Declaration of Candidacy for a Degree
To graduate, a student must declare his/her intention to graduate and show the approval of the faculty adviser by completing an application for graduation and turning it in to the Office of the Registrar. This application is available in the Office of the Registrar and should be submitted six months prior to the expected graduation date. It is highly recommended, however, that this application be turned in prior to the end of the second semester of the junior year.
If a student’s application for graduation does not accurately reflect the degree earned, the institution reserves the right to declare a student a candidate for a degree under one of the following three circumstances:
- A student applied for graduation but failed to meet all major and/or minor requirements listed on the application. The institution reserves the right to adjust a student’s application and award a degree for the major(s) and/or minor(s) earned six months after a student’s last enrollment. Therefore, dropping the unearned major and/or minor from the student’s application and awarding the degree based on at least one completed major.
- A student applied for graduation but failed to meet all major and/or minor requirements listed on the application. The institution reserves the right to adjust a student’s application and award a lesser degree two years after a student’s last enrollment. Therefore, a student who has failed to meet the requirements of a bachelor’s degree may be awarded an associate’s degree if all associate degree requirements have been satisfied.
- A student who has not applied for graduation but has satisfied all degree requirements may be awarded the degree one year after a student’s last enrollment. Therefore, the institution reserves the right to declare a student a candidate for a degree and award the earned degree even if the student has failed to declare candidacy.