Every OSU student must complete at least 180 credits, which is equivalent to 120 semester credits.

OSU is a quarter system, meaning we have four,  11 week terms or quarters in an academic year; summer, fall, winter, and spring. When transferring in course work from semester system, multiply the number of credits by 1.5 to see how many quarter credits will be transferred (3 semester hours x 1.5 = 4.5 quarter credit hours).  If you are planning to transfer OSU credits out to a semester system multiply the number of quarter credits by .67 to find out how many credits will transfer (4 quarter credit hours x .67 = 2.68 semester hours).  This is a rough estimate and each university may be slightly different. Be sure to check with the university you are transferring to ensure that they will accept the credits.

The main OSU degree components are (note: every degree is unique):

Component 1. Oregon State University Baccalaureate Core (also known as Bacc Core)

  • OSU's general education requirements
  • emphasizes critical thinking, writing, world cultures, appreciation of differences, the arts, sciences, literature, lifelong fitness, and global awareness in 15 course categories
  • 250 courses are available to meet core requirements
  • must complete a total of 48 credits plus a Writing Intensive Course (WIC) of at least 3 credits.
  • some majors will specify which classes you need within the Bacc Core.

 Component 2. Major Specific Requirements

  • OSU students must choose a major
  • major requirements typically consist of 80-120 credits
  • students must satisfy all the requirements of their major department and major college

Upper-Division Requirements (300 and 400 level credits)

  • At least 60 of 180 credits must be upper-division courses: minimum 60 (exclusive of upper-division physical education activity courses)

 Component 3. Elective Credits

  • often times, major and bacc. core requirements do not equal 180 credits
  • student must, therefore, take a certain amount of elective credits
  • the exact amount of elective credits a student needs depends on the courses students choose to complete their major and bacc. core requirements.

Your OSU academic advisor will help you understand all of these components once you are a student!