General Requirements for a Bachelor's Degree

To earn a bachelor’s degree from UIS, students must fulfill the following requirements:

  • Earn a minimum of 120 semester hours, including at least 48 hours earned at the upper-division level.

  • Earn a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit in residence at UIS.

  • Satisfy general education requirements through completion of the UIS General Education Curriculum (see below), the Capital Scholars Honors Program curriculum, completion of the Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum requirements, or completion of an Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts and Science, or Associate of Arts in Teaching degree. Students having earned an Associate of Science degree are not considered to have automatically met all UIS general education requirements; however, students who have earned an Associate of Science degree and believe they have met the requirements may request an academic review by submitting a Student Petition.

  • Earn at least 10 semester hours in the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience. (see below)

  • Complete course work with a UIS institutional grade point average of at least 2.0 as well as a cumulative grade point average. (including both institutional and transfer credit) of at least 2.0

  • Fulfill all requirements in a major.

  • Complete and file a graduation application and pay the mandatory, non-refundable graduation application fee.

Minimum Academic Components & Credit Hours Required

General Education These requirements include course work in written and oral communication, mathematics, science, humanities, and behavioral and social sciences. 37-40
Major Program Requirements The number of required hours in this category depends on the specific major selected. For example, the B.A. in Political Science requires 32 credit hours in the discipline, whereas the B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Sciences requires 59 credit hours in the discipline. Most degrees at UIS require between 32 and 36 credit hours of program-specific core and elective course work — see individual program information for specific majors. 29-61
Engaged Citizenship Common Experience Categories for this set of core courses include U.S. Communities, Global Awareness, Engagement Experience, and Speaker Series. Students must complete nine hours from two of the following categories: U.S. Communities, Global Awareness, or Engagement Experience. Students must complete at least three hours in two of the three categories. The remaining one hour is completed with enrollment in the Speaker Series category. 10
General Electives These are courses taken to fulfill prerequisites for a major, requirements for a minor, or for student interest. 4-36
Minimum Total Number of Credit Hours Required 120

Time Limitation

All credit earned at UIS to be applied toward the completion of a bachelor’s degree must be taken within seven consecutive years of the first course taken at UIS in pursuit of that degree.