Information presented from the 2023 - 2024 Academic Catalog.

Denison University offers Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees. To be a candidate for a Denison degree, a student must do the following:

  • Fulfill the General Education requirements;
  • Complete an Academic Major in either a department, a program, or an individually designed program;
  • Earn 126 semester hours of credit;

A student earning a BA degree may have no more than 56 hours from the major field (14 courses) count toward the 126 hours required for graduation. Required cognates would not be included in this "56 Hour" rule. Interdepartmental BA degrees may require no more than 68 hours (17 courses). 

NOTE: A student may count towards graduation no more than 4 credits of Physical Education experiences that are credited S/U. 

  • Earn a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.0. Normally, all Denison courses completed by the student, including repeated and failed courses, will count in the calculation of the overall grade-point average; 
  • Earn a grade-point average of at least 2.0 in the major. Normally, all courses eligible to count toward the student's major, minor, and concentration, including courses beyond the minimum requirements, will be included in the calculation of the major, minor, and concentration grade-point average;
  • Complete at least 64 of the required 126 credit hours while in residence at Denison. Satisfactory completion of a major at Denison requires at least one-half of the credit hours that fulfill major requirements to be completed in residence at Denison. Satisfactory completion of a minor at Denison requires at least one-half of the credit hours that fulfill minor requirements to be completed in residence at Denison.
  • Senior residency requirement: Generally, all students, except those approved to go on a Denison off-campus program or are enrolled in recognized pre-professional 3-2 programs, must complete the last two semesters in residence at Denison. Exceptions to these requirements may be made via petition to the Academic Standing Board. A course taken "in residence" is defined as any course scheduled by the Denison Registrar and taught on the Denison campus, by a Denison faculty member. This policy prescribes a university-wide minimum residence requirement; individual departments may have stricter requirements.

Denison reserves the right to not award a student a degree if serious violations of the Code of Student Conduct or Code of Academic Integrity have been alleged against that student or if charges exist against that student that cannot be adjudicated prior to commencement exercises. For the present purpose, "serious violations" are those that normally could result in suspension or expulsion. At the discretion of the Vice President for Student Life or the Provost, a student facing allegations or charges of academic dishonesty may be permitted to participate in commencement exercises, however, the student would not receive a diploma or be considered a graduate of Denison. A valid diploma would be sent when all serious conduct matters have been resolved, and the student is deemed eligible to receive a degree from Denison.

Please note that qualifications and further clarification of these requirements appear in other sections of this catalog.