Academic Catalog

NAU offers many second bachelor’s degrees (also known as post-baccalaureate degrees) for those who have already earned an accredited bachelor’s degree.

If you wish to complete a second bachelor's degree, you must complete at least 30 additional units of credit at Northern Arizona University beyond any units of credit completed while earning any prior degree, and you must meet all major and minor requirements for the new degree. If your first bachelor's degree is from a regionally accredited institution in the United States of America or an accredited institution in your home country, you don't have to meet Northern Arizona University's Liberal Studies/Diversity or General Studies requirements.

Earning a second bachelor's degree is possible only if there are 18 unique units in the degree program to differentiate it from any other bachelor's degree earned. Additionally, students may NOT earn Second Bachelor’s Degrees within the same discipline (major, emphasis, specialization) with the exception of the BSED. For example, you may not earn both a BA and a BS in Psychology, however, you may earn a BSED and a BS in Mathematics.

Before you begin work on a second bachelor's degree, you must be admitted to Northern Arizona University. If the academic plan you intend to pursue has special admission criteria, you must also be admitted by that academic unit.

To apply to Northern Arizona University, you must complete an admissions application as a post-baccalaureate student, pay the application fee, and select a major plan of study. See Post-Baccalaureate Admission Form.

International Students Pursuing a Second Bachelor's Degree

For all students entering under the provisions of the 2025-2026 or subsequent NAU Undergraduate Catalogs:

NAU's International General Education (INTGE) transfer agreement applies to students who are earning degrees from both NAU and their home university in a foreign country (such as 3+1, 1+2+1, or 2+2 dual-degree programs). It recognizes that these students will have met the General Studies requirements of their home institutions via their primary degree. The NAU degree is considered a second bachelor's degree. The primary degree from their home institution must be posted prior to posting the NAU degree. In accordance with NAU's policy on Second Bachelor's Degree, Post-Baccalaureate, their INTGE transfer agreement exempts them from NAU's General Studies requirements.

To earn an NAU bachelor's degree, INTGE students must satisfy the following requirements:

• At least 30 additional units of credit from Northern Arizona University
• All requirements for the specific academic plan
• Junior-Level Writing Requirement
• Capstone Requirement
• Acumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.

For all students entering under the provisions of the 2024-2025 or prior NAU Undergraduate Catalogs:

NAU's International General Education (INTGE) transfer agreement applies to students who are earning degrees from both NAU and their home university in a foreign country (such as 3+1, 1+2+1, or 2+2 dual-degree programs). It recognizes that these students will have met the Liberal Studies requirements of their home institutions via their primary degree. The NAU degree is considered a second bachelor's degree. The primary degree from their home institution must be posted prior to posting the NAU degree. In accordance with NAU's policy on Second Bachelor's Degree, Post-Baccalaureate, their INTGE transfer agreement exempts them from distribution block requirements (i.e., science and applied science; aesthetic, and humanistic inquiry; cultural understanding; and social and political worlds) of Liberal Studies (28 units); and the University's global diversity requirement (3 units).

To earn an NAU bachelor's degree, INTGE students must satisfy the following requirements:

• At least 30 additional units of credit from Northern Arizona University,
• English Foundations
• Mathematics Foundations
• Junior-Level Writing Requirement
• Capstone Requirement
• U.S. Ethnic Studies Diversity Requirement
• All requirements for the specific academic plan
• A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.

Loss of INTGE Eligibility

If, however, a student previously covered by the INTGE agreement changes his or her major and is no longer eligible for a degree from their home institution, the student also forfeits their INTGE eligibility. The academic consequences are that the student becomes a transfer student and is subject to all academic policies commensurate with this classification. Thus, the student is required to complete all General Studies requirements through accepted transfer coursework or NAU courses.

If you completed your first bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you will need to apply for re-admission with the Office of the Registrar. You do not need to submit transcripts with your re-admission application.