CU Denver Undergraduate Programs: A Comprehensive Overview

The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) offers a wide array of undergraduate programs designed to cater to diverse interests and career aspirations. This article provides a detailed overview of the various aspects of undergraduate studies at CU Denver, including admissions, degree requirements, special programs, and online learning opportunities.

Admissions to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS)

For first-time college applicants seeking admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), strong candidates are those whose cumulative GPA and test scores meet or exceed the middle 50 percent range. Jaimie Carrington, a member of the CLAS Advising team since 2016, assists students in navigating the admissions process. Her work includes bringing students to campus to experience CU Denver firsthand and supporting policies that aid in their transition to college life. Jaimie finds fulfillment in watching students progress from New Student Orientation to graduation and beyond, as they pursue their future goals.

CLAS Graduation Requirements

All CLAS majors must fulfill specific graduation requirements in addition to the CU Denver Core requirements and any major, minor, or certificate program requirements. These include:

Communicative Skills

Students must complete this requirement with a minimum grade of C- or higher.

Second Language Proficiency

Students must complete this requirement with a minimum grade of C- or higher. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to second language requirements.

CLAS Areas of Inquiry

Students must complete coursework in the following areas:

Humanities

Courses with an ENGL, HIST, HEHM, HUMN, PHIL, or RLST subject code may apply. ETST 2155 African American History and ETST 2357 Asian American & Pacific Islander Cultures may also apply. RLST 3800 Spirituality and Ecology in Global Societies can apply to either CLAS Humanities or CLAS Behavioral Science, but not both. Lower-division level (1000-2000) introductory English composition courses such as ENGL 1010 Writing Workshop, ENGL 1020 Core Composition I, and ENGL 2030 Core Composition II cannot fulfill this requirement. Arabic, Chinese, French, German, or Spanish culture, literature, or film courses may be taught in English or the associated language. Language acquisition courses cannot fulfill this requirement.

Behavioral Sciences

Courses with ANTH, COMM, or PSYC subject codes may apply. LING 2000 Foundations of Linguistics may also apply.

Social Sciences

Courses with ECON, ETST, GEOG, PBHL, PSCI, or SOCY subject codes may apply. ENVS 1342 Environment, Society and Sustainability, ETST 2000 Introduction to Ethnic Studies, and RLST 3800 Spirituality and Ecology in Global Societies may also apply.

Natural and Physical Sciences

Courses with BIOL, CHEM, GEOL, MATH, or PHYS may apply, provided that at least two lab sciences are completed. ANTH 1303 Introduction to Biological Anthropology and ENVS 1044 Introduction to Environmental Sciences/ENVS 1045 Introduction to Environmental Sciences Laboratory may apply as lab courses. GEOG 1202 Introduction to Physical Geography, GEOG 3232 Weather and Climate, and PSYC 2220 Biological Basis of Behavior may apply as non-lab courses.

Academic Recognition and Honors

CU Denver recognizes outstanding academic achievement through various honors and awards:

Graduation with Distinction

A student who performs superlatively in coursework will be awarded a bachelor’s degree accompanied by the statement “with distinction.” To be eligible, a CLAS major must have earned a minimum of 45 CU Denver credit hours with standard grades (including failed pass/fail attempts) and a CLAS GPA of at least 3.750.

Latin Honors

Departments in CLAS offer programs through which students can qualify for Latin honors: cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude. The determination of the level of honors is made by the department.

Dean's List

Each semester, CLAS publishes a Dean's List, honoring students who demonstrate high scholastic achievement. To be eligible, students must earn a minimum 3.750 semester grade point average in all CU hours taken during the semester. In addition, students must complete, for letter grades, a minimum of 9 semester hours (6 summer) in structured CLAS courses, excluding independent study, cooperative education, and internships.

Outstanding Undergraduate Award

Every Commencement (Summer/Fall and Spring), CLAS recognizes up to two graduating students (one BA and one BS) by awarding them the "Outstanding Undergraduate" award. This merit-based award requires candidates to submit a written application, including letters of recommendation, and have a 3.80 or higher cumulative CU GPA.

Read also: Exploring Kent Denver School

Major, Minor, and Certificate Requirements

Majors

The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science majors in CLAS require a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework in the major discipline (subject code). Interdisciplinary and individually structured majors may have exceptions. The minimum GPA required is 2.0, with all courses earning C- or higher grades. More restrictive credit hour, minimum grade, and minimum GPA requirements may be enforced.

Minors

Minors require a minimum of 15 semester hours, which may be interdisciplinary. A minimum of six upper-division semester hours are required, also potentially interdisciplinary. At least nine semester hours must be completed in residence. The minimum GPA required is 2.0, with all courses earning C- or higher grades. More restrictive requirements may be enforced.

