Graduation Requirements

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all requirements for graduation have been met.

Baccalaureate degrees in the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business Administration, and the School of Music are conferred upon completion of the prescribed academic program requirements and upon approval of candidates by the faculty. The University reserves the right to withhold a degree from any candidate if, in the opinion of the appropriate faculty, concrete evidence exists to indicate that the candidate’s character or actions are incompatible with the purpose and ideals of the University.

University Requirements

The following are requirements which must be met for all Schools and College:

1. Each degree candidate must complete a General Education program of study.
2. Each degree candidate must have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average as well as a 2.0 grade point average in their major. For any degree candidate with declared minor(s), a minor will be shown as completed on the transcript only when a GPA of 2.0 or higher is earned.
3. Each degree candidate must complete 32 units (128 credits) or more.
4. At least 50% of credits for Stetson’s traditional bachelors degrees must be completed through Stetson courses.
5. A minimum of 6 of the last 8 units used to satisfy course or unit requirements for the degree must be completed at Stetson University. Transfer policies apply to any units not taken at Stetson, including the expectation that students use the Transient Student form to get pre-approval for the transfer of courses.
6. Degrees are conferred upon students who have met all requirements for a major, even if work on another major is still in progress.
7. Students may transfer in no more than 64 credits (16 units) towards their Program of study.
8. Students must complete a total of 24 Cultural Event Credits.
9. A student who fails to complete the degree within six years of matriculation may be required to satisfy new requirements in the current Catalog.
10. Credit earned more than 10 years prior to degree completion is subject to review and may not count toward the degree.
11. Course Substitutions - Under rare circumstances, students may request that a course requirement be fulfilled via another Stetson course (known as a course substitution). All such requests must be approved by the Chair of the department or program through which the major is administered and by the academic Dean. Students hoping to transfer in outside courses to substitute for Stetson course credit must follow the policies designed for the transfer of credits.
12. A student who wishes to receive an additional undergraduate degree should contact the University Registrar for the requirements.
13. Double Majors - Students wishing to work toward a double major are expected to fulfill the requirements for each major. Where major requirements such as the senior project may be sufficiently similar, students may seek accommodation to register for and complete a single senior project that includes work appropriate for both major fields and meets the requirement for both majors.

Awarding of Degree and Commencement

Participation in Commencement

Commencement ceremonies are held once a year in May.  The ceremonies are a celebration of student achievement.  The guidelines for participating in Commencement are as follows:

• Application for Graduation - Undergraduate degree candidates are required to file an application for graduation in the Office of the Registrar, no later than the graduation application deadline within the semester in which they expect to complete their degree requirements. Upon receipt of the Application for Graduation, a fee in the amount of $100.00 is applied to the student’s account. A late fee in the amount of $100.00 will be assessed for students who do not apply by the application date deadline (see the Academic Calendar for the exact date). Caps, gowns, announcements and accessories for graduation commencement are ordered through the University Bookstore. Graduates are required to be present for Commencement unless authorized to graduate “In Absentia” by the Registrar.
• Undergraduate candidates must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a major area GPA of 2.0 for all courses completed prior to commencement.
• Undergraduate candidates must have completed all academic degree requirements.
  • A student who is within two units from completing the degree may participate in commencement. Participation in the ceremony does not imply that the student has completed a course of study. No degree is awarded until such completion of all degree requirements. No honors will be awarded at commencement for those without all requirements completed. All Cultural Credits must be completed to participate in Commencement and the student must meet the GPA requirement at the time of application for participation.
    • School of Business, students must have completed at least 1 ELR in order to participate in commencement.
• Candidates must be in good financial standing with the University by the first day of final exams for the spring semester.
• Candidates must apply to graduate with the Registrar's Office.  The Registrar determines eligibility to participate in commencement and will hear any appeals. Please review the Academic Calendar for application deadlines.

Posthumous Recognition of Stetson Students In-Memoriam Degree, Posthumous Degree

Stetson University seeks to provide to the families of deceased students a meaningful symbol that reflects the achievements and legacy of the student and, at the same time, upholds academic and institutional integrity. To meet that need, the University may award a Posthumous Degree or an In-Memoriam Degree. This policy applies solely to the award of degrees to students enrolled in degree programs at Stetson University at the time of their death. It does not apply to honorary degrees, which may be awarded under applicable criteria and procedures.

Conferring Posthumous Degrees

A Posthumous Degree recognizes academic work completed by a student who has made progress toward completion of a degree. The Posthumous Degree is a regular Stetson degree and is reported to the Board of Trustees, but awarded posthumously.

• Any member of the University community or member of the family of the deceased may recommend a student enrolled in a Stetson University degree program at the time of the student’s death for consideration for posthumous award of the degree. If the request for consideration is initiated by someone who is not a member of the family of the deceased, the Office of the Provost must obtain from the student’s family approval of the request for consideration.
• Departments should notify their college/school dean of a proposed degree to be awarded posthumously.
• The dean’s office should consult with the student’s degree program to review the student’s academic record. If the student has completed at least 75% of the requirements for the degree program and the majority of the degree program faculty supports the awarding of the degree, the Dean’s Office should request the approval of the degree by submitting a request to the Provost.
• The dean’s letter should include the degree and the term for which the students should be awarded the degree posthumously.
• If the Provost approves the request, the college/school dean will be notified in writing, with a copy sent to the Office of the University Registrar.
• A posthumous degree will customarily be conferred at the next regularly scheduled commencement exercise and presented to a member of the student’s family or their representative. The commencement program will note that the degree was presented posthumously. The graduation application fee shall be waived. A posthumous degree may also be presented by an appropriate University official to the family in a private gathering.

Conferring In-Memoriam Degrees

An In-Memoriam Degree allows for recognition of a student’s connection to Stetson University of their progress toward completion of degree requirements. The In-Memoriam Degree is not reported to the Board of Trustees. The resulting document is similar to a degree, is signed by the Provost and the Dean of the deceased student’s college/school, and issued by the Office of the University Registrar. Undergraduate and graduate students who were registered in a degree program at the time of their death are eligible for an In-Memoriam Degree, without regard to the likelihood of completing the requirements for the degree program.

• Any member of the University community or member of the family of the deceased may recommend a student enrolled in a Stetson University degree program at the time of the student’s death for consideration for In-Memoriam award of the degree. If the request for consideration is initiated by someone who is not a member of the family of the deceased, the Office of the Provost must obtain from the student’s family approval of the request for consideration.
• The Dean’s Office of the student’s college/school consults with the student’s degree program and the Dean of Students Office to review the student’s academic record.
• The Dean’s Offices forwards the request for an In-Memoriam Degree to the Provost for approval.
• If the Provost approves the request, the college/school dean will be notified in writing, with a copy sent to the Office of the University Registrar.
• The Dean’s Office requests that the Office of University Registrar prepare an In-Memoriam Degree for the student’s family.
• An In-Memoriam degree will customarily be conferred at the next regularly scheduled commencement exercise and presented to a member of the student’s family or their representative. The commencement program will note that the degree was presented In-Memoriam. The graduation application fee shall be waived. An In-Memoriam degree may also be presented by an appropriate University official to the family in a private gathering.

Extraordinary Circumstances

Requests for consideration for Posthumous/In-Memoriam recognition that do not meet the above criteria may also be considered when extraordinary circumstances, such as outstanding service to the University, prevail. In these situations, a request for award of the degree must be reviewed and favorably recommended by the appropriate department and/or dean or, as applicable, and the Provost. If these recommendations are favorable, the request will be referred through normal channels for approval and subsequently to the Board of Trustees to award the degree in due course.