Academic Requirements

When you enroll at Ozarks for the first time, the University establishes a curricular contract with you which is based on the University Catalog in effect at that time. That contract describes the number of hours you must earn, what GPA you must earn, etc.

Generally, in order to earn your degree at Ozarks you must:

• Complete 124 college-level credit hours.
• Fulfill core and distribution requirements.
• Complete all courses in the major with a minimum of C- (or P in courses offered only on a P/D/F basis).
• Complete all courses in the minor, if any, with a minimum grade of C- (or P).
• Complete all requirements for the second major, if any.
• Complete a minimum of forty upper-level hours; for the BGS, a minimum grade of C- (or P) is required for all courses counted in these forty upper-level hours.
• Complete the last 30 semester hours in residence at Ozarks.
• Attain a 2.00 or higher grade point average on all college-level work attempted at Ozarks
• Make formal application for the degree to the registrar at least one semester prior to expected graduation

"College-level" courses are those whose first digit is 1, 2, 3, or 4. A course whose first digit is 0 is considered to be a developmental course and therefore it does not count toward the hours needed to meet your degree requirements. However, your grade in any developmental courses is included in computing your semester and cumulative grade point averages, determining whether or not you are in "good academic standing", whether you are making satisfactory progress, determining your "academic classification", and evaluating your eligibility for financial aid and athletics. If you are required to take developmental courses, you must attempt them in your first semester at Ozarks and in each subsequent semester until all are completed.

Keep in mind that only courses you take at Ozarks count in your grade point average. However, approved courses that you take at another institution, in which you earn a grade of C- or higher, may fulfill course and curricular requirements and may count toward total hours for graduation.

A new catalog is issued at the start of each academic year, so it is possible that the requirements for any given program could change. If the program you chose changes, we always encourage you to adjust your coursework to meet the new standards; however, you may remain under the original requirements if you choose to do so. If a course required for your program is no longer offered by the university and you haven't yet satisfied that requirement, the university will accept a reasonable substitute. When the university changes the intent of a course in such a way that credit is no longer acceptable in a certain program, the university will continue to permit you to receive credit for it if that course was a part of your initial catalog. The ability for you to maintain your curricular contract with the university depends on you being enrolled during any one of the terms (fall, spring, or summer) during a calendar year.

*This list and the other information on our website is intended to give you a general overview of our academic program and requirements. It does not constitute an official list of requirements. The official requirements can be found in the University Catalog in effect at the time when you enroll. This page was last updated on 12/14/2012.