Undergraduate Certificates

Undergraduate certificates require a minimum of 12 semester hours, potentially interdisciplinary. A minimum of six upper-division semester hours are required. At least 6 semester hours in a certificate program are expected to be taken in residence at CU Denver. The minimum GPA required is 2.0, with all courses earning C- or higher grades. More restrictive requirements may be enforced.

Additional Academic Requirements

Upper-Division Coursework

A minimum of 45 credit hours of upper-division level (3000-level or higher) coursework must be completed. At least 16 upper-division semester hours are required in the major discipline, though interdisciplinary and individually structured majors may have exceptions. Additional upper-division level credit requirements for CLAS majors, minors, and certificates may be enforced.

Minimum Grades

Undergraduate students enrolled in CLAS major, minor, or certificate programs must earn a minimum grade of C- or higher in all courses that count toward their major, minor, or certificate (required and elective courses). If the major/minor/certificate program wishes to require a higher grade for certain types of courses, like discipline-specific capstone experiences/senior seminars, etc., those courses need to be taken in residence from CLAS faculty/enrolled at CU Denver. If the CLAS major/minor/certificate program requires students to take ancillary courses (courses that are not taught by the major/minor/certificate program), the program may not impose higher minimum course grades for those ancillary courses.

Residency Requirement

Undergraduate CLAS majors must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours with letter grades, in residence. Courses taking using pass/fail grading will not apply to the CLAS residency requirement. In residence is defined as credit hours taken from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences subject codes, taught by CLAS faculty, while enrolled at CU Denver. Additional residence requirements for CLAS majors, minors, and certificates may be enforced.

Experiential Learning

Internships

Undergraduate students may seek credit from an employment experience that contains academic content and is sponsored by a CLAS faculty member. Students must have a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in a minimum of 15 credit hours of CU Denver coursework. A maximum of 12 credit hours of internship credit per semester and 12 credit hours overall can be applied toward the 120 credits required for graduation. There may also be limits on the number of credits permitted to take during a semester or total for a specific course ID.

Independent Study

Independent studies are faculty-mentored, individually structured courses or research or creative projects designed and scheduled outside of the standard course grid. Independent study allows for investigations beyond the structured curriculum and classroom and exploration of content material that closely relates to faculty and student interest. However, CLAS does not guarantee that credit earned through an independent study will count toward graduation requirements or be accepted as transfer credits. A maximum of 12 semester hours of independent study coursework can apply toward the 120 semester hour graduation requirement. The CU Denver campus requires manual registration using a Special Processing Form for students participating in independent study. This form constitutes the course syllabus agreement between faculty and student. The faculty should separately negotiate a schedule of meetings and deadlines with the student. The College faculty developed the following requirements relating to student and faculty participation in independent study: Submission of the Special Processing Form prior to the third week of a regular semester. After the third week, a petition to add is required. 3 student participation hours per week for each credit hour requested.

Grading Policies

Courses used to satisfy CLAS graduation requirements may be taken as P+/P/F or S/U, except to fulfill the Communicative Skills, Second Language Proficiency, major, minor, or certificate requirements. In addition to CU Denver policies covering the P+/P/F or S/U grading option CLAS requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of courses with letter grades. No more than six hours P+/P/F or S/U are allowed in any one semester.

Course Numbering System

The course numbering system used at CU Denver identifies the class standing required for enrollment. Students are expected to take 1000-level courses in their freshman year, 2000-level courses in their sophomore year, 3000-level courses in their junior year, and 4000-level courses in their senior year.

Transfer Credit

The general rule for determining transfer credit is that the level of credit awarded for a transfer course (lower-division or upper-division) will be determined by the level of the course at the sending/transfer institution. This rule will apply in all cases other than those where course- or student-specific exceptions have been made as described below. Academic units retain the authority to determine whether an individual transfer course (completed at either the upper or lower division level) will apply to fulfill an upper-division program requirement. Program requirement refers only to a CLAS major, minor, or certificate program requirement. The decision to count a lower-division transfer course to fulfill an upper-division program requirement will be made by the appropriate department chair, program director, or undergraduate program (i.e., major, minor, or certificate) advisor and will apply only to the program for which the chair, director, or program advisor have authority.

Transfer course evaluations are completed for a variety of student populations, including: prospective students, newly admitted students, or current students who have taken or plan to take a course away from the University of Colorado Denver. This is a regular practice CLAS offers to foster the student’s transition to the University and ultimately their degree progression. The evaluation of transfer courses follows the guidelines set forth by University of Colorado Denver (Transferring Undergraduate Credit policy 7006), Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission. Each CLAS department/program has established the criteria they use to determine if/how a course is acceptable for transfer to the University of Colorado Denver. This includes a review of the level, scope, content, expected learning outcomes and academic rigor of the transfer course when making an evaluation decision. The decision to not award credit for a transfer course is based on policies set forth by the institution, State and accreditation commission. Transfer evaluation decisions cannot solely be based on the type of institution or teaching modality (e.g., for-profit.

