Degree/Major GPA vs GPA?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I see a lot of references to this, but am unable to find any hard information on it. Posters (both parent and student) refer to both a GPA in their degree/major field and an overall GPA. How does this work, does the school calculate this? My daughter, who we originally thought would be graduating in December of 2011, actually had some tweaking done to her degree plan and could have graduated in May, but due to deadlines will actually graduate this August. </p>

<p>I have gone through both the online site and the printed catalog she will be graduating under and can find no information about how GPA's are calculated beyond the standard A is 4.0 etc.. She's in the Honors College and in her case, her major/degree GPA will be higher than her cumulative GPA, she had a lot of dual credit classes, plus has enjoyed taking classes outside of those required. (And in this case, I'm talking about all the required courses for her degree being figured in the degree GPA, she has a lot of grades for classes that won't count for anything at all. I'm wondering when people talk about degree/major GPA do they mean only the classes actually to do with the major, because in that case hers would be even higher). </p>

<p>I'm trying to figure out how the honors/high honors/highest honors thing works. The school's advising is horrid, hence the not realizing she could graduate in May deal. In addition she earned her Associates Degree from a private 2 year college and then transferred in to the public university as a junior. Does her transfer GPA get figured in, because it would be even better. Again, I can't find anything in the printed catalog or online. (The fact she transferred in from a private college is why she was able to accumulate the excess hours without running afoul of the "too many hours" policy Texas has. In Texas, any hours earned at a private institution don't count toward the "excess hours policy" which makes no sense to me, but allowed her to get many hours beyond those required. </p>

<p>Her degree will be a Bachelor's of Fine Arts; Printmaking - Teaching, so I don't know if the degree/major GPA is calculated w/the general ed requirements, the art and the education classes or just art/education? Would like an overview of how it's done, so I can make sure she's getting the correct information, as I'm assuming if the honor designation can be a pain to correct if it's done wrong the first time.
Thanks</p>

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<p>Cum. GPA = all the classes you have ever taken </p>

<p>Major GPA = classes required just for your major</p>

<p>Honors classes are given no “weighting” in College. An A in honors is a 4.0, as is an A (4.0) in a normal class.</p>

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<p>OP: At DD’s college GPA in pre-requisites classes for major classes are included in the major GPA.</p>

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<p>Try searching on the college website for academic procedures and/or policies and you might find our the honors are calculated. At my S1’s commencement this year below was the awards (and GPAs). I would hazard a guess that most kids have a higher GPA in their major than their cume. At commencement the honors students wore gold cords. I’m guessing she will have many meetings with her advisor if this is her senior year. I know with S1 there was “stuff” to be discussed and sign offs to be handled and transcripts reviews several times during senior year. She could ask your questions at her next meeting with her advisor if you can’t find it on the website. I would imagine the honors designation is pretty straightforward as long as the correct grades are entered into the college system.
Cum Laude 3.500 - 3.749
Magna Cum Laude 3.750 - 3.899
Summa Cum Laude 3.900 - 4.000</p>