Baccalaureate Degree Requirements
General Education Requirements
All students must complete the general education program requirements to be eligible for graduation with a baccalaureate degree. A total of 44 hours are required in general education.
Teacher candidates in elementary education, special education, and early childhood must complete special coursework in language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. Most of these courses can be completed within the general education program. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) below may also be used for these teacher candidates.
I. Communications (9 hours)
1. English (6 hours)
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 1113 | Composition I * | 3 |
| ENG 1213 | Composition II * | 3 |
2. Speech Communication (3 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 1233 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM 2213 | Business & Professional Speaking * | 3 |
II. Social and Behavioral Sciences (12 hours)
1. Political Science (3 hours)
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| POSC 1513 | US Federal Government * | 3 |
2. United States History (3 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 1513 | US History to 1876 * | 3 |
| HIST 1523 | US History since 1876 * | 3 |
3. Social Sciences (3 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 2113 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| GEOG 2723 | World Regional Geography | 3 |
| HIST 3513 | US Social & Cultural History | 3 |
| SOC 1113 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
4. Mental and Physical Health (3 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| KIN 1113 | Wellness & Positive Life | 3 |
| PSY 1113 | General Psychology | 3 |
III. Science and Mathematics (14 hours)
1. Biological Sciences (4 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1114 | General Biology I * | 4 |
| BIOL 1404 | Principles of Biology | 4 |
2. Physical Sciences (4 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 1004 | Chemical Concepts | 4 |
| CHEM 1114 | Basic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 1315 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| PHYS 1004 | Concepts in Physics | 4 |
| PHYS 1114 | General Physics | 4 |
| PSCI 1114 | General Physical Science * | 4 |
| PSCI 1214 | General Earth Science | 4 |
| PSCI 1414 | General Astronomy | 4 |
3. Mathematics (3 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1303 | Math in Liberal Arts * | 3 |
| MATH 1483 | Functions and Modeling | 3 |
| MATH 1513 | College Algebra * | 3 |
| MATH 1543 | Algebra for the Sciences | 3 |
| MATH 1613 | Trigonometry | 3 |
| MATH 2013 | Introduction to Discrete Math | 3 |
| MATH 2113 | Analytic Geometry | 3 |
| MATH 2143 | Brief Calculus with Applications | 3 |
| MATH 2215 | Calculus I | 3 |
| MATH 2283 | Introduction to Logic | 3 |
| STAT 2153 | Statistical Methods | 3 |
4. Computer Proficiency (3 hours) ** — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CIS 1003 | Computers in Society * | 3 |
| BIM 1553 | Business Computer Applications | 3 |
IV. Humanities (9 hours)
1. Humanities, Philosophy & Literature (3–6 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HUM 2113 | Early Humanities * | 3 |
| HUM 2223 | Modern Humanities * | 3 |
| HUM 2313 | Introduction to Literature * | 3 |
| ENG 2313 | Introduction to Literature | 3 |
| ENG 3893 | World Literature in Translation | 3 |
| HIST 2713 | Early World Civilizations | 3 |
| HIST 2723 | Modern World Civilizations | 3 |
| PHIL 2113 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 2223 | Ethics | 3 |
2. Fine Arts (3–6 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ART 1003 | Art and Visual Communication | 3 |
| ART 1103 | Art Appreciation | 3 |
| ART 3013 | Comic Book Art | 3 |
| ART 3083 | Issues in Aesthetics & Criticism | 3 |
| ART 3203 | Art and World Cultures | 3 |
| MUS 1113 | Music in American Society | 3 |
| MUS 1123 | Music Literature & Appreciation | 3 |
| MUS 3133 | Introduction to World Music | 3 |
| THTR 1143 | Theatre Appreciation | 3 |
| THTR 1183 | Film Appreciation | 3 |
| THTR 2183 | Film Genres | 3 |
| THTR 3183 | Film and Culture | 3 |
3. Foreign Language (0–3 hours) — Choose one:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ASL 1113 | Introduction to American Sign Language | 3 |
| CHTW 1513 | Choctaw Language & Culture * | 3 |
| FREN 1113 | Elementary French I * | 3 |
| GERM 1113 | Elementary German I * | 3 |
| NS 1213 | Chickasaw Culture and Language | 3 |
| SPAN 1113 | Elementary Spanish * | 3 |
| SPAN 1223 | Principles of Spanish | 3 |
| Any 3-hour introductory foreign language course * | 3 | |
| Or: one additional course from Humanities/Philosophy/Literature (#1) or Fine Arts (#2) above | 3 | |
* Contact your major advisor for details on Teacher Education/General Education crossover courses.
