Graduation Requirements (Directly from General Announcements 2008-2009)

OFFICE OF ACADEMIC ADVISING

Academic Planning 2010-2011

General Comments All students at Rice can benefit tremendously from contemplated academic planning which reflects their personal and educational goals. Even with careful planning, students typically face challenges along the way. The Office of Academic Advising is committed to helping students with academic planning, which enhances the holistic undergraduate experience, and to helping students handle the challenges.

Academic Planning Philosophy Academic planning should be individualized to reflect personal interests and educational goals. Initially, some students struggle to identify and articulate their interests and goals. In most cases, the process takes time and reflection, and interests and goals continue to change. Although it is sometimes helpful to consult family members and friends, advanced planning at Rice typically requires regular communication with faculty advisors, professional staff, and trained peer academic advisors. Scheduled advising meetings should allow substantive conversations addressing numerous topics related to the undergraduate experience. However, student responsibility and preparation is necessary for productive conversations. Not all steps in academic planning require a lengthy conversation, and with time, some advising is typically accomplished through brief communication: conversational and/or electronic. Regardless of the mode of communication, the outline below is intended to provide guidance.

Creating a Detailed Academic Plan Although initial academic advising conversations typically start with a sequence of questions and topics related to personal and educational goals, all academic plans eventually require important details and logistics such as graduation requirements. Graduation requirements are separated into general graduation requirements and major graduation requirements. Both are listed in the General Announcements which apply to each student based on the year in which they matriculate (or plan to graduate; but this is difficult to predict). Typically, college Masters address graduation requirements during the “Introduction to Academics at Rice” presentation during O-Week. However, each student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing the requirements.

Students are encouraged to regularly reference their General Announcements and consider graduation requirements carefully throughout their time at Rice. For assistance interpreting the General Graduation Requirements, students should consult their faculty advisor or the Office of Academic Advising ([email protected]). For assistance interpreting Major Graduation Requirements, students should consult the major advisor(s) from the respective department.

Creating an academic plan is an iterative process and does not initially necessitate planning each semester through the anticipated graduation date. However, it is extremely beneficial to start early and plan ahead, understanding that all academic plans are a work in progress. Planning ahead helps with anticipated semester course workloads as well as educational and recreational experiences outside the classroom.

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As the academic plan develops, it is useful to include as much detail as possible. In particular, labeling general and major graduation requirements is highly recommended:

 Distribution I  Distribution II  Distribution III  English Composition Requirement (COMM 103)  48 hours of upper level credit (300 or above)  120 hours total (or more for certain majors) – please indicate  Two zero-credit LPAP courses  Major courses

Perhaps the most frequently misinterpreted General Graduation Requirements are the “Distribution Requirements” described in this document. Students should pay particular attention to these requirements and always consult the General Announcements which correspond to their matriculation year. In addition, some students (particularly those in Humanities and Social Sciences) lose track of the “48 hours of upper level credit” requirement. Whereas science and engineering majors often meet this requirement by simply completing major requirements, this is often not true of humanities and social science majors. Additionally, most underclassmen do not take upper level credit courses. It is particularly important for students to take note of and track their progress around the time they declare major.

Students can always check their progress on General Graduation Requirements by requesting an ECAPP degree audit via Esther. ECAPP does not check progress on Major Requirements.

Future Semester Academic Planning In planning for future semesters, students are encouraged to consult several advisors (faculty, peer academic, student) and use all available resources. One useful way of planning future semesters is to tentatively assume that future semesters will offer the same courses as listed in the most recent spring or fall semester course schedule. Some offerings will undoubtedly change with time, but there is significant continuity year to year and semester to semester. Meticulous planning typically reduces obstacles, enhances conversations with faculty advisors and enables students to take advantage of opportunities.

If students would like assistance creating or modifying an academic plan at any time throughout the year, they can contact the Office of Academic Advising ([email protected]) as well as any member of a team of Peer Academic Advisors (PAAs) in each residential college. If contacted, an advisor can review the plan and respond with questions, comments, and suggestions. Students are advised to start their academic plan by using the section “Planning Your Time at Rice” found at the end of this document.

