WHEREAS, Winthrop University has long offered degrees at the baccalaureate level,
currently requiring a minimum of 124 credit hours; and
WHEREAS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges,
in its Principles of Accreditation, states baccalaureate degrees should be based on
"at least 120 semester credit hours or the equivalent"; and
WHEREAS, most of Winthrop University's peer institutions consider 120 semester credit
hours as a minimum threshold for degree length; and
WHEREAS, a student successfully completing 15 credit hours each semester will earn
120 semester hours in four years; and
WHEREAS, reducing the minimum number of hours required for a baccalaureate degree
can encourage degree attainment and reduce the overall cost of completing these degrees;
THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED that, based on the recommendation of the Academic Council,
Faculty Conference, Provost, and President of Winthrop University, the minimum number
of semester credit hours required to earn a baccalaureate degree be set at one hundred
twenty (120).
May 9, 2014
