Degrees & Majors
In order to earn a baccalaureate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder, students must meet all degree and major requirements for their program of study and earn a minimum of 120 cumulative credit hours and a minimum of a 2.00 GPA. It is important to note that some degree and program requirements are higher than these minimum standards. See college and school sections of this catalog for specific degree policies and requirements.
In addition, students at CU Boulder may pursue dual degrees, double degrees or concurrent (bachelor's–accelerated master's) degrees, or additional majors, minors and/or certificates. See the Change or Add a Major, Minor or Certificate webpage for more direction.
Dual Degrees
Dual degree programs are formally approved combined or integrated curricula for two degrees (typically at the graduate or professional levels) in complementary fields of study. These may be offered by two or more CU colleges/schools. Typically, students earn both degrees in less time than if each degree is pursued individually.
Double Degrees
In contrast, double degrees are two (or more) degrees from the same college, school, or program (e.g., BA and BFA from Arts and Sciences) or two (or more) degrees from different colleges/schools that are earned/awarded concurrently (not approved as part of a dual-degree program (see above). Students must meet all requirements for each degree.
Students who wish to pursue an additional baccalaureate degree after graduating with a baccalaureate degree from CU Boulder must apply for readmission to the university. In addition, students should work with an academic advisor in the intended degree program to determine appropriate procedures and additional requirements (e.g., additional residency requirements may apply beyond course requirements for the second degree and major). Not every college and school permits students to complete an additional baccalaureate degree after graduation.
Bachelor’s–Accelerated Master’s Degrees
Bachelor’s–accelerated master’s (BAM) degree programs are offered in several departments. These programs allow a student to receive both a bachelor's and master's degree in a shorter period of time without compromising the academic integrity of either degree.
BAM programs are open only to highly qualified CU Boulder undergraduates. Students are typically admitted during the junior year with an intent application reviewed by their program. BAM students must apply online to graduate with their bachelor's degree for the semester in which degree requirements are complete, and must also apply at that time to be formally admitted to continue with the accelerated master's program. Students wishing to continue studying toward a doctorate must formally apply for admission to the Graduate School.
Students interested in a BAM program should inquire with their program of interest for information regarding admissions and detailed program guidelines and requirements.
Please see below for currently approved BAM degree programs offered, listed by college and school. Or, explore BAM program options in the Programs A-Z section of the catalog.
College of Arts and Sciences
- Art and Art History
- Chinese/Asian Languages and Civilizations
- Cinema Studies/Art and Art History
- Classics
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Ethnic Studies/Education
- French
- German Studies/German
- Integrative Physiology
- Japanese/Asian Languages and Civilizations
- Linguistics/Linguistics or Computational Linguistics, Analytics, Search and Informatics
- Mathematics
- Mathematics/Applied Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Religious Studies
- Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
- Statistics and Data Science/Applied Mathematics
- Theatre
Leeds School of Business
- Accounting/Accounting or Accounting Taxation
- Finance/Accounting or Accounting Taxation
- Real Estate
School of Education
- Ethnic Studies/Education
College of Engineering and Applied Science
- Aerospace Engineering
- Applied Mathematics
- Architectural Engineering/Architectural Engineering or Civil Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering or Chemical and Biological Engineering/Chemical Engineering or Materials Science and Engineering
- Civil Engineering/Architectural Engineering or Civil Engineering
- Computer Science/Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, Analytics, Search and Informatics, Data Science or Network Engineering
- Electrical Engineering or Electrical and Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering
- Engineering Physics/Physics
- Environmental Engineering/Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering
- Integrated Design Engineering/Environmental Engineering or Mechanical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Engineering or Materials Science and Engineering
College of Media, Communication and Information
- Information Science
Post Baccalaureate-Accelerated Master’s Degrees
Post Baccaulaureate Accelerated Master's (PBAM) programs in engineering offer an integrated degree plan for post-bacc students. A list of PBAM programs is below.
College of Engineering and Applied Science
- Applied Computer Science/Computer Science, Data Science, Network Engineering, or Computational Linguistics, Analytics, Search and Informatics
Additional Majors
Some colleges and schools permit students pursuing a baccalaureate degree to graduate with more than one major (e.g., economics and French) under the same degree (e.g., BA) by completing all requirements for each major. The majors must be completed concurrently and will post to a degree record with the same graduation date. A minimum of 120 total credit hours is required for a degree with additional majors.
Minors
Students earning a baccalaureate degree may participate in a minor program. Minors are offered in a number of undergraduate colleges, schools and programs.
Certificates
Undergraduate students may pursue formal certificates in a variety of academic or interdisciplinary subjects. Each certificate program has unique requirements. Degree-seeking students who been verified to have completed certificate requirements will have the certificate/s posted to their academic record at the time of graduation. Nondegree students who are approved to pursue select certificate programs must be admitted through Continuing Education.
Degree Audit
Degree audit reports are available for most degree and certificate programs to help students and advisors track requirements and progress in order to help them graduate on time. The degree audit outlines courses needed for the degree and applies college or school-defined policies, including transfer credit applicability and repeated course rules. The audit also provides hypothetical "what if" degree information. Students and advisors can access the degree audit tool through Buff Portal.