Graduation Requirements

It’s Good To Be A Transfer Student!

Students must satisfy the five graduation requirements listed below. The good news? Transfer students can satisfy three requirements using transfer credits: University Core Curriculum, Foreign Language (FLENT/FLEX), and Summer Enrollment. Civic Literacy can also be satisfied using transfer credits, but there are important restrictions, including for students transferring from outside Florida public colleges and universities. Learn more below.

University Core Curriculum (UCC)

All students must satisfy FIU’s University Core Curriculum (UCC), which is FIUs General Education requirements (Communication/English, Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts). Students transferring with an AA degree or General Education requirements met from a Florida public college or university, or a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, automatically satisfy the UCC. All others require course-by-course evaluations.

As soon as you transition to FIU, make sure to:

  1. Review FIU’s UCC requirements.
  2. Review your Panther Degree Audit to learn how your transfer credits were applied to the UCC.
  3. Review the course equivalency process and submit courses that may satisfy the UCC.
  4. Meet with your academic advisor for advice on completing any pending UCC requirements.

FLENT / FLEX

FLENT/FLEX is a state-mandated requirement. It stands for Foreign Language Entrance, Foreign Language Exit. To meet this requirement, students must either “enter” (FLENT) with a foreign language, or “exit” (FLEX) with a foreign language. To be clear, the foreign language is a language other than English, including American Sign Language.

Students Satisfy FLENT/FLEX as Follows:

High School
  • Two years of the same foreign language in high school
Post-Secondary Institution
  • Two terms of the same language at the introductory level (levels 1 & 2) OR 
  • One term of an intermediate or advanced level course
  • Institution-specific assessment with passing scores/equivalencies on official transcript
Exams
  • Credit-by-Exam (AP, CLEP, IB)
  • Passing TOEFL or IELTS scores required for FIU admission
Foreign Credentials
  • International evaluation or high school transcript noting studies were completed in a country where English is not an official language
Degrees
  • A previously earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
  • An AA degree earned at a Florida public college or university prior to 1989

I Did Not “Enter” With Any of the Above. Now What?

You can “exit” FIU with a foreign language (FLEX) using one of these options:

Coursework
  • Two terms of the same language at the introductory level (levels 1 & 2) OR 
  • One term of an intermediate or advanced level course
Exams
  • Passing scores on CLEP exam (Spanish, French, German)
  • Passing scores on BYU FLATS (nearly 60 languages offered)
CLEP and BYU FLATS are offered in FIU’s Center for Testing and Career Certification. To satisfy the FLENT/FLEX requirement, students must demonstrate competency equal to two terms of an introductory level language (levels 1 and 2).

Summer Enrollment

Students transferring to FIU with less than 60 credits are required to earn at least 9 credits during one or more summer terms at FIU or any other university in the State University System of Florida. Courses may be completed in person or online.

Completing summer courses at a Florida public college, such as Miami Dade College, Broward College, Valencia College, or a private institution, will not satisfy the Summer Enrollment requirement.

Civic Literacy

The Civic Literacy Competency Requirement is a statewide mandate that applies to degree-seeking undergraduate students initially entering a Florida State University System (SUS) or Florida College System (FCS) institution in the 2018-19 academic year and thereafter. The requirement has been updated for degree-seeking undergraduate students initially entering the SUS or FCS in the 2021-2022 academic year (Summer B term) and thereafter.

There are now 3 Cohorts of students:

Students Included in Cohort Civic Literacy Competency
Requirement
Cohort 1 Students first entering the SUS or FCS
prior to fall 2018		 None
Cohort 2 Students first entering the SUS or FCS
in fall 2018 through summer A/C 2021		 Complete a course
or exam
Cohort 3 Students first entering the SUS or FCS
in summer B 2021 and thereafter		 Complete
both a course and exam
Notes:

  1. As you can see from the above table, students in Cohort 3 (initially entering an SUS or FCS Summer B 2021 and thereafter) must now complete both a course and an exam
  2. Students in Cohort 2 need only to complete the course or exam
  3. Students in Cohort 1 do not need to complete the Civic Literacy Competency requirement

The table below provides details on which options meet which competency.

