(Guidelines for Dual Degrees, Joint Degrees, and Dual Majors, 9/16)
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GUIDELINES FOR DUAL DEGREES, JOINT DEGREES,
AND DUAL MAJORS
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Definition Assumptions:
Joint Degrees-Two institutions are listed on one diploma. This is rarely practiced.
Dual Degrees/Same Institution-More than one degree is received from MSU at the same time.
Degrees are at different levels.
Second Degrees-multiple degrees are conferred at the same level.
o They may or may not be conferred the same semester.
o If two undergraduate degrees are granted for the same semester, the primary major
is considered the first degree, minimum of 120 credits; some majors require more
credits. The second or any subsequent degree requires 30 additional credits.
o If two undergraduate degrees are not granted during the same semester, the first
conferred degree requires the minimum of 120 credits (or the minimum required
credits for the degree) and the second or any subsequent degree requires 30
additional credits.
o All credits for the second undergraduate degree must be earned in residence at MSU.
Dual Degrees/Different Institution-One degree is received from one institution and a different
degree is received from a second institution.
Dual Major-One degree is conferred. There is one diploma but two majors have been completed
and both majors are listed on the transcript and on the diploma.
o Work must be completed at the same time.
Examples:
Joint Degrees:
Michigan State University does not have a joint degree with another institution.
Dual Degrees/Same Institution:
College of Natural Science has dual degree programs where students receive both their
undergraduate and graduate degrees at the same time. There is no double counting of credits
between the two programs.
“Second or Dual Master’s Degrees.” The application of up to nine (9) credits, appropriate to both
programs, may be used from the first degree toward the second degree. Credits are all taken at
the graduate level.
“Dual Master’s Degree and Medical Degree”. Students enrolled in a graduate professional
program in the colleges of Human Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, or Veterinary Medicine who
are also enrolled in a master’s degree program at MSU may request the duplicative application
of up to 9 credits appropriate to both programs. Credits are taken at both the graduate-
professional (medical) and graduate level.
Dual Degrees when one degree is received from the MSU College of Law and another degree is
received from Michigan State University:
For purposes of degree conferral, the MSU College of Law’s affiliation with MSU requires that
credits are transferred from MSU College of Law to MSU and vice versa. An example would be
the James Madison College 3 + 3 Option. MSU students complete 91 credits at MSU and a
minimum of 29 credits through subsequent enrollment at MSU College of Law. The Law credits
are transferred to MSU to complete 120 credits for the bachelor’s degree. The same Law credits
are also used to satisfy College of Law’s Juris Doctor (J.D.) requirements.
(Guidelines for Dual Degrees, Joint Degrees, and Dual Majors, 9/16)
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Dual Degrees when an associate’s degree is received from a community college and an undergraduate
degree is received from MSU.
Typically, students receive an associate’s degree from a community college and then transfer
to MSU to complete an undergraduate degree. The applicable credits are transferred from the
community college and accepted at MSU.
o 60 credits at a community college for an associate’s degree and 120 credits from a
four-year institution for an undergraduate degree would be a total of 180 credits;
however, often the 60 credits from the community college are accepted at the four-
year school so the student may only need a total of 120 credits for both degrees.
Dual Major-One degree and one diploma but both majors are listed on the diploma and on the
transcript:
At MSU, only Doctoral students may have dual majors. There is only one diploma which lists
both majors. The transcript lists Doctor of Philosophy, the major and the college. Then it lists:
Dual Major, the major and the college. Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior is an
example of a dual major. Students cannot receive a Ph.D. in EEBB alone. Quantitative Biology
is another example of a dual major. A student cannot receive a Ph.D. degree in Quantitative
Biology alone.
Articulation Agreements, Consortiums:
A collaborative, multi-institutional program offered totally online.
o Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GPIDEA) is an example of this
kind of program. It is a consortium among institutions.
Through articulation agreements students transfer credits from one institution to another in
order to meet degree requirements at each institution.
o Examples would be the 3 + 3 James Madison and MSU College of Law program;
Veterinary Technology Associates Degree program at Lansing Community College and
Veterinary Technology Certificate and/or four-year degree program at MSU; and Labor
Relations and Human Resources at MSU and MSU College of Law.
MSU has many consortium agreements with other institutions, both domestic and
international.
CIC CourseShare.
o Students at Michigan State University are eligible to participate in the CIC
CourseShare program, sponsored by the Big Ten Universities and the University of
Chicago through the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC).