Degrees & Graduation

University faculty/advisors/staff play an important role in guiding students to degree completion. Learn about the tools available to you for reviewing degree requirements and and the degree clearance process including its associated deadlines.  Also, learn more about the commencement ceremony and the availability of diplomas. This is our opportunity to show our students how much we value their accomplishments.

Degree Requirements

General Catalog

The general catalog contains detailed program and university degree requirement information.

 

MyDegrees

MyDegrees is a degree planning and clearance tool for students and advisors.  The degree checklist and academic planner are tools for advisors to use in helping students plan their schedules and to clear degree requirements for pending graduates. From the beginning of their academic career at OSU students should be using this sytem to plan their enrollment and monitor their progress.

Faculty/staff click this MyDegrees link, login to the onine services, choose a term, identify a student, and you will be taken directly to MyDegrees to see the information for the student chosen.

Detailed information about this system is provided in the Intro to MyDegrees documentation provided to assist faculty & staff in the use of this sytem.

Also, view the OSU MyDegrees site for further information about the functionality of this system.

 

Updating MyDegrees

If you identify anything in your department’s program requirements, as they are enforced in MyDegrees, that need require an adjustment, report them via the MyDegrees Sharepoint reporting tool for your academic college. If you are unable to access this site please email the Office of the Registrar for assistance.

The Office of the Registrar receives notification of curricular changes that are approved via the curricular proposal system and will automatically make adjustments to your departments program requirements based on these notifications.

Degree Clearance

Application for Graduation

Students do not automatically get evaluated for graduation. They must apply for graduation. They can apply via the online application for graduation avaible from their Online Services. It is recommended that students apply for graduation three terms prior to the term in which they intend to complete their degree requirements. Applications must be submitted no later than the end of the second week of the term in which the student plans to complete degree requirements

 

Double Degrees, Dual Majors, Honors Degrees, Certificates

According to Academic Regulations 26 a student may earn two or more degrees simultaneously. A student must complete a minimum of 32 credits above the minimum number of credits needed for one of the degrees. Students may also earn two or more majors within a single degree program, per Academic Regulations 27. Students completing the honors college curriculum receive a honors degree in the college of their major, e.g. HBS Honors Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, or HBA Honors Bachelor of Arts in English.

 

Advisor & Registrar Roles in Degree Clearance

The Office of the Registrar monitors institutional requirements as defined in Academic Regulation 25, while the academic college and departmental advisors monitor baccalaureate core, college, major, option, and minor requirements.

 

Degree Clearance Timeline

Degree clearance deadlines, reports are produced, communications are sent, degrees are awarded, and more.

 

MyDegrees Exceptions Access Policy

Individuals with the authority to make exceptions for students in MyDegrees should familiarize themselves with the terms of our exceptions policy.

Application for Graduation

Applications for graduation are submitted via Online Services to the Office of the Registrar. They may be filed up to three terms before the expected graduation term so progress can be monitored each term. However, applications must be submitted no later than the end of the second week of the term in which the student plans to complete degree requirements.

 

To submit an application for graduation:

    1) The student should login to their Online Services
    2) Enter the Student Records menu
    3) Choose Apply for Graduation
    4) The application will display their existing curriculum. If this curriculum is not the curriculum with which they intend to graduate, they should; stop, exit the application, and change their program before returning to complete the application.

 

From this same Student Records menu they may also view existing applications for graduation, cancel an existing application for graduation, and confirm their intention to attend commencement.

 

Please keep the following in mind when advising for the use of the online application for graduation:

    1) Undergraduates must be of senior standing before being eligible to submit an application.
    2) Students who wish to change graduation dates or program information after the first application must cancel their existing application for graduation and file an new application in accordance with the stated deadline.
    3) Students receiving more than two degrees will need to contact the Registrar’s office for assistance.
    4) Students should make all necessary changes to their program prior to submitting an application for graduation. In the interest of providing accurate degree audits, it is imperative that the curriculum under which the student applies for graduation accurately reflects their educational goals.

