Graduation
A student shall meet the following requirements to earn a degree:
- satisfy all admission requirements including submission of all appropriate transcripts or documents;
- complete at least 60 semester credit hours in a planned program, 20 semester credit hours of which must be taken at the college;
- achieve an overall grade point average of at least 2.00;
- discharge all college financial obligations;
- complete the college degree requirements; and
- apply for graduation at the beginning of the semester in which the student intends to graduate.
Degrees are awarded at the conclusion of each academic term or semester. The college holds a commencement ceremony at the end of the regular spring semester, in which students graduating throughout the year are invited to participate.
Upon request, the college provides verification of a student's eligibility for a degree. Students eligible to graduate at the end of any semester are responsible for completing a Program Completion Contract (graduation application) prior to or during registration for the semester in which they intend to graduate. This ensures an early evaluation of the student’s progress to reduce the possibility of a deficiency in meeting graduation requirements.
There is no fee for submitting a graduation application. Students who wish to participate in graduation ceremonies in May pay for the required cap and gown (approximately $20).
Meeting graduation requirements is each student’s responsibility. Students should check regularly to be sure their program of courses is fulfilling graduation requirements.
Academic requirements may change with each edition of the college catalog. Students who are continually enrolled may elect to graduate under any catalog at or after initial entry. Students whose enrollment has been interrupted for two or more academic years must follow the graduation requirements of the catalog at the time of re-entry or any catalog published after re-entry. However, in fields of rapid change (e.g., certain technical areas), academic administrators may require completion of courses in more recent catalogs so as to ensure currency. Every effort will be made to notify students and count earlier coursework in a way most beneficial to the students to fulfill current requirements.