Most colleges require about 120 completed credit hours to receive a degree. Any course with an "F," or failing, grade does not count toward this total. Regular courses are each worth three credit hours. More involved classes can include labs that increase the number of credit hours. Credit hours represent the amount of time the class is scheduled to meet each week. A full semester is a minimum of 12 credit hours, with an average of 15. Eight semesters of 15 credit hours each usually makes for a four-year degree.
To graduate from a bachelor's program, you must maintain a 2.0, or "C," grade point average while at the college. This is on the standard four-point scale in which an "A" is equal to a 4.0 and a "D" is 1.0. Cumulative GPA is calculated by multiplying the grade for the class by the number of hours it comprised. Total credit hours are then averaged together.
About one-third of your hours must be from upper level courses. Qualifying courses are determined by the college. Typically an upper level course is on at least the third tier of offered courses, usually the 300 or 3000 level. Upper level courses also often have introductory level courses as prerequisites.
Half of your total college credits must consist of courses in your major and minor combined. Colleges may have additional specific course requirements for each major and minor. Majors and minors are the specialized areas of study that you undertake while in school. A major is required to graduate, but a minor is optional.
A certain portion of your college credits must be taken at the college from which you will receive your degree. This is usually about one-quarter of the total required college credits, including upper level courses. The last two semesters of study typically must be at that college. A college is not required to except any outside college credits, and may limit the number that can be transferred in. Transferred credits do count toward your GPA.