Mar 18, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

University-Wide Degree Requirements


Academic Guidelines for the Baccalaureate Degree

  1. The academic guidelines for a baccalaureate degree are located in the University Bulletin.  A student may graduate under the requirements of the current University Bulletin during the initial enrollment or any Bulletin thereafter that includes enrollment.  A Bulletin is valid for six years under the initial Bulletin they entered APSU or any Bulletin thereafter, which includes enrollment.
  2. Students who have satisfactorily completed at least 24 weeks of intensive linguistic instruction, as recommended by ACE, may apply these credits to satisfy the Humanities - Foreign Language (III. B. 3 - 6 hours) core general education requirement for the BA degree.

Candidates for the Baccalaureate Degree Must:

  1. Earn a minimum of 120 semester hours credit.
  2. Earn 33 semester credit hours in courses numbered 3000-4999 or upper division elective (EU) transfer credits.
  3. Earn at least 25 percent of the degree requirements in residency and earn at least 24 semester credit hours during the junior or senior years.  Courses offered by *TN eCampus, formerly RODP/ROCC, must be taught by APSU instructors in order to be included in the program of study residency requirement.  Residency is defined as courses delivered and taught by APSU instructors.
  4. Earn an overall GPA of 2.00 in all courses attempted at any regionally accredited college or university if the coursework was transferred to APSU prior to Summer 2015, for all courses completed at APSU, and for all courses used to satisfy the requirements of a major, concentration or a minor, if applicable.
  5. Complete the General Education Core courses. Any substitution of a core course is to be approved by the dean/director of the college/school in which the course is located. Courses in the general education core requirements should be completed by the end of the sophomore year.
  6. Complete the First Year Experience Course (APSU 1000 ) during the first semester of enrollment if entering APSU with fewer than 12 credits earned in a regionally accredited college or university setting.
  7. Complete the requirements of the major or concentration required by the school or department in which the major or concentration is located. Any substitution for a required course is to be approved by the chair of the department or director of the school and Dean of the College requiring the course in the major or minor.
  8. The minor consisting of at least 18 semester hours of credit shall include at least six semester hours of credit in courses numbered  3000 to 4999.  Check descriptions of department majors to learn whether a minor is required with a particular major.
  9. Transfer no more than 24 semester hours credit earned at other institutions after the last term in residence. Exceptions: SOCAD-4; residency limit of 25 percent of total degree requirements that may be completed at any point in the baccalaureate degree (click here ); Preprofessional programs (click here ).
  10. If required, complete the Major Field Test in the candidate’s major during the semester of graduation.
  11. Complete Senior Exit Exam (CCTST, California Critical Thinking Skills Test) by the final semester of graduation.
  12. Apply no more than 60 hours of credit earned by testing and other non-traditional means toward a baccalaureate degree.
  13. Completion of ENGL 1010 with minimum grade of “C.”
  14. Submit an application online for the baccalaureate degree through AP OneStop at onestop.apsu.edu by the published deadline.

Candidates for the Associate Degree Must:

  1. Earn at least 15 APSU semester hours credit.
  2. Earn at least 60 semester hours credit and follow the specific course requirements as given in the outlined Program of Study.
  3. Complete the First Year Experience course (APSU 1000) during the first semester of enrollment if entering APSU with fewer than 12 credit earned in a regionally accredited college or university setting.
  4. Fulfill degree requirement with no more than one-half non-traditional credits.
  5. Earn at least 25 percent of the degree requirements in residency and earn at least 24 semester credit hours during the sophomore year.  Courses offered by *TN eCampus, formerly RODP/ROCC, must be taught by APSU instructors in order to be included in the program of study residency requirement.  Residency is defined as courses delivered and taught by APSU instructors.
  6. Transfer no more than 15 semester hours of credit earned at other institutions after the last semester of residence. Exception: SOCAD-2 (click here ).
  7. Be admitted to APSU if transferring from other associate degree programs.
  8. Maintain an overall minimum grade-point average of at least a “C” (2.00) average in all courses.  Effective Summer 2015 and after, any coursework transferred to APSU, regardless of when it was earned, will not be included in the overall GPA calculation.  It will also not be included in the major or minor calculation.
  9. Completion of ENGL 1010 with minimum grade of “C.”
  10. Submit an application online for the associate degree through AP OneStop at onestop.apsu.edu by the published deadline.

*TN eCampus Consortial Courses

Formerly Regents Online Degree Program (RODP) and Regents Online Campus Collaborative (ROCC)

TN eCampus courses are offered in the institution’s Schedule of Classes, but instruction may be delivered by any of the institutions listed below.  Courses will appear on the transcript with the acronym of the delivery institution annotated at the beginning of the course title. 

Example:  ENGL 1010           C-ETSU: Composition I 

The C indicates it is a consortial course that was taught by East Tennessee State University.

Testing as a Degree Requirement

Unless otherwise provided for any individual program, no minimum score or level of achievement on senior assessments listed in the baccalaureate degree requirements is required for graduation. Participation in testing is a graduation requirement for all students, and a commitment to performing well is expected.

