General Catalog - John F. Kennedy University

General InformationOther InformationGraduation 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 oneof the graduation requirements.) Degrees and certificates arenever backdated. A commencement ceremony is held each June tohonor students who have completed degree, certificate, or credentialprogram requirements during the academic year or who willbe 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 file a Petitionfor Degree or Petition for Certificate form to the registrar’s officeaccompanied by the appropriate non-refundable fee. Petitionsmust be on file before a degree or certificate will be awarded.Petition deadlines for all programs except Doctor of Psychologyare January 15 for June and September graduation; July 15 forDecember graduation; October 15 for March graduation. Thepetition deadline for the PsyD program is February 15 of the yearprior to beginning the internships.Review of Student RecordsUpon receipt of the petition, the registrar’s office will review thestudent’s records and notify the student of any remaining requirementsto be completed for the degree or certificate.Awarding of the Degree or CertificateAt the end of the quarter/semester of anticipated completion, asstated on the petition, the student’s records will be reviewed toverify completion of all requirements. If all requirements havebeen completed, the awarding of the degree or certificate willbe posted on the transcript and the student notified. Degreesor certificates will be dated as of the Monday after the last dayof the quarter/semester in which all requirements have been met.Students who have not fulfilled all requirements will be notified.Diplomas or CertificatesDiplomas or certificates are printed after all requirements havebeen completed and the degree or certificate has been postedon the transcript. They are mailed to the address of recordapproximately three months after the degree or certificate hasbeen awarded. Diplomas and certificates are printed using thestudent’s legal name on record. Students wishing a different nameon their diploma or certificate must file an official name changewith the registrar’s office prior to the issuance of the diploma orcertificate.Petition for Credential ProgramsA student must apply for credential program completion certificationby submitting a Petition for Credential Program CompletionCertification form to the registrar’s office and paying the appropriatefee. Petition deadlines are January 15 for June or Septembercompletion, July 15 for December completion, and October 15 forMarch completion. Upon receipt of the petition, the registrar’soffice will forward it to the credential analyst in the university’sdepartment of education.At the end of the quarter of anticipated completion as stated on thepetition, the credential analyst will review the student’s records.If all requirements as stated in this catalog have been completed,with the approval of faculty and the department chair, the studentis recommended to the California Commission on TeacherCredentialing for the credential. The credential analyst will alsonotify the registrar’s office that credential program completionshould be noted on the student’s transcript.Recognition of Academic HonorsUndergraduate StudentsStudents who demonstrate exceptionally high academic scoresare eligible for graduation honors. Academic honors are postedto the diploma and final transcript when the student’s degree isconferred. Graduation honors are based upon all courses appliedtoward the bachelor’s degree and are determined according to thefollowing table:HonorMinimum GPA________________________________________________________________Summa Cum Laude 3.85+________________________________________________________________Magna Cum Laude 3.75–3.849________________________________________________________________Cum 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 asthe grade-point average of courses in the major program, must be3.60 or higher.Graduate StudentsGraduate students do not receive honors based on grade-pointaverage; however, each school selects an outstanding student tohonor at commencement (see below).Graduation with Honors for the School of LawStudents who have completed their degree requirements, havecompleted at least 39 of the 56 required numerically graded unitsin residence at the School of Law, and who have taken no morethan 17 terms (including summers) to complete their degreerequirements are eligible for graduation with honors as follows:HonorMinimum GPA________________________________________________________________Summa Cum Laude 88+________________________________________________________________Magna Cum Laude 85–87.99________________________________________________________________Cum Laude 83–84.99Academic honors will be posted on the students’ transcripts anddiplomas.Commencement CeremonyThe ceremonial recognition of graduation is a very specialoccasion at the university. Graduating students and prospectivegraduates who meet the requirements listed in the policiesbelow are encouraged to participate in this June event. Students16 General InformationJohn F. Kennedy University