Academic Regulations
40.00.00 Degree Requirements: General
.01 Revised Degree Requirements: When Applicable
.02 Continuity of Degree Requirements for Continuously Enrolled Students
.03 Completion of Degree Requirements and Commencement
.01 Revised Degree Requirements: When Applicable
A. A student who ceases to attend the university for a period of one calendar year, whether voluntarily or not, is subject to all the regulations and must meet all the requirements in force at the time that enrollment is resumed unless other arrangements have been agreed to by the dean and recorded in writing prior to the beginning of the absence.
B. A student who changes his or her degree objective, college, or school, or whose candidacy for an advanced degree expires, or who elects to conform to regulations or requirements instituted while enrolled, must be prepared to complete all of the requirements and abide by all regulations in effect at the time the change is made.
C. A student who has not been engaged in formal study for a number of years or whose study has been intermittent at American University or elsewhere may not receive full credit for work completed previously, depending on the decision of the teaching unit in which the course or its equivalent is offered. This applies to undergraduate students as well as to graduate students.
D. For undergraduate degrees other than as stated above, the university has no strict regulations with respect to the total amount of time in which an undergraduate student may fulfill the requirements for a degree, provided the student maintains the appropriate grade point average and gives evidence of being seriously interested in the eventual achievement of his or her academic objective.
.02 Continuity of Degree Requirements for Continuously Enrolled Students
No student shall be involuntarily subject to changes in regulations and academic requirements introduced while the student remains continuously enrolled and in good standing in the degree program which originally was selected except as defined in 40.00.01.A.
.03 Completion of Degree Requirements and Commencement
The university confers degrees and issues diplomas at the end of the fall, spring, and summer terms. A formal commencement ceremony is held in May at the end of the spring semester. Students who earned their degree during the previous summer or fall terms are recognized in the spring ceremony. Diplomas are released after all degree requirements have been certified by the Registrar. Participation in a commencement ceremony does not itself constitute conferral of a degree, nor does it imply an obligation on the part of the university to award the degree before all requirements have been met and certified.
A. Application for Graduation: Candidates for degrees are to file an Application for Graduation Form in the Office of the Registrar during the period of registration for the last expected term of study.
B. Eligibility to Participate in Commencement: Undergraduate degree students who have met all university requirements (General Education, Mathematics and College Writing) for their degree, but have not completed up to two courses (up to a maximum of 8 credit hours) may participate in commencement activities if they have a current GPA of 2.0 or above; have at least 112 credit hours (hours earned plus spring registered hours); and have active enrollment in the summer or fall following commencement for the course(s) needed to complete their degree requirements. Graduate degree students, with the exception of Ph.D. candidates, who have met all other university requirements for their degree, but lack one elective course (3 credit hours maximum) may participate in commencement activities if they have a current GPA of 3.0 or above; have completed all required comprehensive exams and have posted results; have completed or are in-progress to complete Tools of Research; and have active enrollment in the summer or fall following commencement for the course needed to complete their degree requirements. Students earning a Ph.D. must complete all degree and university requirements and be cleared for graduation in order to participate in commencement.
C. Certification of Students for Award of Degrees: Students who fail to complete all of their requirements by the end of the term for which they applied to graduate will not be certified and graduated for that date. These students must reapply for graduation.
Senate action, February 2010. Provost approval, March 2010. Effective spring 2010.
(See pertinent sections of 55.00.00 for graduate student degree requirements.)