Common Bulletin Statement Regarding General Education


Effective Fall Semester 2004, each institution in the State University and Community College System of Tennessee share a common lower division general education core curriculum of forty-one (41) semester hours for baccalaureate degrees and the Associate of Science degrees. Lower division means 1000 and 2000 level courses. The courses comprising the general education curriculum are contained within the following subject categories.

APSU Recommended Courses for General Education Core


V Natural Sciences


Academic Regulations for Degree Completion


  1. Application for Degree and Commencement: Formal online application for the degree must be filed with the Office of the Registrar no later than the date published in the University Calendar. Applications for the degree will be accepted only from students who have earned a minimum overall 2.00 GPA. Candidates may participate in the commencement held at the end of the semester in which the requirements for the degree are completed. The applicant’s intent to participate in commencement must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar when applying for the degree by the published deadline.
  2. Degree Evaluation: A preliminary review of coursework at APSU and any evaluated transfer work in preparation for graduation is available to all students via OneStop at onestop.apsu.edu.
  3. Records Complete: All grades, undergraduate and graduate level, of “Incomplete”, “In-progress” and “not recorded” must be removed.  All evaluation of transfer of credits made, and all correspondence and extension courses finished by the end of the semester/term in which the candidate expects to receive the degree.
  4. Earning a Second Major/Concentration Under Same Degree Earned at Austin Peay: A second undergraduate major to be received under the degree already awarded may be earned by meeting all of the requirements for that major/concentration as shown in the current edition of the Bulletin at the time of admission to the program.  The second major will be added to the transcript as a notation; a second diploma will not be issued.
  5. Earning Two Majors Under Different Degrees Simultaneously: Students who pursue double majors under different degree programs must comply with one of the following:
    1. Before graduation, the student must complete a minimum of 150 hours of which 60 must be earned in courses numbered 3000 - 4999. Two degrees will be awarded.
    2. The student may elect to change one major to a minor. One degree will be awarded.

Academic Regulations for Completing a Second Degree


Students who hold a bachelors degree from APSU or any other regionally accredited college or university may subsequently earn a second bachelors degree from APSU if the following requirements are met:

  1. Hold an earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution or the equivalent of a baccalaureate degree from a foreign university as certified by an educational credential agency, including the History requirement as specified in the General Education core;
  2. Indicate second degree on the Application for Admission Form submitted online to the Office of Admissions or submitted online through AP OneStop;
  3. Submit all transcripts from previously attended regionally accredited institutions; coursework that applies to the second degree must be reviewed; majors with additional admission requirements may require a review of the entire transcript; 
  4. Academic Advising. After reviewing the Degree Evaluation online at onestop@apsu.edu, the student will arrange an appointment with an academic advisor in the department of the major;
  5. Complete an additional 30 hours APSU credit; 24 of these hours must be earned in courses numbered 3000-4999;
  6. Complete, without exception, the requirements for the major and minor appropriate to the new degree (this requirement may be met by the major and minor of the curriculum for the first degree if appropriate to the second degree);
  7. Transfer no more than 24 semester hours credit earned at other institutions after the last term in residence. Exceptions: SOCAD-4; residency limit of 25 percent of total degree requirements that may be completed at any point in the baccalaureate degree (click here ); Preprofessional programs (click here ).
  8. Earn at least a 2.00 inclusive GPA on all coursework attempted in meeting the requirements for the second degree (Effective Summer 2015 and after, any coursework transferred to APSU, regardless of when it was earned, will not be included in the overall GPA calculation.  It will also not be included in the major or minor calculation); and
  9. Advisor in AP OneStop a Major/Minor Substitution Request for particular courses that have been approved by the academic department and received all appropriate approvals..

Requirements for Degrees in Absentia


A student may plan to complete three years of college coursework before transferring to a professional school, and be a candidate for the bachelor’s degree at APSU after the successful completion of the first year’s coursework in the professional school, provided that the following is completed:

  1. The candidate must submit a Degree in Absentia Plan to the Department Chair and receive approval.
  2. During the first year of enrollment in a professional program, the candidate must earn 120 or more credit hours when combined with professional school credits to satisfy APSU graduation requirements.
  3. Candidates needing clinical internship credit register at APSU for a minimum of 15 hours of internship for those hospital programs generating 36 hours or less of credit applicable toward the degree in absentia (enrollment for these units shall be approved by the APSU clinical education coordinator).
  4. The candidate must satisfy APSU GPA requirements and APSU departmental program requirements.  It is strongly recommended to review the APSU Undergraduate Bulletin for major and/or minor requirements to completely understand those unique requirements.
  5. The candidate must complete a program of study at APSU that must include (a) the General Education core requirements for a degree, in addition to (b) an approved major, (c) at least 24 semester hours earned in courses within the major numbered 3000 or above, and (d) at least 30 APSU semester hours credit.
  6. The professional school must be part of a regionally accredited institution.
  7. The candidate files an application for degree by the deadline as published in the APSU Academic Calendar.