In order to receive a baccalaureate degree, a student must complete a major field of study, liberal education course work, and earn at least 124 credits. Credits are earned through successful completion of a combination of liberal education courses, required courses in a declared major field of study, elective courses, and required courses in an optional declared minor field of study. Many liberal education courses also count towards major and minor requirements. The distribution of credits is typically:

• 46 to 51 liberal education credits;
• 30 to 56 credits in a declared major field of study; and
• 18 to 49 elective credits and/or credits in an optional declared minor field of study.

To complete the degree, students must also:

• earn a 2.00 on a scale of 4.00 for all course work (2.75 for students pursuing a teacher certification);
• earn a 2.00 on a scale of 4.00 in their major field of study (2.75 for students pursuing a teacher certification; 3.00 for students pursuing a Directed Studies major);
• earn at least 20 credits in their major at Northland College;
• earn 30 of the required total credits at Northland College;
• earn 20 of their final 30 credits at Northland College; and
• complete a Senior Capstone.

The following exclusions apply:

• no more than 65 credits may be earned from a two-year, community, or junior college (see TRANSFER OF CREDITS under ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES in this section);
• no more than 12 Internship, Field Experience, or Teaching Assistantship credits may be applied towards requirements for the baccalaureate degree;
• no more than 12 correspondence credits may be applied towards requirements for the baccalaureate degree;
• no more than 30 credits may be earned through prior learning assessment and testing options (such as Advanced Placement, CLEP, or International Baccalaureate);
• all requirements must be completed within the allowed sessions of attendance (see MINIMUM STANDARDS OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS under ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES in this section).

Though the registrar's office tracks every student's degree requirement progress, each student is ultimately responsible for pursuing the credits he or she needs to fulfill the degree requirements. Student transcripts will reflect when the minimum degree requirements for graduation have been met.