Virginia Wesleyan College

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Virginia Wesleyan offers a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree with numerous options for majors in the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences. Students successfully carrying the normal course load of 15 semester hours can expect to graduate after eight semesters. A brief overview of the requirements for graduation are listed below.

Please note: This Web page is just a brief overview of the graduation requirements. You can search and read the VWC Catalog on line or refer to the print version of the catalog.

General Studies

The faculty of Virginia Wesleyan College has created an educational program that emphasizes cultural breadth, intellectual depth and flexibility of mind. This program will enable students to fulfill themselves personally, prepare for a productive life, and meet the demands of democratic citizenship and social responsibility—qualities essential for a life well-lived.
» General Studies

Application for Degree

Applications for Degree are available on MARSIS. Each candidate for a degree is required to file an Application for Degree according to the following schedule:

Degree Received:	December	May	August**
Apply for Degree on MARSIS by:	9/15 of the same year	9/15 of the previous year	9/15 of the previous year
Completion of all Degree Requirements:	End of fall semester	End of spring semester	8/15
Date of Degree Conferral:	December	May	August
Date of Commencement Exercises:	May of the following year	May	Previous or following May**

**See Two-Course Rule below.

Major

Students must successfully complete at least one of the five types of majors offered by the College. A student's major professor, or major committee, must certify that the student has successfully completed all the requirements for the major. Degree candidates are required to choose a major by the end of the sophomore year.

Minor

Students have the option of completing minors in addition to a major program. This choice must be approved by a full-time faculty member in the minor's department who will certify that the student has completed the requirements prior to graduation.

Course Hours

Students are required to complete at least 120 semester hours of academic course work, two-thirds of which must be traditionally-graded.

First Year Seminar

Freshmen and transfers with fewer than 24 semester hours must successfully complete First Year Seminar. In the process of investigating a complex issue, students develop foundational inquiry skills that emphasize critical thinking and independent learning in a liberal arts environment.

Grade Point Average

A candidate for graduation must have at least a 2.0 (C) average both in the major and as a cumulative average. Interdivisional, individualized, humanities, and social sciences majors require a 2.5 GPA.

Residence Requirement

Students must complete at least their last 30 semester hours and must earn at least 15 semester hours in their major area at Virginia Wesleyan College.

Oral Communications Proficiency

All freshmen and transfer students must demonstrate the ability to speak well in the English language. Each academic major has an approved plan to help students develop good speaking skills and to assess their competency with oral communications.

Foreign Language Proficiency

Students must demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language (other than English), equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in the 212 course as a condition for graduation. A student may demonstrate proficiency prior to entering Virginia Wesleyan by scoring at least 600 on the CEEB Foreign Language Achievement test or a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement exam.

Computer Literacy

All entering students should be able to demonstrate basic computer literacy prior to entering Virginia Wesleyan. Specifically, this means competency in the following computer skills:

• Ability to send and receive e-mail messages with attachments
• Ability to use a word processor
• Ability to use a web browser to access information on the Internet

Nearly every student arrives at Virginia Wesleyan with at least a basic knowledge of and experience with technology. On-campus resources permit students at any level to attain higher skills levels through additional computer training within their major or in addition to their major field of study. Any student who believes—or whose adviser believes—that his or her educational skills would benefit from additional training in computer technology has the option of enrolling in several different credit courses (e.g. CS100).

Students graduating from VWC must meet a standard of computer literacy set by their major program. Each of those major programs identifies specific computer skills which they expect undergraduates working in their disciplines to learn and a plan explaining how students may acquire the requisite computer skills for that major.

Limitation on Course Credits

Students may have more than one major listed on their transcript, but no more than 54 semester hours in any one discipline, nor more than 78 semester hours in any two disciplines, may be submitted for graduation. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the Management, Business and Economics department, however, a Liberal Arts Management Program major taking the 12-semester-hour internship course (MBE 416) may have no more than 60 semester hours in MBE courses, nor more than 78 semester hours in any two disciplines submitted for graduation. A student who wishes to take more than 54 semester hours in one discipline or 78 semester hours in any two disciplines will have to take additional hours beyond the 120 semester hours required for graduation.

Two-Course Rule

If a potential graduate has at most two courses remaining to be completed by the end of the spring semester of their graduating year, that student, upon receiving permission from the Office of the Registrar, may participate in May commencement exercises. In order to secure such permission, a student must:

1. have submitted an Application for Graduation by the mandated September deadline;
2. have at most two courses remaining to complete all graduation requirements;
3. have at least a 2.0 overall grade point average;
4. have at least a 2.0 grade point average in a traditional major, or at least 2.5 in an interdivisional, individualized, humanities, or social studies major; and
5. enroll in Virginia Wesleyan's summer sessions for the remaining graduation requirements.

For purposes of determining two courses, the following applies: an internship will be regarded as one course, regardless of the number of semester hours it carries; a science course together with a co-requisite lab will be regarded as one course.

If the student receives permission to participate in the ceremony, special notice will be made of the student's status as an August candidate, the student will not be hooded and the student will be granted a degree in August upon successful completion of the required hours. Honors status will not be determined until all summer coursework is completed.

Latin Honors

All potential graduates should understand the process for determining eligibility for graduation with Latin honors. Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude) are not awarded solely on grades. "In order to be considered for any category of graduation with honors, students must fulfill all institutional requirements described in the VWC catalog under which they are to graduate." (VWC Catalog)

Each of the following requirements must be satisfied to graduate with Latin honors:

Interdisciplinary studies (INST) courses do not satisfy the requirement for social sciences, humanities or natural sciences.

To qualify for any honors category, students with transfer credit must satisfy the quality point average requirements both in the set of all courses counted toward graduation and in the set of courses taken at VWC.

An explanation of the Two-Course Rule for potential August graduates can be found above. The honors status for students who are August candidates for graduation will be determined after all summer course work is completed.

Additional details for graduating with honors can be found in the current catalog under "Graduating with Honors."

Students who plan to graduate should submit their Application for Degree through MARSIS by Sept. 15 preceding their expected graduation in December, May or August.