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Cornell University

Cornell Brooks Public Policy

Requirements and Policies

Tracking Degree Requirements & Academic Policies

Degree Audit Reports 

Each student in the Brooks School has access to a degree audit report for their respective major and distribution requirements that they should review closely in partnership with their program advisor. The university is currently undergoing a phased approach to implement a university-wide degree audit report. During this transition period, how you access your report will depend on your program and requirement year. 

Bachelor of Science Students on the 2025-2026 curriculum year or later:  

Brooks School Bachelor of Science students on the 2025-2026 curriculum year or later can access their degree audit via Stellic.    
 
The Track Progress tab of the Stellic portal will offer a report of degree requirements completed, in progress, or remaining. Any changes you make to your enrollment via student center will update in Stellic the next day.  
 
The Plan your Path tab offers an interactive tool to outline a sequence of courses you wish to take to graduate, which we like to call a graduation plan. Please note that adding a course to your plan does not guarantee the course will be offered in that term, nor does it guarantee a seat in the class.  

Bachelor of Science students on the 2024-2025 curriculum year or earlier:  

Brooks School Bachelor of Science students following the 2024-2025 curriculum year or earlier can access their degree audit located on the My Academics tab in Student Center.  The advisement report is a tool that shows all the requirements that you have completed, and those you need to satisfy to graduate. The advisement report is based on the requirements noted in the Catalog and on your curriculum sheet for your requirement year. This report will update as soon as any changes are made to your enrollment. 

Bachelor of Arts Students:  

Brooks School Bachelor of Arts students will be sent a personalized folder to track their Public Policy major requirements. Students should update this report as they change their enrollment and schedule an appointment to review their report with the program’s advisor every semester. Distribution requirements can be tracked in the College of Arts and Sciences DUST report. 

Academic Requirement and Policy FAQs:

The following FAQ guidance was developed from the official academic policies noted in the Brooks School section of the annual Brooks School Catalog. Please refer to the Catalog for a complete outline of the Brooks School’s academic policies and procedures. For questions on academic policies and requirements please consult the Office of Admissions, Student Services and Career Management.  

 

Do academic support courses meet my degree requirements?

Academic support courses like CHEM 1007 do not meet your degree requirements and will not count towards your 120 credits needed to graduate. 

How many credits can I take in a semester? How many credits do I need to take each semester?

To remain in good academic standing you must complete at least 12 credits of academic coursework each semester. If you do not complete 12 academic credits in a semester, you are subject to academic action.  
 
To graduate on time students need to average 15 credits per semester over the eight semesters at Cornell.   For more information about Brooks School credit policies, see the respective section of the University Catalog for your program. 

Can I take a course that seems similar to one I already completed? What does a forbidden overlap mean?

Students cannot receive credit for their degree for multiple courses that cover a significant amount of similar content.  Courses that overlap in content with other courses on campus have a forbidden overlap note on the course description in the University Catalog and in the class roster.  If you take two courses that are noted as a forbidden overlap, only one will count towards your degree for graduation. For students that use the student center degree audit report, please note that your advisement report will not automatically remove overlapping coursework, which could impact your overall credit totals.   

What GPA do I need to maintain to remain in good academic standing and graduate?

Students must earn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) or better to graduate. Students who fall below 2.0 cumulatively or during a semester are subject to academic action. For more information about academic standing policies, see your program’s page in the Brooks School Catalog.

How can I enroll in special studies/independent study courses?

You need instructor permission to enroll in a special studies or independent study course. You are welcome to participate in independent study courses across campus.  Each college/school at Cornell has unique enrollment process. Please consult the respective college registrar for guidance on how to add an independent study course outside of the Brooks School. 

To enroll in a Brooks School special studies course, e.g. PUBPOL 4000 Directed Readings, PUBPOL 4010 Empirical Research, or PUBPOL 4020 Supervised fieldwork, you will need to complete a special studies form.  

To enroll in PUBPOL 4030 Course Assistantship, please complete the Course AssistantshipApplication. 

What should I do if my Advisement Report or Stellic Degree Audit report is not aligning with the posted catalog policies?

The advisement report and Stellic degree audit report are tools to help students and advisors track degree progress. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the report, it is not an official document. If an unexpected technical error is to arise, please contact BrooksRegistrar@cornell.edu to raise the concern.