5.5 DEGREES, HONORS, GRADUATION
Commencement convocations shall be held in December and in May of each academic year.
5.5.1 DEGREES
5.5.1.1 APPLICATION FOR DEGREES
5.5.1.1.1 UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES
To be eligible for an undergraduate degree, a student must file an application with the dean of the college from which the undergraduate degree is to be awarded. The Office of the University Registrar will determine appropriate deadlines. The dates will be included in the Academic Calendar. Upon approval of the Academic Calendar, the Office of the University Registrar will publicize the deadlines.
5.5.1.1.2 GRADUATE DEGREES
To be eligible for a graduate degree, a student must file an application to graduate with the Graduate School. The Office of the University Registrar will determine appropriate deadlines. The dates will be included in the Academic Calendar.
5.5.1.1.3 PROFESSIONAL DEGREES
Application deadlines for professional degrees will be identified by the respective College Faculty, in accordance with external accreditation requirements, and submitted to the Office of the University Registrar for inclusion in the Academic Calendar.
5.5.1.1.4 LATE ADDITION TO DEGREE LIST
5.5.1.1.4.1 DEMONSTRATION OF EXTRAORDINARY HARDSHIP
In cases where failure to be included on the degree list is not due to administrative error, a hardship petition may be submitted to the Office of the Provost. A hardship petition must include the information below and must be submitted as a complete packet through the respective dean’s office with the approval of the academic director of the degree program. Petition packets that do not include all information specified below will be denied. Submission of a complete hardship petition does not guarantee that the request for exception will be granted. The hardship petition must be submitted to the Office of the Provost by the dean’s office no later than four (4) business days prior to the scheduled date of action of the Board of Trustees on the degree list in question.
- A one-page, signed statement from the student specifying the exact nature of the extraordinary hardship that will occur due to failure to be included on the degree list in question.
- Documentation, including contact information, for verification of the facts presented in #1 above.
- Letter of support from the academic director of the degree program, co-signed by the dean that includes the student’s name, identification (ID) number, major and degree.
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A description from the student describing the circumstances that prevented the student from applying prior to the established deadline. (Failure to be aware of the deadline is not an acceptable excuse).
* Posthumous Award of Earned Degrees. A deceased student who has been determined by the unit faculty, dean and Office of the University Registrar to have satisfied the established degree requirements will be recommended to the Board of Trustees for award of the degree. The transcript shows the posthumous award. The diploma is the same as for non-posthumous award of earned degrees.
5.5.1.2 DOUBLE MAJOR
An undergraduate student earns a double major when the student completes all University, college and departmental requirements in one department — the Primary Major — and all departmental requirements in a second department — the Secondary Major. If there is a generic relationship, work in the Primary Major may be applicable to the Secondary Major. The student must indicate their double major to the Office of the University Registrar and to the student records office in their college(s). They must have an advisor in each major. The student who completes the requirements for a double major receives a degree from the college of their Primary Major and has the successful completion of the Secondary Major entered on their transcript. A Secondary Major may be completed after the degree for the Primary Major has been awarded. A double major does not result in an additional degree. In addition, the pre-major requirements are considered to be a part of the major requirements for purposes of the rule and must be fulfilled by secondary majors.
5.5.1.3 ADDITIONAL BACHELOR'S DEGREES
A student is eligible to qualify for additional bachelor's degrees in different majors. The student must complete all University, college and departmental requirements for all degrees. Courses taken toward fulfilling one (1) degree may also count toward fulfilling parallel requirements in another degree, but the student must complete at least 24 additional hours for each degree. The student may elect to receive the degrees simultaneously if college and departmental degree requirements can be met simultaneously.
5.5.1.4 CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT IN GRADUATE PROGRAMS
A student may receive two (2) graduate degrees. However, concurrent enrollment in two (2) or more graduate degrees at the same time is not permitted, unless approved by the Graduate Advisor(s), the respective Directors of Graduate Studies in the programs and the Dean of the Graduate School. This rule does not prohibit a student from receiving both a bachelor’s degree and an advanced degree in the same field at the same time.
5.5.1.5 MASTER'S DEGREE FOLLOWING DOCTORATE
Subsequent to the receipt of a doctoral degree, a student is not eligible to receive a master's degree based on the work which led to the doctorate.
5.5.1.6 FACULTY EMPLOYEES AS CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES
Faculty employees having a rank higher than that of Instructor may not be considered as candidates for degrees in the discipline in which they are employed and hold academic rank.
Faculty employees pursuing degrees above the master's degree at the University may not hold more than a half-time work assignment either during the two (2) full-time, consecutive resident semesters preceding the QE or during the two (2) semesters of full-time dissertation study immediately following the QE.