Graduation Requirements
Students are expected to maintain regular progress toward the baccalaureate degree by carrying the “normal” course load—between 12 and 18 credit hours each semester. Each student is expected to complete the baccalaureate degree by attending four consecutive years and eight semesters. They may, however, wish to accelerate the pace toward graduation by using advanced placement credits, summer session study, and receiving credit for courses through examination. Students will have a limit of 8 calendar years to complete the requirements for the bachelor’s degree. Students may petition the Committee on Standing of Students (SOS) for up to a one-year leave of absence for special circumstances beyond their control.
Students in good academic standing earn their degrees by meeting the requirements of their specific degree curriculum as well as general university requirements. Students should confer with their advisers on matters related to curriculum.
Students are expected to satisfy the credit-hour requirements of their chosen curricula. Basic military science credit hours are in addition to the credit hours specified in the curricula. A maximum of six credit hours of advanced military science courses may be applied toward the baccalaureate degree.
Undergraduate Residency Requirement
To be eligible to receive a Lehigh baccalaureate degree, the candidate must have completed either a minimum of 90 credit hours in residence, or all of the last 30 credit hours at the University or in residency programs.
Five-Year, Two-Bachelor-Degree Programs
The university’s five-year, two-degree programs enable a student to receive two bachelor degrees upon completion of five years of study.
The civil engineering and earth and environmental sciences program that affords two bachelor degrees, and the electrical engineering and engineering physics two-degree program are examples of programs in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Some five-year, two-degree programs appear in the description of courses under Arts-Engineering and Five-Year Programs in Section V. It is possible to arrange for a dual bachelor degree program even after studying at Lehigh for some time. Engineering students, for example, who decide at any stage of study that they wish to meet the requirements for both the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degree may complete the combined requirements in five years if the decision is made before the third year.
Second degree candidates—A student entering Lehigh to obtain a second bachelor’s degree, or those Lehigh students who wish to declare a second major in another college, or both a B.A. and a B.S. degree within the College of Arts and Sciences must have a minimum of 30 additional credit hours beyond the first degree credit-hour requirements in order to qualify for the second degree. All of the 30 additional credit hours must be taken at Lehigh or in Lehigh residency programs. All special second degree programs must be approved by the dean of the college in which the degree is to be offered and the Standing of Students Committee.
Several ways exist for students to obtain two degrees in five years of study. See listings under ARTS-Engineering; Civil Engineering and Earth and Environmental Sciences; Electrical Engineering and Engineering Physics; and College of Education.
Advisement
Every undergraduate is assigned a faculty adviser. Undeclared majors in the College of Business and Economics are assigned to a professional advisor. Until the major is declared, assistance is also available through the dean’s office of the college in which the student is enrolled. When the major has been chosen, a faculty member from the major department will act as the academic adviser.
This adviser is one of the most valuable resources in the educational process, not only to assist in making academic selections to match the student’s particular background, interests, and future objectives, but also to identify program options, to work out an academic pace, and to develop career planning strategies. The adviser will help to identify other resources and support systems available at the university, such as The Learning Center, the counseling service, and the Office of Career Services.