11824_JFKU_Catalog Front Cover.indd - John F. Kennedy University

General InformationAny student who wishes to undertake an individualized programshould prepare a written proposal that includes the followinginformation:• A rationale for the proposed program;• An outline of the proposed program with a list of courses to beundertaken and a statement indicating how these courses forman organic program of study;• A statement of how comprehensive knowledge of the subjectarea will be demonstrated (e.g., thesis, research project, master’sexamination);• e proposed degree title; and• A list of two or more faculty who will be directly responsible forsupervising the entire program.e student must obtain approval of the proposal from thesupervising faculty, the dean of the college(s) that will award thedegree, the registrar, and the Academic vice President. Forms forpreparing and submitting an individualized degree proposal may beobtained in the college’s administrative office.e number of units for the individual program is negotiable butshould be similar to other programs within the college(s). estudent undertaking an individualized program must satisfy all ofthe University requirements for a bachelor’s or a master’s degree.Emphases within ProgramsGraduate and undergraduate programs may offer emphases thatencompass a number of related courses on a defined topic.emphases, unlike specializations, are not recorded on the student’stranscript or noted on the diploma.Graduation and CommencementA student is graduated on the next available date from when theregistrar’s office is notified that all degree or certificate requirementshave been completed. (note that the petition itself is one of thegraduation requirements.) Degrees, certificates and specializationsare never backdated. A commencement ceremony is held each Juneto honor students who have completed degree, certificate, orcredential program requirements during the academic year or whowill be completing requirements during the summer.Petition for Degree or CertificateDegrees and certificates are not awarded automatically uponcompletion of scholastic requirements. to be considered as acandidate for a degree or certificate, students must submit a Petitionfor Degree or Petition for Certificate form to the registrar’s officeaccompanied by the appropriate non-refundable fee. Petitions mustbe on file before a degree or certificate will be awarded. Petitiondeadlines for all programs except Doctor of Psychology are January15 for June and September graduation; July 15 for Decembergraduation; october 15 for March graduation. e petition deadlinefor the PsyD program is February 15 of the year prior to beginningthe internships. Students who wish to participate in the currentacademic year’s commencement ceremony must petition by theJanuary 15 deadline for no later than the summer term.Review of Student RecordsUpon receipt of the petition, the registrar’s office will review thestudent’s records and notify the student and program of anyremaining requirements to be completed for the degree orcertificate. Students should work with their advisor to plan for thecompletion of their degree or certificate requirements.Awarding of the Degree or CertificateAt the end of the quarter/cohort/semester of anticipatedcompletion, as stated on the petition, the student’s records will bereviewed to verify completion of all requirements. If allrequirements have been completed, the awarding of the degree orcertificate will be posted on the transcript and the student notified.Degrees or certificates will be dated as of the Monday after the lastday of the quarter/cohort/semester in which all requirements havebeen met. Students who have not fulfilled all requirements will benotified, and the file will not be reviewed again for degree orcertificate completion until the registrar’s office is notified by thestudent that requirements have been fulfilled. Students who do notnotify the registrar’s office of degree or certificate completion maymiss participating in the commencement ceremony. Degrees orcertificates are never automatically entered onto the transcriptwithout notification of completion and review. Degrees orcertificates are not awarded if a student is on academic probation,or if there are marks of “I” (Incomplete) or IP (In Progress) on thetranscript.Diplomas or CertificatesDiplomas or certificates are printed and mailed after allrequirements have been completed, the degree or certificate hasbeen posted on the transcript, and all financial obligations to theUniversity have been fulfilled. ey are mailed to the address ofrecord approximately three-to-five months after the degree orcertificate has been awarded. Diplomas and certificates are printedusing the student’s legal name on record. Students wishing adifferent name on their diploma or certificate must file an officialname change with the registrar’s office prior to the issuance of thediploma or certificate.Recognition of Academic HonorsUndergraduate StudentsStudents who demonstrate exceptionally high academic scores areeligible for graduation honors. Academic honors are posted to thediploma and final transcript when the student’s degree is conferred.Graduation honors are based upon all courses applied toward thebachelor’s degree and are determined according to the following:HonorMinimum GPASumma Cum Laude 3.85+Magna Cum Laude 3.75–3.849Cum Laude 3.50–3.749Students who are not eligible for graduation honors may be eligiblefor honors in the major instead. only students whose cumulativeGPA is below 3.50 are eligible for honors in the major. to receivehonors in major, the student’s major GPA, which is computed as thegrade-point average of courses in the major program, must be 3.60or higher.Graduate StudentsGraduate students do not receive honors based on grade-pointaverage; however, each college selects an outstanding student tohonor at commencement (see below).18 General Information John F. KenneDy UnIverSIty