The university catalog is updated and published annually to include any new or changed degree requirements. In general, students should follow the degree requirements for the catalog year in which they entered the university or program of study. If you've changed your major at least once at CU Denver or you were re-admitted following an absence of one or more years, please see your advisor to verify an accurate understanding of your degree requirements.
The requirements to earn a CU Denver degree are broken up into several different areas in the university catalog. You should familiarize yourself with these four main areas to ensure a full understanding of your degree.
General graduation requirements are the minimum standards that must be fulfilled for any student to earn a CU Denver degree. These requirements include minimum standards related to applicable credit hours, GPA requirements, and transfer credit limits.
Note that many schools/colleges/programs have higher minimum standards for their students, which is why it's important to check these requirements as well.
CU Denver subscribes to a liberal arts philosophy of education in order to develop a broad set of academic skills and to establish a foundation for lifelong learning in a student.
Since 1990, the CU Denver core curriculum of general education has been a campus-wide program for all undergraduate students, independent of the student’s major.
Each school/college at CU Denver has its own set of standards required to graduate from their programs. The school/college course requirements include minimum standards related to required courses, applicable credit hours, and GPA requirements.
The programs section of the catalog lists each undergraduate program at CU Denver including majors, areas of emphasis, minors, and certificate programs.
Under each program link, you will find a brief summary of the program, along with a detailed listing of course requirements and policies for that program.
Still undecided about your program of study? The university catalog is a great place to research programs and areas in which you might be interested. Because the core curriculum requirements are the same across all CU Denver programs, these courses are easily transferable across programs once you choose a major or switch to a new major. We recommend discussing with your academic advisor how core curriculum requirements might overlap with major requirements.
On the "CU Denver Core Curriculum" and "Programs" pages in the catalog, you will find a printer-friendly version of the Degree Planner, allowing you to easily keep track of your requirement progress. The Degree Planner tool can be used to complement the Degree Audit Report found within UCDAccess.
When reviewing the program choices that CU Denver offers, you can print a draft of the degree plan, add that program to your favorites list, obtain a print-friendly page of the program overview, or ask for help in navigating and personalizing the catalog by using the icons in the upper, right-hand corner on each program overview page.
The degree audit tool allows you to monitor your progress through degree requirements. Be sure to work with your advisor to successfully manage your degree progress to graduation.