Transfer Evaluation Designations

Direct Equivalency - the transfer course has been deemed equivalent to a specific University of Colorado Denver course and will apply to the student’s degree requirements in the same manner.
DEPT_999AE - AE is defined as Already Evaluated. The course has been evaluated, is deemed acceptable for transfer, and was awarded credit at the University of Colorado Denver. However, the course was not deemed equivalent to a University of Colorado Denver specific course. Students are welcome to request a re-evaluation of a transfer course that receives this evaluation by submitting the CLAS Transfer Course Evaluation Form.
XDEN_999AE - XDEN is the most generic transfer prefix.
DEPT_999TC - TC is defined as Tentative Credit. The transfer course has not yet been evaluated by the University of Colorado Denver to determine if/how the course is accepted for transfer. A course ending with 999TC is not guaranteed to transfer and be awarded credit by the University of Colorado Denver until the evaluation of the course is completed. In addition, a course ending in 999TC will not apply to CU Denver Core Curriculum, CLAS graduation, major, minor, or certificate requirements until the evaluation is complete and the course is deemed a direct equivalent or ends in 999AE. Courses ending in TC that fall under CLAS disciplines are routed to the appropriate CLAS academic area for evaluation. A syllabus is recommended for all evaluation requests, but is not required for courses taken at an institution in the United States. A completed CLAS Transfer Course Evaluation Form and syllabus are required for ALL courses taken at an international institution - the syllabus should be provided in the native language and an English translation (from the term course was taken).
XDEN_999TC - XDEN is the most generic transfer prefix. Coupled with _999TC, this means the course needs to b…

Online Learning at CU Denver

CU Denver offers a variety of degree and certificate programs that can be completed 100% online. These programs provide flexibility and support, allowing students to balance their education with personal and professional commitments. CU Denver's online programs are designed to provide a quality college experience, with valuable material and increased employability. Many students have expressed gratitude for the ability to engage more in their personal and social life while pursuing their education online.

Specialized Programs

CU Denver offers a range of specialized programs tailored to specific interests and career goals:

Accelerated MPA

The accelerated MPA is a fast-paced, full-time option for students eager to jumpstart their public service careers. The program is offered fully in person, in a cohort model. Each year’s cohort of students complete all coursework together and participate in customized activities targeted to your interests. The CU Denver School of Public Affair’ Master of Public Administration program is accredited by NASPAA, the global standard in public service education.

American Indian Studies Certificate

A certificate in American Indian Studies acknowledges students who have made a significant effort to learn about American Indian cultures.

Anthropology Minor

Completing a minor in anthropology will give you an excellent introduction to the field. Offers undergraduates a rich overview of human life and introduces a variety of skills and practical research methods.

Astrophysics

Astrophysics is an important and well-represented sub discipline in physics. It includes the study of the solar system, galactic and extragalactic astrophysics, as well as cosmology.

School of Education & Human Development

CU Denver’s School of Education & Human Development can help you turn your passion for teaching and school leadership into professional success. You may be starting college for the first time, transferring from another institution, or returning to the university setting after years away. This award-winning program’s high standards and well-prepared graduates are renowned throughout the state and beyond. Our internships and residency programs far exceed accreditation requirements. You’ll learn best practices from dedicated teachers, school administrators and award-winning faculty in residency programs perfected and proven over more than 30 years of ongoing work with partner schools. Deep preparation and community connections help our graduates stand out. This one-of-a-kind program is designed to prepare CU Denver teacher education students to become the ‘next generation’ of highly effective critical urban educators.

Bachelor of Applied Science: Professional Studies (BAS-PS)

Integrates previously completed coursework to design a unique on-campus or online major. The Bachelor of Applied Science: Professional Studies (BAS-PS) degree is geared toward individuals who have earned an Associates of Applied Sciences (AAS) degree at any Colorado community college. In the BAS program, students stack credentials (i.e. applied/skills-based certificates), gaining transcript-verified certificates on their path to degree completion. The BAS-PS degree allows you to choose your path from an array of certificates. You can mold your BAS degree based on your interests and career goals. The BAS-PS degree is built by stacking multiple certificates into a degree. These certificates can be designated on your transcript prior to graduation, allowing you to stack your credentials as you work through the degree. Our BAS-PS degree is more flexible than most other BAS degrees offered in Colorado. The BAS-PS degree provides AAS degree holders the opportunity to develop new skills to support their career advancement. Additionally, the availability of online coursework and “earn as you go” credentials support the needs of part-time and working students.

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