The academic programs at Heritage University are administered through two colleges:

• College of Arts and Sciences, and
• College of Education and Psychology.

Heritage University offers the following academic degrees and certificates. For further information, please refer to the respective department section in this catalog.

GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS

Heritage University has adopted the following set of student outcomes as one aspect of its baccalaureate degree programs.  These outcomes (the General Education Goals) indicate the knowledge and skills which students should acquire as a result of their General University Requirement (GUR) courses.  Incoming students without an associate’s degree receive initial assessments through the placement testing conducted by the ASC and in other introductory GUR courses, which are designed to foster the knowledge, skills, and dispositions alluded to in these goals.  Final General Education Goal assessment instruments are built into exit courses such as English 102 (English Comp II) and the GUR mathematics and science courses.  Transfer students holding an associate’s degree receive assessments of many of the General Education Goals in Hum 305, the Heritage Core, which is the first course for all transfer students.  These assessments parallel those built into the exit courses mentioned above.

Each department and program develops an additional set of goals for its baccalaureate graduates, including additional outcomes for the General Education Goals beyond those listed here.  Each department and program develops its own capstone assessments to measure student success in meeting those enhanced General Education Goals as well as the additional goals mandated for the student’s major.

Goal 1:    Competence in Communication
Heritage University graduates demonstrate these attributes as communicators:
1.     Read and understand academic texts as well as those written for a general audience.
2.     Use appropriate grammar, vocabulary, style, and pronunciation in spoken and written English.
3.     Present information and ideas accurately and effectively in oral, written, and electronic media.
4.     Demonstrate good communication skills, including active listening, in one-to-one and small group contexts.
5.     Adjust the format of a presentation appropriately to suit the content and the audience. 
6.     Know how to research an issue using print and electronic resources, develop a hypothesis, and select appropriate evidence to support that hypothesis.

Goal 2:      Competence in the Use of Quantitative Information
Heritage University graduates demonstrate these attributes as users of quantitative information:
1.     Read and understand information presented in either numeric or graphic formats.
2.     Estimate and calculate arithmetic operations quickly and accurately whether manually or with a calculator.
3.     Solve basic algebraic equations and verify their solutions.
4.     Accurately depict real-life situations as word problems and solve them accurately.
5.     Employ statistical concepts (averages such as mean, median, and mode) appropriately to data which are personally important.

Goal 3:      Competence in Ethical Decision-Making
Heritage University graduates demonstrate these attributes in their professional and personal ethical decisions:
1.     Display awareness of the many factors that influence ethical decision making.
2.     Have knowledge of the code of ethics within one's profession and are able to make decisions based on this.
3.     Can explain the criteria they employ in making ethical decisions and how they weight those criteria. 
4.     Demonstrate that they have developed their own ethical stances.
5.     Show consistency in making ethical decisions consonant with the mission and vision of Heritage University.

Goal 4:      Competence in Living and Working in an Ethnically and Culturally Diverse Environment
Heritage University graduates demonstrate these attributes in their professional and personal interactions with others:

• Understand and appreciate the similarities and differences among the various ethnic and cultural groups with whom they live and work.
• Identify cultural values, attitudes, and beliefs from their own heritage and cultural learning.
• Respect, with dignity, the similarities and differences among ethnic and cultural groups with whom they may live and work.
• Articulate and appreciate positive attributes of the various groups with whom they are working as an affirmation of the learning opportunities and personal interaction throughout their Heritage University experience.

Goal 5:    Competence in Critical Thinking
Heritage University graduates demonstrate these attributes in their thought processes:
1.     Analyze and recognize the patterns of arguments in all media.
2.     Distinguish valid arguments from fallacies.
3.     Evaluate textual, statistical, and empirical evidence accurately and objectively.
4.     Use valid arguments and quality evidence in their own work, whether oral or written.
5.     Confidently approach problem-solving situations and initiate a means of solution.

Goal 6:    Competence in Scientific Literacy
Heritage University graduates demonstrate these attributes as users of scientific information and concepts:
1.     Understand the scientific method and know how laboratory experimentation can be applied to solve a problem.
2.     Read about, understand, and are able to discuss currently-relevant issues in science as well as the scientific aspects of current issues in society.
3.     Readily identify activities and products which constitute the scientific aspects of a culture.
4.     Can explain or describe the scientific applications or principles underlying scientific or technological activities and products.

Goal 7:    Competence in Humanities
Heritage University graduates demonstrate these attributes in their lives:
1.     Explain connections among history, the arts, and culture.
2.     Analyze the richness of multicultural influences on the arts.
3.     Express themselves through "hands-on" art experience.
4.     Articulate ways in which the fine arts enhance critical thinking, self-disclosure, risk-taking, and personal interaction with others.
5.     Explain the origins, development, and diversification of complex societies, including interrelationships among economics, geography, religion, government, literature, and the arts.

