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Four Year Degree Plan

UW-Stout Four-Year Degree Contract [PDF]

In a short time you will begin your first year at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Your life as a college student will be full of exciting possibilities, and you will have many choices to make as you complete your plan of study and prepare for your career.

One of those choices is whether you will complete your degree program in four years. There are several academic and financial advantages to completing your degree in four years. Students who graduate in four years can immediately pursue goals beyond their baccalaureate degrees. They can enter the job market or begin graduate or professional studies in a timely manner. UW-Stout is committed to assuring that all students who want to graduate in four years have the information and assistance they need to accomplish this goal. It has always been possible to graduate from the University in four years; however, graduating in four years requires a high level of advanced planning and personal responsibility.

Because we want to encourage that responsibility, the University offers you the following option. If you agree to do everything necessary to complete your studies in four years, the University will arrange to provide the courses you need to meet all of your degree requirements. If any course is not available, the University will arrange for you to either substitute another course or pay the tuition for any courses you are required to complete after the four-year period.

The following information explains the four-year degree plan at UW-Stout. Please read these materials and discuss them with those who are interested in your academic and career goals. UW-Stout advisors and student services staff members will be able to answer questions you may have regarding this plan. If you are eligible for this plan and interested in finishing your degree in four years, complete the Four-Year Degree Contract agreement and return it to the Advisement Center by the due date. If you are not interested in or eligible for this plan, you do not need to complete the agreement.

There is no penalty if you sign the agreement and later decide to take advantage of some opportunity or program beyond the requirements of the degree that keeps you from graduating in four years, thereby canceling your agreement. Some of the degree programs at UW-Stout typically require more than four years to complete. Most of the degree programs available at UW-Stout can be completed in four years, and this agreement could help put you on track to graduate with your bachelor’s degree in that time.

Although there are financial benefits to completing your degree in four years, it may take some additional financial planning to achieve this goal. Documentation shows that students who work more than fifteen hours a week are less likely to complete their degrees in four years. If you decide to participate in the four-year degree program and you choose to work while enrolled in school, you would be well advised to work no more than 15 hours per week and devote the remainder of time to your studies.

Whether you decide to complete the four-year agreement or not, UW-Stout is pleased that you have chosen to begin your degree program here at our campus!

How does the Four-Year Degree Plan work?

Read all of the information on this site and decide if the four-year program is appropriate for you. Print, complete, and sign the Four-Year Degree Contract and return it to the Advisement Center by the 10th day of classes, September 18, 2007. Your advisor(s) will help you monitor each of the "checkpoints" to assure that you are making adequate progress toward your goal. Although your advisors can provide assistance, ultimately you are responsible for assuring that you do what is needed to stay on track.

Part of the expectation for the four-year graduation agreement is that you will carefully plan your course schedule one semester at a time, and that you will have a general plan for your entire four years. Each program director can provide you with a program plan sheet and suggested eight-semester sequence to be used as a guide. During your freshman year, your advisor will be able to provide you with information on how to complete your degree in four years.

If you choose to change degree programs, pursue a second degree program, or take advantage of other academic opportunities, your graduation may be delayed. Please notify your advisor of any change in plans; there is no penalty for canceling your agreement with the University.

Who is eligible to sign up for this program?

You are eligible if:

  • You are entering in the fall semester as a freshman. You can have prior college credit from Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, the Post-Secondary Youth Options Program, or college credit from another post-secondary institution taken while you were still in high school, but you must not have been enrolled at any other collegiate institution after graduation from high school.
  • You have the preparation to begin your degree program at entry to the University.  This means your ACT scores must place you into the levels of the courses required in your declared program.
  • For students who are not native speakers of English, your English proficiency is at the level required to begin courses in your declared program.
  • You sign and submit the Four-Year Degree Contract which specifies your responsibilities and the responsibilities of the University by the 10th day of classes in the fall semester, September 18, 2007.
  • You declare your degree program as one that is included in this agreement.

With planning and advisement, it is possible to complete the following programs in four years:

Back to Advisement Center

 

 

Reviewed: July 2007
Office of the Provost
University of Wisconsin-Stout