Missouri State University is committed to helping students to accomplish their educational objectives. For many students who enter as freshmen, a primary objective is to graduate in four years. For some, the objective is to complete both a bachelor's and a master's degree on an accelerated schedule.

Of Missouri State's 150 programs, most can be completed in four years if you:

• Take appropriate general education courses your freshman year and, if you are undecided about a major, use your selection of general education courses and other resources the University offers to explore your options;
• Declare your major no later than early in your sophomore year (some majors require that you take prescribed courses as freshmen - check with an advisor in your area of interest for details);
• Meet with your academic advisor early in your academic career and regularly thereafter, follow the advice you are given, and register for the appropriate courses for your major in the correct sequence;
• Read and understand the requirements in the catalog, track your progress using your online degree audit, and be proactive in planning your schedule and resolving conflicts;
• Complete an average of 32* credit hours per year while maintaining the grade point average required for your major and earning satisfactory grades in all required courses on your first attempt;
• Complete requirements for admission to programs where applicable; and,
• Take advantage of the special assistance and support available to you at Missouri State.

*A small number of programs require more than 32 credit hours in certain years and/or completion of one or more summer sessions. Consult with your advisor regarding any such requirements for your program.

Admission to the University does not guarantee admission to all programs. Some programs, such as athletic training, communication, nursing, education, and business, have specific program admission requirements. Please refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for details. Students pursuing a double major may require additional time to graduate. For students seeking a Bachelor of Science in Education degree, changes in state certification requirements may alter their program requirements and thus impact their time to graduation.

With careful planning, it is also possible to graduate in less than four years, especially if you earned college credit while in high school.

If you are already planning a graduate degree, you can expedite completion of your bachelor's and master's degree through our accelerated master's programs, which allow qualified students to earn graduate credit as undergraduates and, in some cases, to earn both degrees in five years. Contact the Graduate College for details.

If you are a transfer student, your time to graduation will be influenced by the number of credit hours that you transfer and the applicability of those courses to your degree program. Be sure to work carefully with an advisor in the department of your intended major at Missouri State, both before and after your transfer.

For more information on planning your academic program and ensuring that you graduate on schedule, consult your academic advisor.