Advisor Information

Coordinator of Individualized Studies | University Advising & Career Development Center | 200 McKenny | 734.487.0400

Online Education for Out-of-State Students

It’s great that you are considering Eastern Michigan University for your online degree program. Before you apply, though, it is critical that you make sure you are eligible to enroll in a program based in Michigan. EMU is an approved State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) Participant. That means EMU can enroll students into online programs who live in any SARA member state without seeking additional authorization from that particular state. 

Check your eligibility to attend EMU: Is your state a SARA member? If yes, you are eligible to enroll in an EMU–Online program. If your state is not a SARA member, you may still be eligible to enroll at Eastern Michigan University. For more information, please click here.

Program Requirements

In consultation with an advisor in the University Advising and Career Development Center, a student wishing to pursue an Individualized Studies Program will design a major which meets the following requirements:

• Must include three areas of concentration
  • At least 20 unique credits each
  • Unique title for each concentration; titles must be different from all majors/minors
• Must include at least 15 hours of 300-level (or above) EMU credit to meet residency
• Must include at least one writing intensive course
• No minor required
• 2.0 GPA in the major required

Any adjustments to the individually designed major must be documented by the advisor and approved by appropriate staff.

If a draft ISP includes courses with enrollment restricted by academic departments or colleges, department or college approval may be necessary for enrollment. Courses must be excluded from a program if a student does not receive permission to take them.

NOTE: The student must have earned 60 hours before contacting an advisor to develop an Individualized Studies Program.

The student is required to complete all general education program requirements.

The student must meet all other university graduation requirements (including a minimum of 124 hours of 100-level or above credit, 30 credits at EMU and a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0). Upon the recommendation of an Individualized Studies Program advisor and approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, a waiver may be granted to reduce the minimum number of senior-level college credits from 60 to 45.

Note | The ISP is a non-teaching degree. If you are interested in earning teaching certification, keep in mind that completing an ISP may restrict or prevent your admission to an education-related academic program in the future. Second Bachelor’s degree students are not eligible for ISP.

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education  or print a worksheet .  

Major Requirements: 60 hours

Concentration One: 20 hours

Students will work with the Coordinator of Individualized Studies to choose at least 20 credit hours worth of courses. A concentration may include courses from one or several departments, provided the courses are consistent with the concentration’s focus.

Concentration Two: 20 hours

Students will work with the Coordinator of Individualized Studies to choose at least 20 credit hours worth of courses. A concentration may include courses from one or several departments, provided the courses are consistent with the concentration’s focus.

Concentration Three: 20 hours

Students will work with the Coordinator of Individualized Studies to choose at least 20 credit hours worth of courses. A concentration may include courses from one or several departments, provided the courses are consistent with the concentration’s focus.

Writing Intensive Course | Each student must choose a writing intensive course as part of major completion requirements. Consult your advisor for course options.

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

• Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
• Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
• Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
• Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
• Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
• Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
• Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
• Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
• Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
  • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
• Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.