New university undergraduate students pursue four-year programs leading to the bachelor’s (“baccalaureate”) degrees that prepare them for professional careers or graduate school. Graduate school can take one to five years, depending on the field of study.

The most common bachelor’s degrees are the bachelor of arts (B.A.) and the bachelor of science (B.S.). No universal differences exist between them, but the B.S. is likely to require more courses in the major and is awarded more often in the natural sciences than in the humanities.

To receive a bachelor’s degree at UM, the student must earn at least 120 semester hours of credit. The credit value is determined on the basis of the school term, which varies in length; a semester averages 15 weeks and is the approximate time you’re enrolled in each course at UM.