Post-Bachelor’s Degree Admission and Requirements

Matriculation for a Second Bachelor’s Degree

A student may be permitted to matriculate for a second bachelor’s degree either after completing the first bachelor’s degree at SUNY Potsdam or at another college. The second degree must be in a different program or in a discipline significantly different from the first degree.

If the student’s first degree was awarded by SUNY Potsdam, the student must apply to the Office of the Registrar for readmission for a second bachelor’s degree. Students also must complete a form specifying their educational goals and providing a detailed educational plan including all courses they will take each semester at the College. This plan must be signed by the chair of the department in which the second degree program is offered. The student must also meet the other general requirements below.

If the student’s first degree was not awarded by SUNY Potsdam, the student must apply to the Office of Admissions as a transfer student. The student must also meet the other general requirements below.

The general requirements for completion of a second bachelor’s degree include the following:

1. The student must complete at least 30 academic credit hours at SUNY Potsdam above those required for the first bachelor’s degree. These 30 hours must be earned subsequent to admission for the second degree. A minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average is required for completion of the second degree program.
2. The student must complete all major and cognate requirements for the second degree. All departmental and College policies will apply during the pursuit of the second bachelor’s degree.
3. Courses taken to complete General Education requirements in the first degree will apply to the second degree as appropriate. If the General Education requirements for the two degrees are different, requirements for both degrees must be satisfied. General Education requirements for students pursuing post-completion study will be those in place at the time of admission for the second degree.
4. Of the additional hours of coursework for the second bachelor’s degree, at least 15 must be taken at the upper-division level in the major of the second degree program and in residence at SUNY Potsdam.
5. All baccalaureate-level coursework taken at SUNY Potsdam will appear on one transcript with a single cumulative grade point average.
   1. Note: Any exceptions to the requirements for completion of a second bachelor’s degree must be approved by the by the Provost or designee; exceptions are rarely granted, and only in extraordinary circumstances.

Post-Graduation Admission of Non-Degree Students

A student with a bachelor’s degree may also be permitted to enroll as a non-matriculated student to complete a minor, a second major, teacher certification requirements, or prerequisites for a graduate program. Students who have a bachelor’s degree may apply to the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education for admission as non-matriculated students for the following purposes:

1. Completion of an additional major or minor. Upon certification by the Office of the Registrar that the major or minor requirements have been fulfilled, a comment will be added to the non-matriculated transcript: “Completed all courses required for XXX major/minor.” Note that students in this category are not eligible for financial aid and are limited to registering for eight credits per semester unless they receive special permission from the Admissions Committee.
2. Completion of prerequisites for a graduate program into which they have been admitted. Students who can supply a letter from the SUNY Potsdam Center for Graduate Studies, or another institution with accredited graduate programs, verifying that they have been provisionally admitted to a graduate program pending only the completion of specific prerequisite courses, may register for the number of credits permitted for matriculated students and may be eligible for financial aid.
3. Completion of courses required for an alternate teacher certification process. Students who can supply documentation that the coursework would qualify them for certification may be eligible for financial aid.