Petitioning Degree Requirements

Petitions are requests to modify degree requirements. Petitions are rare and should only occur under exceptional circumstances. Students may petition the University’s general bachelor’s degree requirements, major or minor requirements, or core curriculum requirements. Students seeking modifications to degree requirements must submit an online or waiver form, initiated by the student with the help of an advisor.

Visit our website for instructions on Submitting Requests for Course Substitutions & Waivers Online for more information.

Petitioning a General Bachelor’s Degree Requirement

Petitions to modifications of general bachelor’s requirements are the rarest and should be only be submitted when the student has a strong rationale and can provide supporting documentation with the request. Petitions related to general bachelor’s requirements require approval from the student’s major department chair/school director, Dean, and Chief Academic Officer or designee.

Petitioning a Core Curriculum Requirement

Petitions to core curriculum requirements, include but are not limited to, grade exceptions, course substitutions, and transfer credit. Petitions to core curriculum requirements require approval from the student’s major department chair/school director, the Dean of the college, and the Associate Vice President for Student Academic Success/Dean of the University College or designee.

Petitioning a Major or Minor Requirement

Petitions to major or minor requirements require approval from the department chair/school director and the Dean of the college in which the major or minor is housed. Petitions to minor requirements are not approved by the student’s major department. Petitions to major or minor requirements managed by the colleges are those that exceed minimum university requirements (e.g., the major requires a 2.5 GPA instead 2.0) and any unique requirement to the official major or minor (e.g., major admission and progression criteria). Petitions may also include requests to substitute required courses with alternate courses. Content of substituted courses must be consistent with approved degree/program requirements. Students should be prepared to provide supporting documentation for these requests, including but not limited to the course syllabus for the class taken and an official course description.

Petitioning a Teacher Education Requirement

Petition to teacher education requirements of degree plans leading to teacher licensure require approval of the Dean of the College of Education and P-16 Integration or designee after review by the student’s major department and school/college.