Graduation Requirements (Directly from General Announcements 2010-2011) Degree Requirements for All Bachelor’s Degrees Students are responsible for making certain that their plan of study meets all degree and major requirements. To graduate from Rice University, all students must: • Be registered at Rice full time for at least 4 full fall and/or spring semesters • Complete the requirements of at least one major degree program • Complete at least 120 semester hours (some degree programs require more than 120 hours) • Complete at least 60 semester hours at Rice University • Complete at least 48 hours of all degree work in upper-level courses (at the 300 level or higher) • Complete more than half of the upper-level courses in degree work at Rice • Complete more than half of the upper-level courses in their major work at Rice (certain departments may specify a higher proportion) • Complete all Rice courses satisfying degree requirements with a cumulative grade point average of at least 1.67 or higher • Complete all Rice courses that satisfy major requirements (as designated by the department) with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 or higher • Satisfy the composition requirement (see below) • Satisfy the Lifetime Physical Activity Program (LPAP) requirement (see below) • Complete courses to satisfy the distribution requirements (see below) • Otherwise be a student in good academic and disciplinary standing and not under investigation To satisfy the composition requirement, students must either pass the composition examination or successfully complete COMM 103 Academic Writing and Argumentation, a 1-semester course carrying 3 hours degree credit. To satisfy the LPAP requirement, students must complete 2 different noncredit courses in LPAP. Students with disabilities may make special arrangements to satisfy this requirement. In order to earn a 2nd degree (note: degree is different than major), students must fulfill additional requirements. See the General Announcements for details. Distribution Requirements Each student is required to complete at least 12 semester hours of designated distribution courses in each of Groups I, II, and III. The 12 hours in each group must include courses in at least 2 departments in that group. Divisional or interdisciplinary designations, e.g., HUMA or NSCI, count as departments for this purpose. Interdivisional courses approved for distribution credit may count toward the 12 semester hours in any relevant group; however, students may not count any one such E-mail [email protected]  Office 713-348-4060 Page 3 of 7 8-5-08 OFFICE OF ACADEMIC ADVISING course toward the 12 required hours in more than one group and may count no more than one such course toward the 12 required hours in any one group. Students must complete the distribution requirements in each group by taking courses that are designated as a distribution course at the time of course registration, as published in that semester’s Course Offerings. Courses taken outside of Rice and transferred in can be used to satisfy distribution requirements, assuming they are on the list of approved and designated distribution courses at the time they were taken. Completed courses taken prior to matriculation are subject to the list of designated distribution courses at the time of matriculation. The distribution system presupposes that every Rice student should receive a broad education along with training in an academic specialty. This goal is achieved by courses that are broad based, accessible to non-majors, and representative of the knowledge, intellectual skills, and habits of thought that are most characteristic of a discipline or of inquiry across disciplines. Group I—These courses have one or more of the following goals: They develop students’ critical and aesthetic understanding of texts and the arts; they lead students to the analytical examination of ideas and values; they introduce students to the variety of approaches and methods with which different disciplines approach intellectual problems; and they engage students with works of culture that have intellectual importance by virtue of the ideas they express, their historical influence, their mode of expression, or their critical engagement with established cultural assumptions and traditions. Group II—Three types of courses fulfill this requirement. The first are introductory courses that address the problems, methodologies, and substance of different disciplines in the social sciences. The second are departmental courses that draw on at least 2 or more disciplines in the social sciences or that cover topics of central importance to a social science discipline. The third are interdisciplinary courses team-taught by faculty from 2 or more disciplines. Group III—These courses provide explicit exposure to the scientific method or to theorem development, develop analytical thinking skills and emphasize quantitative analysis, and expose students to subject matter in the various disciplines of science and engineering.

Planning Your Remaining Time at Rice

Name______Student ID Number ______

Major______Phone or Contact ______

Year 1 Fall Semester______Spring Semester______Course D1,2,3 Hours Course D1,2,3 Hours

Total Semester Hours Total Semester Hours Year 2 Fall Semester______Spring Semester______Course D1,2,3 Hours Course D1,2,3 Hours

Total Semester Hours Total Semester Hours Year 3 Fall Semester______Spring Semester______Course D1,2,3 Hours Course D1,2,3 Hours

Total Semester Hours Total Semester Hours

Year 4 Fall Semester______Spring Semester______Course D1,2,3 Hours Course D1,2,3 Hours

Year 5 (if taken) Fall Semester______Spring Semester______Course D1,2,3 Hours Course D1,2,3 Hours

AP Credit or Transfer Credit (If Any) Fall Semester Spring Semester Course D1,2,3 Hours Course D1,2,3 Hours

Enrollment Rules  Permission from Dr. John Hutchinson, Dean of Undergraduates, ([email protected]) is required to enroll in less than 12 hours.  The Office of Academic Advising approves registration for greater than 20 hours: www.rice.edu/advising for details.  You will not be permitted to register for the Fall Semester of your junior year unless you have declared a major.

Graduation Requirements (See relevant General Announcements for details.) √ - Check if plan accounts for requirement (if appropriate).  Be registered at Rice full time for at least four full fall and/or spring semesters.  Complete the requirements of at least one major degree program.  Complete at least 120 semester hours (some degrees programs require more).  Complete at least 60 semester hours at Rice.  48 hours of 300+ level courses (there are also rules on the amount completed at Rice).  Complete more than half of the upper-level courses in degree work at Rice  Complete more than half of the upper-level courses in their major work at Rice (certain departments may specify a higher proportion)  Cumulative GPA of 1.67 or higher and cumulative GPA in major of 2.0 or higher.  Satisfy the English composition requirement.  Satisfy the Lifetime Physical Activity Program (LPAP) requirement.  Complete courses to satisfy the distribution requirements.  Dual degree (not double major) consideration: 30 hours beyond the first degree.

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