may take a limited number of courses for graduate credit if lacking no more than 12 semester hours for a degree. The student may receive permission to enroll for graduate credit through a Mixed Program Petition, which must be filed with the Office of Admissions and Records. Graduate credits earned in this manner may not exceed 12 semester hours and may not be applied to the undergraduate degree.

Continuing Graduate Study Beyond the Master’s Level
The student who completes a master’s degree program at this institution will have the degree status changed to that of a non-degree seeking graduate student. If the student wishes to change majors and/or pursue another master’s degree, a General Graduate Studies petition must be completed. This petition is available in the Office of Admissions and Records.

Time Limitation
For graduate programs requiring 36 or fewer credit hours to fulfill the degree requirements, the student must complete the requirements within 5 years after formal admission to the program.

For graduate programs requiring more than 36 credit hours to fulfill the degree requirements, the student must complete the program within 7 years after formal admission.

Course credit, either transfer or from UHV, may not apply to any graduate degree if at graduation the course credit is more than 10 years old.

With the exception of programs for which another termination date has been specified, no degree shall be granted for a graduate program not completed within five years of its deletion from this catalog.

Termination of Enrollment
A satisfactory rate of progress toward the degree is required throughout the student’s enrollment. The dean of the school may terminate a student’s enrollment at any time if the rate of progress is not satisfactory. A student whose enrollment is terminated should be so notified with an explanation in writing by the dean of the student’s major. A copy of this notice and explanation will be made part of the student’s permanent file.

Residency
The semester hour requirements for graduate programs may vary; however, no program will have fewer than 36 semester hours. The student must complete 75% of these, or 27 at UHV unless transferring from a UH System institution. In the latter case, the student must complete 50% at UHV.

Application for Candidacy
Students should refer to respective schools for requirements and procedures for candidacy.

Students failing to fulfill school requirements by the appropriate deadline will have their application for graduation disapproved.

Candidacy applications for graduate students are available in the school offices.

Academic Standards
Graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B) over all graduate degree courses attempted in each graduate degree program attempted. Failure to maintain this average may result in warning, probation or suspension.

1. No credit toward a graduate degree is allowed for courses in which grades of D or F are earned although the grades are included in the grade point average.

2. No more than two courses with earned C’s may be applied toward graduate degree plan requirements.

3. The cumulative grade point average applies to all courses, including any transferred ones, that appear on the student’s degree plan or that the student has attempted since being admitted to the graduate program in question.

4. The thesis grade is not included in the grade point average.

5. Certain graduate courses, as specified annually by the school, may be graded as S (satisfactory), U (unsatisfactory) and I (incomplete). Such grades will not be considered in computing a grade point average.

Thesis

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Approval of Thesis Proposal
The student may not begin the research prior to the approval of the thesis proposal by the student’s thesis committee (consult particular programs for committee composition). The thesis must present evidence of a mastery of the literature, a significant contribution to knowledge or professional skills and the ability to do independent research.

The final draft of the thesis must be completed and submitted to the committee no later than the following deadlines:

Fall graduation—November 1
Spring graduation—April 1
Summer graduation—July 1

The paragraph regarding “Binding and Distribution of Thesis’’ on the following pages specifies deadlines for submission of the approved thesis.

Continuous Registration and Credit for Thesis
The student who is working on a thesis is required to be continuously enrolled in the appropriate thesis course for a minimum of 6 semester hours per year (12 months). Advice or assistance from a member of the faculty in the preparation of a thesis may not be expected unless the student is officially enrolled. Failure to enroll in thesis may delay the student’s graduation. Enrollment is required in the semester in which the thesis is completed.
 

A person who lives in excess of 100 miles from the campus may register in absentia for thesis courses if arrangements are made through the Office of Admissions and Records at least two weeks before the registration period. Registration for all other students must be completed in the prescribed manner during the announced registration period. The thesis course is considered a part of the student’s current course load.
 

For acquisition of three thesis credits (6308) a grade of S will be recorded. For completion of the other three credits (6309) a regular grade (A, B, etc.) will be recorded. A grade of I may be assigned in either case to indicate work still in progress. Students are to enroll in 6308 until a grade of S is achieved before registering for 6309. In rare cases where the thesis is likely to be completed in one semester, permission for dual registration may be granted by the dean of the school.

A final grade of B or better is required in the completed thesis. A grade of C indicates that the thesis is not acceptable. Students who are not progressing satisfactorily may be asked to withdraw.

An optional graduate grading system of S (satisfactory), U (unsatisfactory) or I (incomplete) may be elected by any school for a given period, generally the academic year. Grades in the thesis courses whether under the optional or regular grading system, are not considered in computing a student’s grade point average.
 

For the master’s thesis, six semester hours may be earned. Although more than this number may be required of the student, six is the maximum number of hours which may be applied toward the master’s degree.
 

An oral examination over the research study will be held upon completion of the thesis.

Suggested Form for Thesis
As a general rule, the format and style of presentation should conform to the most acceptable standards of scientific and scholarly writing in the discipline. For example, psychology students should refer to the publication, Manual of the American Psychological Association (available in the Victoria College Bookstore and the Academic Center). The title page must bear the month and year of commencement and the signatures of the thesis committee members.
 

Before preparing the thesis, the student should obtain a copy of the guide for the preparation and submission of thesis from the advisor.

Binding and Distribution of Thesis
The original and three copies of the approved thesis should be submitted for binding to the Director of the Library as early as possible, but no later than 4:00 p.m. on the last day of final exams for the semester or term in which the candidate expects to graduate.

Fall graduation—Last day of final exams for the fall semester (December)
Spring graduation—Last day of final exams for the spring semester (May)
Summer graduation—Last day of final exams for the summer terms (August)

Cost of Binding
The library will charge the candidate the current binding charge, which may be based on the size of the thesis.

Distribution of Thesis
1.  Original—library archives (All signatures on this copy must be originals)
2.  One copy—library circulating copy
3.  One copy—school office of candidate’s major (Arts & Sciences, Business Administration or Education)
4.  One copy—Chair of candidate’s committee
 

At the candidate’s option, other copies may be bound for his/her own use.

Choice of Paper
The original copy of the thesis must be printed on acid-free paper.

Copyright
Copyright of your thesis is secured automatically when the thesis is created, and it is “created” when it is fixed in a copy for the first time. However, if you want to register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office, you have two options: (1) you may handle this entirely on your own, or (2) you may submit the appropriate paper work, along with one copy of your thesis (which may be unbound), and the registration fee of $20 to UH-Victoria by the deadline date shown above. The university will send all of this to the U.S. Copyright Office for you. (The library has a packet of materials that explain copyright registration in more detail.)