Belmont University - Undergraduate Catalog


Graduation Requirements

All students should officially “declare” a major and minor after 64 credit hours, and must declare a major and minor after 94 credit hours. After the major/minor form has been filed at Belmont Central, the student will be notified of the courses which must be taken in order to graduate. Any course that does not follow the bulletin (for the degree program) in course title must have a substitution form (Program of Study Change Form) submitted. These can be obtained from the advisor or the Dean of the College.

Students must file a graduation application with Belmont Central by the posted deadlines for each graduation date. These dates are listed in the Academic Calendar in the front of this catalog. At the beginning of the semester of that graduation, the student will be billed for the non-refundable graduation fee. If a student fails to complete the graduation process in a given semester (as requested on the student's Graduation Application), the student must reapply for graduation and an additional $50 fee is charged for each subsequent application.

General Degree Requirements

  1. 128 semester hours of university work numbered 1000 and above (132-141 for Bachelor of Music and 130-132 for Bachelor of Science in Nursing), must be taken in residence at Belmont University.
  2. The last 32 semester hours of course work on which a degree is granted must be done in residence at Belmont (with the exception of Medical Technology, Imaging Technology, and dual degrees in Engineering or Pharmacy).
  3. C average on the total hours attempted at Belmont University.
  4. 24 hours of a student’s major (except Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics where 22 hours are required) must be in courses numbered 2000 or above.
  5. A minor of 18 hours is required of every student, except those seeking the Bachelor of Business Administration, the Bachelor of Music, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, University College students, and students who have double majors, or those seeking elementary licensure.
  6. C average is required over all work done in both the major and the minor areas (including transfer work used to meet degree requirements).
  7. A minimum of 12 hours of the major and 6 hours of the minor must be taken at Belmont.
  8. A student may graduate by meeting degree requirements listed in the bulletin for either the year in which she/he enters Belmont University or the one for the year in which she/he graduates. The general policies and procedures in the latest edition of the bulletin are always applicable to all students. A student who is not enrolled for a period of two (2) consecutive academic years must meet the graduation requirements for either the bulletin under which he/she reenters Belmont or the one for the year in which he/she graduates.
  9. Students must attend commencement for a degree to be conferred.
  10. To receive a second bachelor’s degree, the candidate must meet all requirements for the second degree and must complete at least 24 hours at Belmont University over and above the number of hours required for the first degree.
  11. No more than one-fourth of any curriculum leading to a degree, certificate or diploma may be taken by extension classes and/or correspondence.
  12. At least 64 hours must be taken from accredited senior colleges and universities.
  13. It is the student’s responsibility to check with the advisor regarding the applicability of extension work to the Belmont degree program prior to enrollment at another institution.
  14. To fulfill graduation requirements, students must earn a specified number of credits as designated in the University Convocation Program.(See The Guide, or access the convocation website from the Belmont home page.)
  15. The holder of a bachelor's degree from another university wishing to pursue a second degree from Belmont University must complete all the following requirements:
A minimum of 32 hours must be completed at Belmont.

Students who have previously completed a four-year, baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. university shall be exempt from General Education requirements at Belmont, except for the six-hour Religion requirement.

When more than one degree option is available for a student's major (e.g. BA and BS degrees), the General Education Council will examine the past degree received and determine the appropriate degree to be conferred. (Note: Students pursuing BA or BM degrees must complete the specified Foreign Language requirement for their degree.)

The requirement for a minor is waived for students who have an earned bachelor’s degree from another institution.)

Undergraduate Senior Residency and Waiver

All degree seeking students are required to take their last 32 credit hours in their degree / program at Belmont University.  Prior to registration for the course(s), students seeking to take courses outside of Belmont must request a waiver of the senior residency requirement.  Any credit hours taken without prior approval will not be accepted in transfer. See the Senior Residence Waiver policy and criteria on the Transfer Credit page.

Students approved for Senior Residency or in a Study Abroad program in their final semester of study are responsible to ensure that official grades are received by the deadline for all graduating senior grades near the end of the term. Without grades, completion of degree requirements cannot be confirmed. Students not meeting degree requirments may not participate in graduation / commencement.