Graduation Requirements

General Graduation Requirements

Students may complete their programs of study and be certified for degree completion during any semester of the year. There are guidelines, however, which must be carefully followed. Failure to follow the established procedures will postpone graduation by one semester or longer.

  1. Give evidence of orthodox belief, genuine Christian character, and conduct consistent with a God-given call to a position of leadership.
  2. Demonstrate an ability to use the English language with precision in both speech and writing.
  3. Complete the prescribed course of study within the time limitation and achieve the required grade point average as outlined in the catalog.
  4. Remove any admission provisions.
  5. Complete at least the minimum residential credit hours for your degree program.   
  6. Settle all financial obligations, including payment of the graduation fee. Students who have not made satisfactory financial arrangements will not have access to any student services, including transcript, diploma, or enrollment for a second degree.
  7. Receive the recommendation of the Faculty and approval by the Board of Trustees for graduation.
  8. File all graduation information with the Registrar’s Office no later than the first day of the last semester of enrollment, or end of the academic year in which the student plans to graduate (whichever comes first).
  9. Attend the annual commencement exercises. An Academic Petition must be filed at least six weeks prior to commencement to request permission to graduate in absentia. Such permission is normally granted only when it would cause serious hardship for the student to attend.

Additional Graduation Requirements

Additional graduation requirements for specific degrees are listed in the degree sections of the catalog and in the program handbooks.

ACADEMIC CATALOG

Requirement Due Dates

All graduation requirements must be completed by the last day of the semester in order to graduate that semester.  Some requirements are due well prior to the end of the semester. If a student completes a graduation requirement (e.g. turns in an assignment) after these dates, he or she will graduate at the end of the following semester (i.e., the official degree date on the diploma and transcript will be the last day of the following semester).