Goal 8:    Competence in Technology:
Heritage University graduates select and use appropriate technology in their personal, academic, and professional lives:
1.     Demonstrate competence in the use of operating systems.
2.     Employ competent keyboarding and mouse/interface skills.
3.     Apply word processing software effectively.
4.     Use e-mail competently.
5.     Display effective electronic search skills.
6.     Demonstrate basic knowledge of presentation technology.

GENERAL UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE
1.   Completion of a minimum of 60 semester credit hours including:
a.  General University Requirements
b.  14 credits earned at Heritage University
c.  36 credits in traditionally graded courses; a maximum of 24 credits in courses with a Pass grade is allowed.
2.   Completion of major requirements; a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 is required in the major.
3.   Application for a degree must be on file two semesters before the expected graduation date

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACCALAUREATE DEGREES
1.   Completion of a minimum of 126 semester credit hours including:
a.  General University Requirements
b.  Four writing intensive courses
c.  48 upper division credits (300-level or above)
d.  32 credits earned at Heritage including 14 upper division credits
e.  96 credits must be in traditionally graded courses from any accredited college/university; a maximum of 30 credits of courses with a Pass grade is allowed.
f.   32 of the last 42 credits must be from Heritage University.
2.   Completion of major requirements: A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 is required in the Education major and 2.0 in other majors. Departments may specify particular courses for degree programs where options exist.
3.   An overall minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required for most programs unless otherwise stated.  Certain programs require a higher GPA as specified in that Department section of the University catalog.
4.   Application for a degree must be on file two semesters before the expected graduation date.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER’S DEGREES
It is the responsibility of each student to know his or her status academically and professionally, to meet University and class deadlines throughout his or her course of study, and to satisfy the following requirements for the master’s degree:

1.   Complete a minimum of 32 semester credit hours at the graduate level:
a.  26 credits taken at Heritage University
b.  6 credits may be transferred if taken within the last eight years.
c.  All credits must be in traditionally graded courses.
d.  All master’s degree programs must be completed within eight (8) years of formal acceptance to the program.
2.   Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0; Educational Administration students can earn no lower than 3.0 in each course.
3.   Completion of a special project, thesis, portfolio, and/or written comprehensive examination
4.   Submit a Graduation Application for master’s degree two semesters before the expected graduation date.
5.   Fulfill catalog requirements in effect at the time of the student’s official acceptance to Heritage University.
6.   Clear all financial obligations to the University before graduation.

REQUIREMENTS FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATES
1.   Completion of a minimum of 30 upper division semester credit hours including the following:
a.  12 credits earned at Heritage
b.  18 credits earned in traditionally graded courses
c.  A maximum of 12 credits in courses with a Pass grade is allowed, including a maximum of 8 credits by any single means such as LINK, Credit by Examination, etc.
2.   Application for a certificate must be on file one semester before the expected completion date.

REQUIREMENTS FOR UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
1.   Completion of a minimum of 30 semester credit hours including:
a.  12 credits earned at Heritage
b.  18 credits earned in traditionally graded courses
c.  A maximum of 12 credits in courses with a Pass grade is allowed, including a maximum of 8 credits by any single means such as LINK, Credit by Examination, etc.
2.   Application for a certificate must be on file one semester before the expected completion date.

SECOND DEGREE AT HERITAGE UNIVERSITY
Undergraduate:
A second baccalaureate or associate degree in a major different from that of the first degree requires that the student fulfills all General University Requirements and major requirements listed for the second degree. Requirements fulfilled by the first degree are not repeated. After transcript evaluation, requirements already fulfilled are approved by the Chair of Graduate Programs and maintained in the student's file. A minimum of 32 semester credits beyond the first baccalaureate degree and fourteen (14) credits beyond the first associate of arts degree are required of students from Heritage University.

Graduate:
A second master's degree for graduates who earned their first master's degree at Heritage University requires that the student fulfill all General University Requirements listed for the second degree.  A minimum of 24 semester credits beyond the first master's degree is required, which shall include a 4-credit Special Project/Thesis in the specialty area, with the topic subject to be approved by the department chair; all credits for the second degree must be taken at Heritage University; and, requirements that fulfilled the first degree cannot be repeated.  A course of study must be approved by each respective department chair.  Candidates who completed a first master's degree at an institution other than Heritage University are not covered by this policy and therefore, must complete all degree requirements.

APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
Formal application for graduation for all degrees and certificates must be filed in the Registrar's Office at least two semesters before the projected graduation date.

1.   Students fulfill either catalog requirements in effect at the time of their official acceptance to Heritage University or requirements from a newer catalog. The complete requirements of only one catalog must be fulfilled unless exceptions are authorized by the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost.
2.   Students seeking teacher certification are responsible for keeping updated on changes in these regulations.
3.   All financial obligations to the University must be cleared before graduation.

GRADUATION/COMMENCEMENT EXERCISE AND DIPLOMAS
The University confers degrees in August, December and May. A formal commencement program is conducted only at the end of the spring semester (May) at the Toppenish Campus. All students who completed degree requirements during the previous year (August and December) are encouraged to participate.