The program types listed below are available only to degree-seeking students enrolled in degree-granting programs:
Major: a group of courses at the undergraduate or graduate level that constitute a primary program of study. At the undergraduate level, an academic major must contain a minimum of 24 upper division credit hours. At the graduate level, an academic major must contain a minimum of 18 credit hours.
Documented on the diploma and transcript.
Minor: a group of courses that constitute a secondary program of study that is distinct, in subject area, from the primary program of study. Academic minors must contain a minimum of 18 credit hours (at least six upper division) for undergraduate degrees, six credit hours for master’s degrees, and 15 credit hours for doctoral degrees.
Documented on the transcript.
Minor (as part of an Interdisciplinary Degree): Interdisciplinary degrees comprise distinct fields of specialization. These fields of specialization are required to follow curricula approved for inclusion in an interdisciplinary degree. Any academic minor may be used as a field of specialization in an interdisciplinary degree. Additionally, students and advisers in these degree programs can pursue self-designed fields of specialization provided they obtain approval from the academic areas housing the courses included in those fields.
Documented on the transcript. Any interdisciplinary degree program may submit a request to the Office of the Provost to have the titles of the fields of specialization printed on the diploma. The form for the request is available under Faculty Resources on the Provost’s webpage.
Track: a group of courses that constitute a distinction within a major at the professional master’s and doctoral levels.
Documented on the transcript. Any academic program may submit a request to the Office of the Provost to have one or more tracks printed on the diploma. The form for the request is available under Faculty Resources on the Provost’s webpage.
Concentration: a group of courses that constitute a distinction within a major at the undergraduate level and in Master of Arts/Master of Science/Master of Education degrees. The concentration allows the student to complete the degree with a demonstrated proficiency in an area of focus within the major.
At the undergraduate level, a concentration must include at least twelve semester credit hours and generally should not exceed 50% of the total semester credit hours required for the major (not the entire degree). A minimum of twelve semester credit hours in the concentration must be upper division.
For Master of Arts/Sciences/Education degrees, a concentration must align with one of the following:
1. A concentration is a group of courses comprising at least six semester credit hours in the major. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) mandates that majors in master’s degrees include a minimum of 18 semester credit hours (SCH). Concentrations must comprise six SCH within that major. The academic department determines what courses constitute the major and concentration. The concentration allows the student to complete the degree with a demonstrated proficiency in an area of focus within the major.
2. A concentration is a group of courses comprising at least six semester credit hours taken in addition to the major and which cannot be taken separately from the major. That is, a student not enrolled in the major may not complete the coursework required for the concentration. The concentration allows the student to complete the degree with a demonstrated proficiency in a secondary area of focus complementary to the major.
Regardless of concentration, the number of credit hours required to complete the degree should not change. This is because the required minimum semester credit hours for the degree awarded is based on the major only, not the concentration.
Concentrations are only available to students enrolled in the home major.
Documented on the transcript. Any academic program may submit a request to the Office of the Provost to have a concentration printed on the diploma. The form for the request is available under Faculty Resources on the Provost’s webpage.
Specialization: a group of courses that constitute a distinction within a concentration.
Documented on the transcript as an additional concentration.
The program type below is available to degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students:
Certificate: A group of courses that constitute an area of study that can be completed with or without an accompanying degree.
For degree-seeking students: Certificate will be awarded at the time degree is awarded: documented on the transcript.
For non-degree-seeking students: Certificate will be awarded when coursework is complete: documented on the transcript.
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