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Title: GRADUATION-REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION
Number: R-23
Date of Inception: August 28, 1985
Purpose: To provide for the conferring of degrees to students who meet graduation requirements as outlined in the catalog under which they are to graduate.
Application for Graduation - A student should declare intentions to graduate by completing an Application For Graduation by midterm of the semester prior to the semester he/she intends to graduate.
Major/Minor Requirements - A student desiring to graduate must have selected a major and minor field of concentration. Some majors do not require a minor. Additionally, students selecting a double major are not required to select a minor.
Bachelor's Degree - A student will be eligible for graduation upon successful completion of 125 credit hours, including all Liberal Arts Core (LAC), major and minor requirements, with a 2.00 overall GPA and a 2.00 GPA in his/her major and minor. To be eligible for graduation with honors, at least 60 hours of the course work to be applied to the degree must have been earned at Charleston Southern University. For the purpose of calculating GPA for graduation with honors, only course work taken at Charleston Southern University will be included in that calculation.
Associate Degree - To graduate with an Associate Degree, a student must satisfy the requirements of his/her Associate Degree Program and must attain a GPA of 2.00 in his/her professional courses as well as a cumulative GPA of 2.00 in all courses.
Master Degree - To be eligible for graduation in the Master's Degree Program, a student must complete professional core and specialization area requirements with a 3.00 GPA. (See Graduate Catalog for specific degree requirements.)
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
Only courses in which credit has been earned, while attending Charleston Southern University, may be counted toward satisfying residency requirements. The only exception to this policy is recorded in R-32, paragraph 2.
Associate Degree
* At least twenty (20) credit hours must be taken at Charleston Southern University. These twenty credit hours must be in the area of "Major Studies."
* At least fifteen (15) of the last twenty (20) credit hours must be taken at Charleston Southern University.
Baccalaureate Degree
* At least twelve (12) credit hours of upper level (300/400) courses must be earned in the major (or in the cognate for Bachelor of Technology Degree students).
* Six (6) credit hours of upper level courses is required in the minor (if a minor is required).
* Thirty-six (36) of the last forty-six (46) credit hours must be earned at Charleston Southern University.
Master Degree - For those students seeking the MBA, 24 of the 30 hours (36 with emphasis) must be earned in residence with a GPA of 3.0 or better. For those students seeking the MAT degree, 33 of the 45 hours required for the degree must be earned in residence with a GPA of 3.0 or better. For those students seeking the MEd, 21 of the 33 hours required for the degree must be earned in residence with a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Graduation Substitution/Waiver - Requests for course substitutions and waivers of graduation requirements should be prepared in accordance with Procedure R-6, Graduation Substitution/Waiver.
Catalog Requirements Under Which A Student Will Graduate - To graduate, a student will be required to all graduation requirements as listed in the appropriate catalog. A student’s “catalog of record” is the catalog in effect when initial matriculation occurs. Students who are later accepted into the Teacher Education Program or the Nursing Program are subject to the catalog in effect at that time. Students who first declare or change their majors after initial matriculation are subject to the catalog in effect at the time of the change. Students who are readmitted to the University after an absence of two or more consecutive semesters are subject to the catalog in effect during the term of matriculation after readmission. Students may request to change to the most current catalog subject to the review and approval of the University Registrar. See exception below:
Exception to the catalog rule: A student who has eighteen (18) or less hours remaining to meet undergraduate graduation requirements (including residency) may be allowed to remain in an older catalog when readmitted to the University. This may not apply to professional degree tracks such as nursing, education or other certification or professional programs, depending on current requirements.
By action of the Curriculum Committee and the Graduate Council on August 28, 1985 and revisions approved by the Provost on February 10, 1993, October 21, 1994, and June 12, 1997. Editorial corrections were made on August 4, 2003 by the Registrar, including updating the section “Catalog Requirements Under Which A Student Will Graduate” to reflect current policy and practices.
