Graduation Policies and Procedures

• Undergraduate Programs
• Graduate and Professional Programs

For Undergraduate Programs

Students must complete the on-line graduation application within two semesters of graduation, but no later than completing 110 credit hours. Spring or summer graduates must file the request to graduate by October 1 in the fall semester of the senior year. Fall graduates must file by March 1 in the spring semester of the senior year. Failure to file a request for degree in a timely manner may result in the student not being approved to walk in the commencement ceremony. Students who file for graduation after the deadline will be charged a $50 late fee, and cannot be guaranteed that their name will appear in the commencement ceremony program. There is no penalty for filing early.

Upon filing a request to graduate, the following minimum requirements for graduation will be evaluated for all students:

1. Complete and pass 128 semester hours. Some majors require more.
2. Complete and pass 96 hours of formal instruction (classroom instruction, independent study, co-op and field work, contract courses, validation, correspondence courses). Credit earned without formal instruction (AP, CLEP, IB, credit by examination) does not count toward the 96.
3. Complete and pass 45 hours of upper-level work (courses numbered 3000 and above at Harding).
4. Complete and pass 45 hours in residence at Harding.
5. Grade Point Average Requirement:
   1. Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher on all work; some majors require a higher GPA.
   2. Earn a major GPA of 2.0 or higher in the major; some majors require a higher GPA.
   3. Earn a minor GPA of 2.0 or higher in the minor whether required or elective.
   4. Earn an institutional GPA of 2.0 or higher in all work taken at Harding.
   5. Earn a major GPA of 2.0 or higher in all courses taken at Harding.
6. Earn 9 upper-level hours in their major (for a Bible major, 10 hours) at Harding. If a major requires a capstone course, that course must be taken in residence at Harding, and would be considered part of the 9 hours of upper-level credit within the major.
7. Earn 60 hours at a four-year institution.
8. Complete and pass all Liberal Arts  and major requirements as outlined in the Catalog. For the post-baccalaureate student, the liberal arts curriculum will be considered complete; however, the student must meet Bible graduation requirements.
9. Satisfy the English Proficiency requirement by earning a grade of C or higher in both ENG 1110  or ENG 1130  and ENG 2110 .
   1. CLEP and AP credit earned for ENG 1110  will satisfy the ENG 1110 /ENG 1130  requirement.
   2. AP credit earned for ENG 2110  will satisfy the ENG 2110  requirement.
   3. HNRS 2010  with a C or higher substituted for ENG 1110 /ENG 1130  or ENG 2110  will satisfy the requirements for that course.
   4. The requirement is waived for post-baccalaureate students.

For purposes of minimum requirements for graduation, a registered student may use any catalog from the date of last enrollment in the University up to and including the last year enrolled at Harding. However, a student may NOT so use a catalog that is more than eight years old at the time of student’s graduation.

Graduation Honors: Graduating seniors who achieve at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA graduate cum laude. Those with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 graduate magna cum laude, and those with a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher graduate summa cum laude.

Commencement will be held on the Saturday immediately following the last Friday of the Fall and Spring terms. Summer graduates are invited to participate in the Fall commencement. Degrees will be conferred once all grades are posted and all graduation requirements confirmed and validated. In all cases, the conferral date of any degree will always be after the requirements for that degree have been completely satisfied and verified. No degree will have a conferral date that precedes the completion of requirements. Harding University will only use the legal name of the student at the time of conferral on the diploma. The diploma name must be a recognizable form of the student’s legal name (no nicknames). Once a degree has been awarded, the GPA earned for that degree cannot be altered by repeating courses.

Undergraduate students graduating with more than one undergraduate degree or major are allowed to walk in one commencement ceremony of their choosing from those associated with their earned undergraduate degrees.

Students who are completing degree requirements in residence at Harding during intersession may participate in the May commencement ceremony. Students enrolled in courses ending after May commencement or summer courses at other colleges, may have degrees conferred during the summer and are encouraged to participate in the December commencement ceremony.

For Graduate and Professional Programs

Students must complete the on-line graduation application the semester they plan to graduate. The application deadlines are:

• October 1 for December candidates
• March 1 for May candidates
• June 20 for Summer candidates

Students who file for graduation after the deadline will be charged a $50 late fee, and cannot be guaranteed that their name will appear in the commencement ceremony program. There is no penalty for filing early.

The following are minimum requirements for graduation:

1. Complete and pass all coursework as determined by the student’s specific program.
2. Comply with program guidelines regarding the maximum allowable transfer hours from other institutions.
3. Earn the grade point average (GPA) required by the student’s specific program.
4. Complete and pass a Bible course as required by the University and specified by the student’s program.
5. Submit an on-line “Application for Graduation” form. (See the University calendar for deadlines.)
6. Complete a signed degree evaluation audit with the program office at the beginning of the final term.^{1, 2} (See the University calendar for deadlines.)
7. Fulfill all financial obligations to the university.
8. Be recommended for graduation by the specific program/college.

¹Note: When students apply for graduation (no later than October 1 for May or Spring graduates and March 1 for December graduates), which should occur prior to the beginning of the final term, the student should meet with the advisor to complete and sign the graduation audit. Signatures of the student and advisor should be obtained, and the student should submit the signed graduation audit and the application for graduation to the Office of the Registrar. Students who apply for graduation after the deadline will be charged a $50 fee, and cannot be guaranteed that their name will appear in the commencement ceremony program. The signed graduation audit will be used by the Registrar as a checklist to assist with the verification of the student’s graduation requirements. Lack of knowledge or incorrect interpretation of University policies and regulations does not remove the student from the obligation to satisfy all requirements for a degree. The student bears the ultimate responsibility for completing a degree program. Information on how to generate a degree audit may be found at www.harding.edu/registrar.

² Degree audit forms are completed directly with the registrar by the program administrators for MBA, pharmacy, physical therapy and physician assistant students.

A graduation ceremony will be held on the Saturday immediately following the last Friday of the Fall and Spring terms. Graduate and professional students graduating with more than one graduate or professional degree are allowed to walk in each commencement ceremony associated with their earned graduate and/or professional degrees. Degrees will be conferred once all grades are posted and all graduation requirements confirmed and validated. In all cases, the conferral date of any degree will always be after the requirements for that degree have been completely satisfied and verified. No degree will have a conferral date that precedes the completion of requirements.

For purposes of minimum requirements for graduation, a graduate or professional student may use any one catalog from the date of initial enrollment in the University up to and including the year of graduation from Harding, provided that such catalog is not more than eight years old at the time of the student’s graduation, unless otherwise specified by the program. Please note that accrediting agencies or licensure requirements may mandate changes, necessitating program modifications. Students are encouraged to stay current with such changes and should consult with their advisors. The student bears the ultimate responsibility for completing a degree program.