The Regents Bachelor of Arts Degree Program (RBA) is a nontraditional program designed for the adult student. It is a flexible, general studies degree with no specific major.
General Education
The Regents Bachelor of Arts degree requires a minimum of 36 hours of general education course work. The general education requirements include courses in humanities, communications, mathematics/computer applications, natural sciences and social sciences. See the link below for a more detailed list of these types of classes. Transfer courses are accepted for general education.
Upper Division Hours
The RBA program also requires 30 hours of upper level courses. However, you can select which courses work with your schedule and your interests. Upper level courses are those courses typically offered in the junior and senior years and cannot be taken at a two year school. Whether a course counts as upper level depends on the level it was taken at, not what it transfers as.
Major/Area of Emphasis
Students do not have a major and may take courses in any subject area or a combination of areas they wish. The RBA program has Areas of Emphasis, which students may choose if they prefer to target their studies, but choosing an Area of Emphasis is not required. An Area of Emphasis requires the completion of a minimum of 15 hours of upper division, graded coursework in an institutionally sanctioned program of study. Not all Areas of Emphasis are available online, so check first.
Minors
Students may earn any minors they have courses for. Minors are listed in Marshall’s Undergraduate Course Catalog: http://www.marshall.edu/catalog
Up to three minors and/or areas of emphasis can be listed on a transcript. Minors and areas of emphasis cannot be put on a transcript after graduation, so check to see they are there.
Residency
Students must complete a residency requirement of 24 hours of coursework taken at one or more institutions within West Virginia’s public higher education system, 3 of which must be at Marshall University in order to graduate from Marshall University. These can be in person or online classes. Credit for prior learning does not count for residency credit, they must be actual classes.
Total Hours
RBA students must complete a minimum of 120 hours of credit to be eligible for graduation.
Grade Point Average
Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.00 (on a 4-point scale) to be eligible for graduation.
Summary of Requirements
| Credits | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 120 | total credits required for graduation (effective Fall 2011) |
| 36 | required General Education Core Courses (see Table II below) |
| 30 | upper division (300-400 level courses) (out of the 120 credits)(effective Fall 2022) |
| 24 | Residency: credits taken at one or more higher education public institutions in West Virginia and a minimum of 3 hours at Marshall University. |
General Education Requirements = 36 Semester Hours
To see a list of qualifying courses for general education, check our Gen Ed Requirements RBA gen ed revised May 2023
This list may be updated at any time. Check with the RBA Office for verification.
Courses not on this list will be reviewed individually for acceptance.