Options Score Meets Course Competency Meets Exam Competency
Courses
POSX041 if taken during or after fall 2018 (including dual enrollment if taken after fall 2018) Passing grade X
AMHX020 if taken during or after fall 2018 (including dual enrollment if taken after Fall 2018) Passing grade X
Accelerated Mechanisms
Advanced Placement Government and Politics: United States Exam 3 X X
Advanced Placement United States History Exam 4 X X
Cambridge AICE History, US History, c.1840-1990 (A-Level)* A-E X
CLEP History of the United States II: 1865 to Present 50 X
CLEP American Government Exam 50 X X
IB History: History of America* 5-7 X
Additional Assessments^
– Civics (U.S. history and government) with supplemental questions 60 X

*The 2021 Legislature also amended section 1007.25, Florida Statutes, allowing all accelerated mechanisms to count towards meeting Civic Literacy course requirement. Since these exams do not meet the exam competencies, they do not satisfy the exam competency requirement.

^A new assessment is under development by the Department of Education but has not yet been officially adopted for use by the State University System.

Visit FIU’s Center for Testing and Career Certification to learn more about the CLEP exam and Florida Civic Literacy Test (FCLT), including registration, fees, and to access study material.

Transfer Students.

The Civic Literacy requirement applies to transfer students who initially entered a Florida State University System (SUS) or Florida College System (FCS) institution in the 2018-19 academic year. Students who transferred from an institution outside the SUS or FCS starting in the 2018-19 academic year, and have not satisfied this requirement, must do so prior to graduation.

Students who initially entered the SUS or FCS in the 2018-19 academic year through the 2020-21 academic year may not use transfer courses to satisfy this requirement.

Beginning academic year 2021-22 and thereafter, students transferring from out-of-state or private institutions with approved equivalents to POS 2041 or AMH 2020 (reviewed by Transfer and Transition Services) may use these courses to satisfy the Civic Literacy course requirement. Transfer courses must include the competencies outlined in Board Regulation 8.006.

Students who earned an Associate in Arts (AA) degree from a Florida SUS or FCS institution prior to the 2018-19 academic year are not required to satisfy this requirement because they are not initially entering the Florida SUS or FCS in the 2018-19 academic year.

 

For document archives, visit the Florida Department of Education. For a list of Civic Literacy FAQs, visit TTS Transition Resources.

Global Learning (GL)

The Global Learning for Global Citizenship (GL) requirement is unique to FIU, and therefore, students may not use transfer credits to satisfy it. GL courses, activities, and programs enhance students’ understanding of global issues and engagement as global citizens.

Transfer students may satisfy Global Learning as follows:

Category 1. Students who transfer with the UCC satisfied or AA degree from a Florida public college or university:

  • Complete 2 Discipline-Specific GL courses. One of the two courses may be a UCC Foundations course in consultation with an academic advisor.

Category 2. Students who transfer without the UCC satisfied:

  • Complete 1 Foundations GL course from the UCC.
  • Complete 1 Discipline-Specific GL course.
Discipline-Specific GL courses do not need to be in your major. However, some majors include these courses as part of their degree requirements, which means you can satisfy two requirements with one course!
  • For the UCC requirements, click here.
  • For a list of GL Foundations courses, click here.
  • For a list of GL Discipline-Specific courses, click here.
  • To learn more about the two approved GL waivers, click here.

Where Can I Check if I Satisfied the UCC, FLENT/FLEX, Summer Enrollment, Civic Literacy, and Global Learning Requirements?

In your Panther Degree Audit (PDA). The UCC appears in the first section of the PDA, while the FLENT/FLEX, Summer Enrollment, Civic Literacy, and Global Learning requirements appear in the Undergraduate Requirements section. Sections will be listed as “Satisfied,” “Not Satisfied,” or “In Progress.” Remember that Global Learning is completed at FIU, so you can return to your PDA to check that requirement at a later time. If you believe that your PDA is not reflecting these requirements accurately, meet with your academic advisor or Transfer & Transition Services staff member.

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