** See General Education Program Requirements below for more details.
General Education Program Requirements
- A student must have a 2.00 retention/graduation GPA in all general education coursework completed.
- A student must have a 2.00 retention/graduation GPA in all general education coursework completed at Southeastern.
- Students must successfully complete either CIS 1003 or BIM 1553 (or their equivalent at another institution of higher education), or earn advanced standing credit by passing a computer proficiency test offered by the Department of Chemistry, Computer, and Physical Sciences or the Department of Management and Marketing. One year of computer science in high school will no longer satisfy this requirement.
- A student must complete English Composition I (ENG 1113), the Math requirement, and the Computer Proficiency requirement within their first 30 hours of college coursework at Southeastern.
- A student must complete ENG 1213 and COMM 1233 or COMM 2213 within the first 45 hours of coursework at Southeastern.
- Some programs and majors require specific general education courses. Refer to the program requirements listed in the department information for additional guidance.
- A maximum of ten semester hours of credit used in meeting the requirements in the major field may be used to satisfy the requirements in general education.
- A maximum of three semester hours of credit used in meeting the requirements in the minor field may be used to satisfy the requirements in general education.
Field of Specialization / Major Requirements
All students must complete one of the following Field of Specialization options in addition to the General Education requirements to be eligible for a baccalaureate degree:
- One major program and one minor program,
- One major-minor program, or
- A double major program.
For Education Programs, students must complete the requirements as outlined in the department, including a minimum of 50% of upper-division credit plus 33 semester hours of Professional Education courses.
Upper-Division Course Requirements
A minimum of 40 semester hours of the total hours required for graduation must be completed in upper-level courses (3000–4000 level), excluding physical education activity courses. Lower-level courses transferred from other institutions that have been equated to Southeastern upper-level courses will still be counted as lower level.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Requirement
| Degree Type | Minimum Liberal Arts & Sciences Hours |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) | 80 semester hours |
| Bachelor of Science (B.S.) | 55 semester hours |
| Bachelor of (Specialty) | 40 semester hours |
Senior Institution (4-Year School) Credit
A minimum of 60 semester hours counting toward the degree program (excluding physical education activity courses) must be completed at a senior-level (baccalaureate-granting) institution. Non-formal credit awarded by Southeastern counts toward this requirement.
Junior College (2-Year School) Credit
A maximum of 64 semester hours completed at accredited two-year junior/community colleges (including no more than four hours of physical education activity courses) may be counted toward the completion of a baccalaureate degree. Students may complete additional 2-year college credit above 64 hours to fulfill lower-level curriculum requirements; however, a minimum of 60 semester hours must be completed at a four-year institution. All credit completed at regionally accredited institutions will be recorded on the Southeastern transcript.
Residence Requirements
A student completing a baccalaureate degree program at Southeastern must meet the following residence requirements (excluding physical education activity courses):
- Complete a minimum of thirty weeks and thirty semester hours of formal coursework in residence at Southeastern.
- Complete at least fifteen of the final thirty semester hours applied toward degree requirements, or at least fifty percent of the semester hours required in the major field, in residence at Southeastern.
- Complete at least two courses in each major field and one course in each minor field (used to meet degree requirements) in residence at Southeastern.
- Program-specific residency requirements:
- Non-education programs: Complete a minimum of one-half of the total credits required for graduation in residence at approved institutions.
- Teacher education programs: Complete three-fourths of the total credit for graduation in residence at approved institutions. This requirement is applied separately and individually to work in general education, professional teacher education, and the field of specialization (major).
- See the Department of Aerospace for special residency requirements for its programs.
Note: Course credits earned by non-formal study do not count as residence credits in fulfilling any of the preceding residence requirements.
Grade-Point Average Requirements
The student must have achieved at least a 2.00 retention/graduation grade-point average in each of the following areas (excluding physical education activity courses) to be eligible for a baccalaureate degree:
- All coursework completed;
- All coursework completed at Southeastern;
- All coursework completed separately and individually in the major, the minor, and professional education;
- All coursework completed at Southeastern separately and individually in the major, the minor, and professional education;
- All general education coursework completed; and
- All general education coursework completed at Southeastern.
Note: All Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts in Education, and Bachelor of Science in Education programs have an additional grade-point requirement. See the specific chapter for each degree for details.
Minimum Credit Requirement
The minimum semester hours required for graduation is 124, which may include at most four semester hours of physical education activity courses.