Graduation Alert!

If you plan to graduate in Spring 2007, Summer 2007 or Fall 2007, you need to apply to graduate now. Click on the image above for details.

You can find the university's graduation requirement checklist at
http://www.ups.edu/x3006.xml

Be sure to consider the "last 8 units," foreign language and upper division elective graduation requirements -- these are easy to overlook as you work your way through core, major and minor requirements, etc.

I'd like to draw your attention in to the upper division elective requirement in particular. The Office of the Registrar sent this clarification of the requirement to faculty advisors in April.

“The Upper-Division Courses requirement can be satisfied by earning at least three academic units outside the first major at the upper division level, which is understood to be 300 or 400 level courses or 200 level courses with at least two prerequisites.”

"Five clarifications to help you identify appropriate choices and acquire sufficient credit to meet this requirement:

• No course chosen by the student and appearing in the “courses taken” section of the FIRST MAJOR portion of the online Degree Progress Report (DPR) may be counted toward the upper division requirement.
• 300 level non-major courses meeting core requirements (especially Connections) MAY be counted.
• No 200 level course without two STATED prerequisites in the current Puget Sound Bulletin may be counted.
• Language courses numbered above 202 in the FLL department will have the stated prerequisite of completion of 201/202 or equivalent, commencing with publication of the 2006-2007 Puget Sound Bulletin, allowing these courses to meet the upper division requirement. Continuing students meeting the requirements of earlier bulletins will also be permitted to count these courses toward the upper division requirement.
• Students are required to complete three UNITS, not three COURSES, to meet this requirement."

IPE majors are affected by these rules in a couple of ways. First, be careful about assuming that study abroad courses will satisfy the upper division elective requirement because most foreign study classes transfer as less that one UPS unit -- and the requirement is 3 units, not 3 courses.

Second, note that any class that could possibly be counted towards your IPE major cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. As you know, IPE has a long list of elective classes. You cannot use any of these classes to satisfy the upper division elective requirement, even if you do not take them as IPE electives.

Third, note the change in the foreign languge text above and also note that your Connections class may count as an upper division elective -- but only so long as it does not appear on the IPE electives list.

My advice: log onto Cascade and check your degree progress report and meet with your advisor if you have any questions. And, of course, be sure to apply to graduate!

Mike Veseth
IPE Czar