Combination, joint, and dual degree programs are specialized pathways that provide academically qualified students the opportunity to enhance their educational experience and strengthen their career preparation or readiness for future academic pursuits.
- A combination degree program, sometimes referred to as a combined degree program, is one where the University of Florida awards more than one degree from an overlapping course of study. Combination degrees often allow a shorter time for completion due to the sharing of some coursework between the degree programs (these result in double-counted credits; see Item 3 in this policy). At the University of Florida, this type of program includes any combination of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs. The resulting combination program will consist of at least 120 credit hours counted toward the undergraduate degree and at least 30 credit hours counted toward the graduate degree, with up to 12 credit hours of double-counted graduate coursework.
Example: A student is admitted to veterinary school before completing the B.S. degree. After the first year of vet school, up to 12 credit hours of vet coursework could potentially be double-counted so that the B.S. could be conferred.
- A dual degree program (also called a dual academic award) is one whereby students study at the University of Florida and at another institution, and each institution awards a separate program completion credential bearing its own name, seal, and signature.
- A joint degree program (or joint academic award) is one whereby students study at the University of Florida and one or more participant institutions and are awarded a single program completion credential bearing the names, seals, and signatures of each of the participant institutions.
- A double major permits students to pursue multiple majors within the same degree program. In general, students are not permitted to pursue more than two majors. A student completing multiple majors that have the same degree within the colleges of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Business Administration, Fine Arts, or Liberal Arts and Sciences will receive a single degree. The transcript will list the degree and each major.
The full details of the UF Policy regarding combination, joint, and dual degrees are available in this document: UF Combination Joint and Dual Degree Policy
