Undergraduate Degree Requirements 2007-2008
The goal of undergraduate programs is to encourage the development of the individual’s values and talents which may be employed in solving the problems of a complex society. Special emphasis is directed to the development of the student’s capacity for independent judgment and creative thought. Undergraduate study combines both theory and practice to educate students and to prepare them for the world of work.
Governors State University is a senior-level university offering transfer students from community colleges, as well as those from four-year institutions, the opportunity to further their education. The fundamental charge of undergraduate study at Governors State University is to extend the educational opportunities for students who have completed the equivalent of two or more years of college work. Baccalaureate degree programs build on this foundation and offer an integrated two years of study to fulfill degree requirements. Degree candidates should approach their academic careers with a sense of what they have already accomplished as well as that which remains to be achieved.
Undergraduate Student Status
Undergraduate degree-seeking students are those students admitted to an undergraduate degree program.
Articulation Agreements
To minimize transfer problems for students, Governors State University and area community colleges have developed articulation agreements that help students plan bachelor’s degree programs beginning at the community college and finishing at Governors State University. These agreements assure smooth transition from lowerdivision study to upper-division study and completion of a bachelor’s degree. GSU also participates in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI). The General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) is accepted to meet general education requirements. In addition, GSU accepts the Major Panel recommendations for transfer. Students will receive credit for those courses recommended by the panels and successfully completed.
Student Study Plan
Student study plans are developed with advisors before the end of the first trimester of enrollment. The advisor will explain the degree program and, with the student, develop a study plan that will lead to degree completion of the selected major. The student study plan will detail the degree requirements for the major selected in effect at the time of admission as a degree-seeking student. It will specify the amount of transfer credit, proficiency credit, and credit for experiential learning applied toward the degree requirements; the total credit-hour requirement for the degree; required and elective courses; and the maximum number of credit-hours and/or courses that can be taken off-campus and applied toward the degree.
Students are encouraged to contact faculty members in specific discipline areas in which they have interests for additional academic advisement.
The study plan must be reviewed and updated whenever a student:
- applies for acceptance of transfer credit earned from another institution after enrollment at Governors State University;
- wishes to substitute course work specified on the plan;
- changes majors; or
- is readmitted.
Students choosing to take courses not specified in their study plan may find that such credit may not apply toward the degree requirements.
Orientation
Research, combined with the experience of numerous colleges and universities, makes a convincing case that a thorough orientation for students of all ages leads to a greater probability of their success and ultimate graduation. Therefore, all undergraduate students are required to complete an online orientation program before registering for classes. Notification of the orientation schedule will be sent to students with their admission material. Academic advising is required before a student may register.
