Minimum Units for Graduation

A minimum of 180 quarter units is required for graduation. These must be distributed according to the minimum requirements set forth by the faculty of your college.

Unit Credit Limitations

For certain courses, there may be limits established on the number of units countable towards the 180-unit minimum required for the degree. To avoid discovering just before graduation that a student is short on units, a student should regularly meet with their advisor to keep track of the number of units taken and credited.

Internship Courses

A maximum of 15 units of internship courses may be counted toward the 180-unit bachelor’s degree requirement; however, some colleges have set a lower maximum. Unless the student has completed a minimum of 84 units, the student shall not receive University credit for an internship course numbered 192; Davis Division Regulations 532¹

Special Study Courses

Unless the student has completed a minimum of 84 units, the student shall not receive University credit for a Special Study courses course numbered 194H or 199; Davis Division Regulations 535²

Transfer Courses

The acceptability of transfer courses for unit credit is determined by Undergraduate Admissions. The acceptability of such courses toward specific requirements is determined by the individual college or school. To eliminate the possibility of duplication of credit, students should refer to the Advanced Placement Examination & International Baccalaureate charts and their transcripts.

¹ Davis Division Regulations 532; Academic Credit for Internships 

Davis Division Regulations 532

(A) A maximum of 15 units of internship courses, whether taken in this Division or elsewhere, may be counted toward the 180 units required for graduation (Am 1/14/72; 4/23/79; 4/25/83; 6/05/01). Internships for which academic credit toward the baccalaureate degree may be earned shall have the following features:

(1) Students are able to apply the concepts and methods of at lest one academic discipline to an appropriate work experience or setting.

(2) Students are able to grow intellectually by the extension of general intellectual tools of one or more academic disciplines to the workplace. Work that is clerical in nature or that involves routine maintenance or service responsibilities shall not be judged appropriate for awarding academic credit.

(3) Faculty sponsors are able to assess the quality of academic work completed by the student.

(B) A student for whom academic credit earned in an internship may be awarded:

(1) Possesses a suitable background in the discipline in which academic credit is sought;

(2) Possesses the background or skills necessary to successfully complete the requirements of the internship;

(3) Will experience significant intellectual growth as a result of the internship and the associated academic work, and;

(4) Has completed at least 84 units toward the degree. No student shall receive University credit for an internship numbered 192 unless the student has completed a minimum of 84 units.

(C) When it is determined that an internship and student are appropriate for academic credit, arrangements for receiving it shall include the following elements:

(1) Prior approval by the appropriate Program Manager in the Internship and Career Center (ICC) certifying that the internship situation is appropriate for awarding academic credit. The student shall submit a written description of the proposed internship to ICC, accompanied by a letter from the sponsor that describes the student’s duties and responsibilities, hours, and the sponsor’s expectations. Evidence must be provided that the student intern will be directly supervised by a career professional who is aware of the University’s standards for earning academic credit.

(2) Prior approval by a faculty sponsor whose background and expertise are related to the area of the internship and appropriate for supervision of the student’s activities.

(3) Adherence to departmental guidelines that set forth requirements for granting academic credit. Requirements may vary depending on the nature of the discipline, but generally it is expected that a student will complete reading assignments and a research paper or project that requires the student to relate the academic discipline to the internship experience. The paper/project shall demonstrate the student’s ability to perform critical reasoning and/or methods of research appropriate to the discipline. Student participation in a concurrent seminar or discussion section may also be required, but student achievement must be documented.

(4) Appropriate faculty/student contact that includes a preliminary conference to set forth the faculty member’s expectations and requirements for satisfactory completion of the internship.

(D) The number of units awarded shall be contingent on the degree of commitment to the internship project, and departmental requirements shall adhere to that principle (EN. 6/04/85). The basic formula is one unit of credit per three hours per week commitment for a ten-week period; thus:

Commitment Per Week Units

3 - 5 hours 1

6 - 8 hours 2

9 - 11 hours 3

12 - 14 hours 4

15 - 17 hours 5

18 - 20 hours 6

21 - 23 hours 7

24 - 26 hours 8

27 - 29 hours 9

30 - 32 hours 10

33 - 35 hours 11

36 - 38 hours 12

39 - 41 hours 13

42 - 44 hours 14

45 hours and over 15 (am. 5/6/02)

² Davis Division Regulations 535; Special Study Courses

Davis Division Regulations 535

(A) Special Study courses are research-oriented, variable unit courses of study designed for one student under the supervision of one faculty member. No student shall receive academic credit for a special study course numbered 194H or 199 unless the student previously has completed at least 84 units of credit toward the degree.

(B) With the approval of the Department Chair an instructor may provide a special study course to an interested student. The content of the course shall not duplicate the content of an existing course, and the amount of work proposed shall at least equal that required for a regularly offered course of corresponding academic unit value. Grading in undergraduate special study courses shall be on a "Passed/Not Passed" basis unless the instructor has approval for letter grading from the Committee on Courses of Instruction of either the college or school as well as the Division.

(C) Requests for letter grading in special study courses must be received by the Divisional Committee on Courses of Instruction no later than the fifteenth day of instruction in the quarter in which the course is offered.

(D) Special study courses for undergraduates shall be numbered 99, 199, or 194H (En. 1/24/72)