diff --git a/src/arkode/arkode_interp.c b/src/arkode/arkode_interp.c
index 9ed3c38b05..daf42de479 100644
--- a/src/arkode/arkode_interp.c
+++ b/src/arkode/arkode_interp.c
@@ -291,18 +291,8 @@ void arkInterpPrintMem_Hermite(ARKInterp interp, FILE* outfile)
 /*---------------------------------------------------------------
   arkInterpSetDegree_Hermite
 
-  This routine sets a supplied interpolation degree.  If the
-  argument is positive, then we require that
-      0 <= degree <= ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE
-  and use this value as the user-specified (or default) degree.
-
-  If the argument is negative, then we assume that this has been
-  called by a time-step module to limit the interpolant degree
-  based on the temporal method order. In this case we set the
-  Hermite polynomial degree to be the minimum of (-degree),
-  ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE, and the previously-set value [i.e., in
-  case the user has already specified use of a lower-degree
-  polynomial].
+  This routine sets a supplied interpolation degree which must be
+  in the range 0 <= degree <= ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE.
 
   Return values:
     ARK_ILL_INPUT -- if the input is outside of allowable bounds
@@ -312,15 +302,13 @@ void arkInterpPrintMem_Hermite(ARKInterp interp, FILE* outfile)
   ---------------------------------------------------------------*/
 int arkInterpSetDegree_Hermite(ARKodeMem ark_mem, ARKInterp interp, int degree)
 {
-  if (degree > ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE)
+  if (degree > ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE || degree < 0)
   {
     arkProcessError(ark_mem, ARK_INTERP_FAIL, __LINE__, __func__, __FILE__,
                     "Illegal degree specified.");
     return ARK_ILL_INPUT;
   }
 
-  if (degree < 0) { degree = ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE; }
-
   HINT_DEGREE(interp) = degree;
 
   return ARK_SUCCESS;
@@ -1005,18 +993,8 @@ void arkInterpPrintMem_Lagrange(ARKInterp I, FILE* outfile)
 /*---------------------------------------------------------------
   arkInterpSetDegree_Lagrange
 
-  This routine sets a supplied interpolation degree.  If the
-  argument is positive, then we require that
-      0 <= degree <= ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE
-  and use this value as the user-specified (or default) degree.
-
-  If the argument is negative, then we assume that this has been
-  called by a time-step module to limit the interpolant degree
-  based on the temporal method order. In this case we set the
-  Lagrange polynomial degree to be the minimum of (-degree),
-  ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE, and the previously-set value [i.e., in
-  case the user has already specified use of a lower-degree
-  polynomial].
+  This routine sets a supplied interpolation degree which must be
+  in the range 0 <= degree <= ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE.
 
   Return values:
     ARK_ILL_INPUT -- if the input is outside of allowable bounds
@@ -1026,15 +1004,13 @@ void arkInterpPrintMem_Lagrange(ARKInterp I, FILE* outfile)
   ---------------------------------------------------------------*/
 int arkInterpSetDegree_Lagrange(ARKodeMem ark_mem, ARKInterp I, int degree)
 {
-  if (degree > ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE)
+  if (degree > ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE || degree < 0)
   {
     arkProcessError(ark_mem, ARK_INTERP_FAIL, __LINE__, __func__, __FILE__,
                     "Illegal degree specified.");
     return ARK_ILL_INPUT;
   }
 
-  if (degree < 0) { degree = ARK_INTERP_MAX_DEGREE; }
-
   LINT_NMAX(I) = degree + 1;
 
   return ARK_SUCCESS;