ES4592 - Graduation/Award Conferral

1. Institutional Regulations
   
   The student must meet the College’s graduation requirements to be awarded a degree, diploma, or certificate.
    
2. Procedure
   1. Candidates for graduation must complete an application for every academic award they plan to receive unless they are conferred an award as described in II.E of this procedure. Application deadlines established by the Registrar are published on the DMACC web site, in the College catalog, and in the student handbook. Conferral dates will be at the end of fall semester, spring semester, or summer term. It is the responsibility of the student to know and to observe the requirements of their curriculum and the rules governing academic work.
   2. Students must satisfy all requirements, including program credit totals, in effect at the time of enrollment in their program. These requirements must be completed within five years of the first term of program enrollment.
      1. If program requirements are not satisfied within five years of the first term of program enrollment, students must complete the program requirements effective at the time of their program completion.
         1. If a student has completed all program requirements more than 5 years prior to the term for which they have applied for graduation, the program chair and registrar will evaluate the prior course work to determine if the course work will meet current program competencies and requirements.
         2. If an award conferral is approved the conferral date will be reflective to the term for which the application for graduation was submitted.
      2. Students may always opt to follow current program requirements. Students who are currently completing program requirements when program curriculum changes may opt to follow the new academic program requirements.
      3. Students must earn a minimum program cumulative 2.0 grade point average for all courses applicable to their program.
         1. Certain programs may require minimum grades in specific courses.
         2. Certain programs may require a higher program cumulative grade point average.
      4. A minimum of 1/3 of semester credit hours applicable to the award being conferred must be completed at Des Moines Area Community College.
      5. Candidates for graduation who earn a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 in coursework applicable to their program of study will graduate with program honors. Program honors are listed on a student’s transcript.
      6. Adjustments may be made where program curriculum has changed, courses are no longer available, or where a credit shortage exists due to transfer credit It is the responsibility of the student to know and to observe the requirements of the curriculum and the rules governing academic work.
   3. If students have completed all required program courses five years or more prior to submission of an application for graduation for an award other than Liberal Arts Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts Associate in Science or an Associate in General Studies, a meeting is required with the program chair to determine if prior coursework will meet current program competencies and requirements.
      1. The “Request for Late Application Award Conferral” form must be completed by the Program Chairperson and submitted to the Provost/Academic Dean and Registrar.
      2. If an award conferral is approved, the conferral date will be reflective of the term for which the application for graduation was most recently submitted.
      3. If the request is denied, the Program Chairperson will send written notification of the decision to the student and send a copy to the Registrar for inclusion in the student’s record.
   4. Diplomas or a notification that program requirements have not been satisfied will be mailed to the student approximately four to six weeks after final grades have been posted.
      1. All student academic records, including academic awards, will not be released if the student has an unpaid debt to the College.
      2. Students who do not satisfy program requirements must submit a new graduation application indicating the term they will complete the program.
   5. Students not currently enrolled may be evaluated by the Registrar’s Office and conferred selective awards without student notification. Students must meet all requirements as outlined in this procedure.

SA 510 - Commencement  

Adopted: January 11, 2010
Revised:
January 1, 2013

May 10, 2022 - Cross-referenced to Policy SA509.

May 11, 2022 - Cross-referenced to Policy SA510.

Related Form: ES4592-Graduation-Award Conferral-Fillable-Form-20130101