Graduation

Degrees Awarded

The College offers the following undergraduate degrees:

Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Associate in Arts
Associate in Science

Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree

1. Official acceptance by the Admission Office.
2. A minimum of 128 earned semester hours.
3. Fulfillment of the residency requirement.
4. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00.
5. Completion of the core curriculum requirements. (Refer to the specific core curriculum requirements.)
6. A major satisfying the requirements of the department and minimum grade point average of 2.00 in courses required for the major. Refer to departmental requirements for majors.
7. Integration of the specificity of the major field into the broader focus of the core curriculum.
8. Completion of assessment courses and/or projects.
9. A formal application for the degree must be on file in the Registrar’s Office by the application deadline specified in each semester’s or term’s Semester Policies and Procedures.

All of the listed degree requirements as well as fulfillment of all financial obligations to the College must be satisfied before a diploma or transcript with the degree noted can be released.

Requirements for the Associate Degree

1. Official acceptance by the Admission Office.
2. A minimum of 64 semester hours.
3. Fulfillment of the residency requirement.
4. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00.
5. Completion of the core curriculum requirements. (Refer to the specific core curriculum requirements.)
6. A major satisfying the requirements of the department and a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in courses required for the major. Refer to departmental requirements for majors.
7. A formal application for the degree must be on file in the Registrar’s Office by the application deadline specified in each semester’s or term’s Semester Policies and Procedures.

All of the listed degree requirements as well as the fulfillment of all financial obligations to the College must be satisfied before a diploma or transcript with the degree noted can be released.

Graduation with Honors

The baccalaureate and associate degrees are conferred with special honors on students who have fulfilled the college residency requirement and whose final academic cumulative grade point average is 3.50 or above.  In addition to the GPA criteria, students must have completed a minimum of 45 semester hours in Mount coursework earning letter grades by the end of the final semester or term of courses/credits required for the degree. Courses earning a Pass/Fail grade or credits earned through experiential learning options do not apply toward the 45 hour minimum. Official graduation honors are noted on the student’s diploma and academic record.

The student’s cumulative grade point average and fulfillment of the residency requirements for honors (refer to preceding paragraph) determine the following distinctions:

Tentative Graduation Honors at Commencement

The May commencement ceremony is held before final grades for second semester are reported by instructors. Therefore, tentative (unofficial) graduation honors are noted in the commencement program and announced at the commencement ceremony. Tentative graduation honors for purposes of the commencement ceremony are based on: 1) the applied graduation candidate’s previous fall semester/term earned cumulative grade point average; and 2) the Mount's residency requirement and 3) the required minimum of 45 semester hours in Mount course work with a letter grade (excluding P/F grades or experiential learning credits) earned by the end of the previous fall semester.

Degree/Graduation Application Information

Candidacy Determination

Application deadline dates for graduation candidates completing their degree requirements in December  is April 15,  May - September 15, and August - November 15 prior to the graduation session each year.  Graduation candidates will be eligible to participate in the following May graduation ceremony.

Commencement Ceremony Participants

Baccalaureate and associate degree students who will not complete degree requirements by the May ceremony, but are within 12 credits of graduation and who will complete their final course work by the end of the summer session, may apply and participate as August graduates in the May ceremony. 

Of those 12 hours, only 3 may be obtained through CLEP examination.  All graduate candidates are limited to only one CLEP examination in their final semester of their degree programs.  The CLEP examination must be completed by the 5th week of a student's final semester.  Students in cohort programs with summer completion dates may walk in the May ceremony regardless of the number of scheduled summer hours for their major requirements.

Summer registration for August graduates must be completed during the first week of priority registration in April of the year in which they have applied to graduate.

Candidates who apply for graduation and are listed on that year's annual commencement program are not eligible to be listed in future commencement programs nor participate in future ceremonies for the same degree. 

Applying for Graduation

Students formally apply for graduation through the Registrar's Office. The degree application must be on file in the Registrar’s Office by the posted deadline dates for December, May, and August graduation.  Students applying for graduation after the application deadline will be considered candidates as of the next official graduation date, i.e. December, May, or August. If degree requirements are not completed by the date (month/year) specified on the student's degree application, the application will be moved to the next graduation cycle. If the requirements are not completed by the next official graduation date, i.e. December, May, or August, the application will be cancelled. If a student completes their degree requirements after they are notified their application has been cancelled, the student will be required to petition for review of completed degree requirements for degree certification on the next official graduation date.

A graduation application fee is assessed to all graduation candidates. The graduation application fee is a one-time charge for each degree application. If a student applies for one degree during one academic year and another degree during a future academic year, the graduation application fee is charged twice. If a student applies for an Associate and a Bachelor in the same academic year, or two Associates, or two Bachelor degrees in the same academic year, the full graduation application fee is charged for the first degree and 50% of the full fee for the second degree. A student earning Bachelor and Master degrees during the same academic year will be charged the full graduation application fee twice.

December, May, and August degrees are conferred by the College of Mount St. Joseph at the annual commencement ceremony. The May commencement ceremony is held before final second semester grades are submitted by instructors. Therefore, official diplomas for all May graduates will be mailed in June after grades have been submitted and degree certifications are completed based on the final semester's grades. Diplomas for December graduates are mailed in January. Diplomas for August graduates are mailed in September.