DAESAWSU Graduation Requirements

WSU Graduation Requirements

There are seven university graduation requirements for undergraduates.

All of the requirements listed below must be satisfied for undergraduate students to qualify for graduation at Washington State University. These requirements come from several academic regulations that govern graduation at WSU, which are listed on the registrar’s graduation academic regulations page. The list below is based on the official lists of graduation requirements that are published in the general information provided at the front of the WSU general catalog under the “Writing Proficiency and WSU Graduation Requirements” and “Undergraduate Majors, Minors, and Certificates” sections.

If you have questions about WSU Graduation Requirements, it is best to contact the Office of the Registrar.

Represents the breadth of your degree.

Earn at least 120 semester credits total.
(Note: be sure you also earn at least the amount required by your specific degree program; see requirement #7 below.)

Ensures that your education has sufficient depth.

Earn at least 40 upper-division (300/400 level) semester credits.

Maintains an adequate standard of quality in your learning.

Maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.

Represents the general education component of your degree and ensures a well rounded background.

The UCORE curriculum divides five broad categories of learning into several requirements; only approved classes from the official UCORE course list will fulfill them. Of the 34 total credits required, only three 3- or 4-credit courses may be taken in a student’s major field of study (defined by catalog course prefix). For the purpose of this limitation, three 1-credit courses may be combined to count for a single 3-credit course.

Note: Effective Fall 2019, students must take CAPS courses in residence. “In residence” means a course either taught on a WSU campus or taught by WSU faculty, wherever the course may be located. Transfer and study abroad courses are not suitable for fulfilling the capstone requirement.

Note: Honors students will complete these requirements within the Honors College curriculum.

UCORE Curriculum

First-Year Experience
  • Roots of Contemporary Issues – HISTORY 105 [ROOT] → 3 credits
Foundational Competencies
  • Quantitative Reasoning [QUAN] → 3 cr.
  • Communication [COMM] [WRTG] → 6 cr.
Inquiry: Ways of Knowing

Of the following seven designations, students must complete six designations:

  • Arts [ARTS] → 3 cr.
  • Biological Sciences [BSCI] → 3 or 4 cr.
  • Equity and Justice [EQJS] → 3 cr.
  • Global Diversity [DIVR] → 3 cr.
  • Humanities [HUM] → 3 cr.
  • Physical Sciences [PSCI] → 3 or 4 cr.
  • Social Sciences [SSCI] → 3 cr.
Integrative Learning
  • Integrative Capstone [CAPS] → 3 cr.
Total Required Semester Credit Hours

34 or 35 cr.

Ensures an adequate communication ability pertaining to the knowledge you have gained.

Complete the following two writing proficiency requirements:

  • Complete the University Writing Portfolio/Readiness Assessment (to be completed when a student reaches 75 semester credits).
  • Pass two Writing in the Major [M] designated courses. (For more information about these, refer to the WSU Writing Program or the WSU Catalog.)

Some colleges maintain additional requirements for graduation.

College of Veterinary Medicine

Students complete all seven UCORE Inquiry designations: ARTS, BSCI, DIVR, EQJS, HUM, PSCI, SSCI.

College of Arts and Sciences

There are additional requirements for students earning a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).

All such students, including community college transfer students with an approved transferable AA degree from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Arizona, or Hawaii, or students pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in the majors in this college, will be held to the following CAS requirements:

  • Complete 2 years of high school or 1 year of collegiate-level foreign language study (must be the same language)
  • Complete all seven UCORE Inquiry designations: ARTS, BSCI, DIVR, EQJS, HUM, PSCI, SSCI.
  • Complete one additional lab credit of [BSCI] or [PSCI] for a total of 8 natural science semester credits (2 labs)

Honors College

As explained further on the Honors College website, honors students must satisfy four additional requirements which include maintaining a higher GPA, completing an honors curriculum in place of the UCORE curriculum, satisfying a foreign language requirement, and completing an honors thesis.

Represents the specialization component of your degree.

See the WSU catalog for details about your particular major. Generally, major-specific requirements will include at least a list of specific classes that must be taken and passed. However, some majors may have minimum credits and upper division credits earned requirements that exceed the number of credits required by the University.