Petition for Degree Requirements (Course Substitutions)
Petitions, also known as course substitutions, are requests to modify degree requirements. Petitions are rare and should only occur under exceptional circumstances. Students seeking modifications to degree requirements must reach out to their Academic Advisor / Graduate Program Coordinator to submit an online substitution or waiver form as per the student's request.
For Staff and Faculty ONLY:
- Guidelines & Instructions to submit a Petition for Degree Requirements (Undergraduate Students)
- Guidelines & Instructions to submit a Petition for Degree Requirements (Graduate Students)
Visit the U Central website for instructions on Submitting Requests for Course Substitutions & Waivers Online for more information.
Petition Types & FAQs
Petition Types
Petitioning a General Bachelor's Degree Requirement
Petitions to modifications of general bachelor’s requirements are the rarest and should be only be submitted when the student has a strong rationale and can provide supporting documentation with the request. Petitions related to general bachelor’s requirements require approval from the student’s major department chair/school director, dean, and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Student Success, and P-16 Integration or designee.
Petitioning a Core Curriculum Requirement
Petitions to core curriculum requirements, include but are not limited to, grade exceptions, course substitutions, and transfer credit. Petitions to core curriculum requirements require approval from the student’s major department chair/school director, the dean of the college, and the Associate Vice President for Student Academic Success/Dean of the University College or designee.
Petitioning a Major or Minor Requirement
Petitions to major or minor requirements require approval from the department chair/school director and the dean of the college in which the major or minor is housed. Petitions to minor requirements are not approved by the student’s major department. Petitions to major or minor requirements managed by the colleges are those that exceed minimum university requirements (e.g., the major requires a 2.5 GPA instead 2.0) and any unique requirement to the official major or minor (e.g., major admission and progression criteria). Petitions may also include requests to substitute required courses with alternate courses. Content of substituted courses must be consistent with approved degree/program requirements. Students should be prepared to provide supporting documentation for these requests, including but not limited to the course syllabus for the class taken and an official course description.
Petitioning a Teacher Education Requirement
Petition to teacher education requirements of degree plans leading to teacher licensure require approval of the dean of the College of Education and P-16 Integration after review by the student’s major department and school/college.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a course substitution?
A course substitution is a petition to replace a required course in the degree plan using a course of similar content and learning outcomes. Course substitution potions may be requested in the core curriculum, major, minor, and teacher certification block.
What is a general waiver?
A general waiver is a petition to remove a requirement. General waiver petitions may be requested in the major, minor, teacher certification, for degree plan graduation requirements and institutional graduation requirements.
What is a core waiver?
A core waiver is an institutional petition to remove a requirement in the Core Curriculum. This type of petition is Approved by Associate Provost for Student Success/Dean of University College.
Contact us
Degree Audit Systems Team: degreeauditsystems@utrgv.edu
Undergraduate Certification Email: certification@utrgv.edu
Graduate Certification Email: gradcertification@utrgv.edu