Students in all degree programs must attain/complete the following:
• a minimum of 128 semester hours of credit.
• a 2.0 minimum cumulative grade point average.
• General Education Program and major requirements as outlined in the following pages.
A minimum of 60 semester hours of credit and at least one-half of the major course work must be completed on Saint Mary’s campus.
Double Counting Policy:
Any declared major or minor must have at least 50% unique courses, distinct from all other major/minors the student declares. Courses that are ‘pre-requisite’ or ‘required supporting’ courses (i.e., courses that students are not required to earn a C or higher to proceed in the major) are not included in the overlap calculation.
A senior planning to receive a degree at May Commencement must file a degree petition with the Office of Academic Advising & Registrar. This petition must be approved by the chair of the major department or by both chairs, if the student has a double major.
A student may finish a program early, so long as all college policies are observed in respect to credit by examination and transfer credit, and all major, general education (i.e., Sophia Program), and degree requirements are satisfied. When a student intends to finish degree requirements early, a special petition to finish early must be completed. Additionally, if the student desires to participate in the May graduation ceremony prior to their degree completion (see policy on degree candidates below), the student must submit a Degree Petition and Degree Candidate Request Form by December 1 the semester prior to the planned participation in the graduation ceremony.
If a student will have completed all of her degree requirements no later than the end of the calendar year of her class year, permission may be requested from the Office of Academic Advising & Registrar to walk in commencement exercise as a “degree candidate.” “Degree candidates” do not receive a diploma and are not graduates of Saint Mary’s College until the end of the semester following the completion of all degree requirements.
Under certain circumstances a student may be given permission to complete requirements for a Saint Mary’s degree by earning transfer credit at a college or university approved by Saint Mary’s College. To receive permission, the student must complete a petition, which is reviewed by the department chair and the Office of Academic Advising & Registrar. The degree is not awarded until the end of the semester following the receipt of an official transcript showing the completion of all degree requirements.
When a student has been out for more than two semesters (inactive student status), they must complete an Application for Readmission. In addition to updating the standard personal contact information, the form asks why the student left, what the student has done while being away (including any other colleges attended), and the reason for their planned return. The application is reviewed by Academic Advising for academics, the Dean of Students for conduct, and Student Accounts for any outstanding balance. Any other existing holds need to be resolved before a student can return.
Students will have up to seven years after their original expected graduation date to complete their degree under the requirements which they matriculated. There are two circumstances under which students may not have this full period. Those are:
1) the student is pursuing a degree in education, nursing, social work or speech language pathology, or other professional degrees that have accreditation or licensing requirements and, therefore, could require additional or different requirements for degree conferral,
OR
2) the student’s original major is no longer offered or the original major curriculum has changed substantially, so that the original required courses are no longer offered at the college. In these circumstances, the current requirements at the time of return will need to be completed.
Students who return after seven years from their original expected graduation date will be required to complete their degree under the current general education (i.e., Sophia), major, and minor requirements. Completed coursework will be reviewed and used toward degree completion wherever possible.
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