Apr 18, 2024  
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Policies and Procedures Manual

03:01:02 Graduation and Degree Requirements

Revision Responsibility: Vice President for Student Services
Responsible Executive Officer: Vice President for Academic Affairs

Purpose

To outline graduation and degree requirements.

Policy

I. Requirements

Applications for graduation are processed through the department of Student Records. To be eligible for graduation and receive a degree or certificate from Walters State Community College, the student must:
 

  1. Complete all academic requirements for the selected degree/certificate program.
     
  2. Complete the minimum number of required semester hours for the selected program of study (minimum of 60 for associate’s degree).
     
  3. Earn an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 in all college level courses with the exception of Associate of Science in Teaching (AST). Students seeking the AST degree must have an overall GPA of 2.75. (Only college-level courses taken at Walters State are used to compute the GPA for graduation).
     
  4. Fulfill all courses required for the program as outlined in the college catalog, with 25% of the total number of credits required for the degree completed at Walters State Community College. For the Associate of Applied Science Degree program concentrations in Engineering Technology, students are required to take a minimum of 12 semester hours of technical course work at Walters State Community College.
     
  5. Apply for graduation by completing the Graduation Application, including: Follow-up Survey and Alumni Forms by the deadline listed in the catalog and on the website. Required forms are available on the WS Student Records webpage and the WS Student Records Office.
     
  6. Resolved all obligations, financial or otherwise, to the college; and returned all library and college materials.
     

II. Other guidelines pertaining to graduation are:

  1. Students are allowed to graduate by meeting the requirements of the catalog under which they entered providing graduation is within seven years of the entrance. Degree requirements set forth in a catalog shall remain in effect for the duration of the period identified on the cover of this catalog. No guarantee is implied that these requirements will be contained in total or in part in future specification of the degree.
     
  2. Transfer credits used to satisfy Walters State’s degree requirements will not be averaged with the student’s grade point average at Walters State for the purpose of calculating the graduation average, or calculating honors.
     
  3. Students may complete requirements for more than one degree type by successfully completing all course requirements. However, no additional diplomas are awarded. A minimum of 16 credit hours beyond the requirements for the first degree must be completed.
     
  4. The State of Tennessee requires graduates to take a general education exit exam (ETS Proficiency Profile). Students graduating with an AS or AAS in Business are required to take the Business Exit Examination. Notification regarding test dates will be provided. Students may also be required to take other tests by the institution.
     
  5. As part of the graduation requirements, prospective graduates must complete the graduate follow-up survey during the last semester of graduation. All graduates within three to six months of graduation will be requested to complete a completer/leaver survey form. The return of this survey provides the college and the academic departments with information that is needed to keep all programs in compliance with TBR regulations. Further information may be obtained by visiting the department of Student Support Services in SSB U130.
     
  6. Students graduating in the fall and summer semesters will attend the commencement exercises in December, unless special permission is granted by the department of Student Records. Students graduating at the end of the spring semester will attend the commencement exercises in May.
     
  7. Graduation honors are calculated at the end of the previous semester to be included in the graduation program, the graduation ceremony, and all news releases concerning graduation.
     

SPECIAL NOTE: Students who do not graduate by the semester which is indicated on the graduation application will automatically be carried over to the next semester. Students who do not meet the requirements after the second semester, will have to reapply for a future semester. 05/16