Double Degrees, Dual Majors, Honors Degrees, Certificates

Double Degrees

A student may earn multiple degrees simultaneously. Additional degrees may also be earned subsequent to a prior degree award. The degrees may be offered by the same college, or by different colleges. For each additional degree, a student must complete a minimum of 32 credits above the minimum number of credits needed for one degree. Each degree application is reviewed by the appropriate academic advisor. Advisors complete a separate graduation audit for each of the degrees. Each degree awarded will be recorded as a separate degree award on the student’s record. The student will also receive a separate diploma for each degree awarded (See Academic Regulations 26).

Some programs, such as the Education Double Degree or the International Degree, require that a primary degree be completed in order for the secondary degree to be awarded. When multiple degrees are not dependent on one another, one of the degrees may be awarded even though the requirements for the other degree is not yet met.

 

Dual (or Multiple) Majors

Though less common, a student may receive a single degree with multiple majors.  Often the number of credits required to complete the requirements for multiple majors allows a student to earn multiple degrees, but that is not always the case. Dual majors are most often obtained within the same college. The degree requirements for both majors are reviewed by your advisor.

When the degree is awarded there will be one degree award with two majors recorded on the student’s record.  The student will receive one diploma. Dual majors may be obtained concurrently with the completion of the degree, or in some cases may be earned as a credential subsequent to completion of the degree (See Academic Regulations 27).

 

Honors Degrees

Students completing the honors college curriculum receive an honors degree in the college of their major, e.g. HBS Honors Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, or HBA Honors Bachelor of Arts in English. In some cases it might be possible for an Honors College student to earn multiple degrees simultaneously, each of which would be recorded as an Honors degree.

Students seeking an honors degree must meet the requirements of the Honors College in order to receive their degree. Students that complete an Honors degree will have the honors degree recorded on their academic record. The student’s diploma will also include the honors degree designation (e.g. Honors Bachelor of Science, etc…).

 

Certificates

Students completing a certificate concurrently with their major must apply for graduation twice – one graduation application for the major and another graduation application for the certificate.

When the certificate is awarded, it will be recorded on the student’s transcript.

Advisor & Registrar Roles

The Advisor Role

  • Select Students by Graduation term
  • Review audit for Accuracy and completeness
  • Notify Students if curriculum change is needed (i.e. add a minor)
  • Create Substitutions and exceptions for Major, Option, Minor or Bacc Core for area of responsibility
  • Create Checklist Notes for Registrars (DEGR1, DEGR2, DEGR3)
  • Goal is completed Degree Checklist Intro to MyDegrees documentation is available to assist you in the use of the sytem.

 

The Registrar Role

  • Select students by Graduation Term
  • Review University Degree  Requirements
  • Review Checklist Notes from Advisors (DEGR1, DEGR2, DEGR3)
  • Clear exceptions as necessary
  • Re-run Degree Audits for most current Degree Checklist without current or future registration.
  • Review Audits for completeness and Checklist Notes from Advisors
  • Communicate progress to students:
    • Email ONID account with information about the clearance process and any existing deficiencies.
    • Deficiencies that would prevent the awarding of the degree will be recorded as a graduation hold which is visible via Online Services.
  • Produce PDF of Final Audit for storage in NOLIJ
  • Award Degrees

Degree Clearance Timeline

Week of Term

Processes

Reports

Communication

Communication

One week prior to start of term

New audits are run for pending graduates

 

Registrar’s sends notification of insufficient institutional deficiencies to student (OSU Residency, DFL, Overal Credits, Upper Division)

 

3rd week

Run new audits for pending graduates

Report for current pending graduates is sent to the head advisor of each college,

 

 

 

8th week

Run new audits for pending graduates

Report for current pending graduates is sent to the head advisor of each college.

 

 

 

10th week

Run new audits for pending graduates

 

Registrar’s Office sends notification of degree deficiencies (majors, minors, option, & institutional deficiencies)

 

End of Degree Process

Award degrees to 100% complete students

 

send notices of congratulations to graduated students

send cancellation notices to students that did not graduate (includes specific deficiencies)

 

If requirements aren’t met.

Any unmet requirements indicated on the degree audit must be resolved prior to a degree being awarded. In the event that a student is unable to graduate at the end of the term for which you have applied they should be directed to cancel their existing application for graduation and submit a new application for the future term in which they will complete their requirements.

 

When will degrees be awarded?

Degree clearance requires approximately 4 weeks after the conclusion of the term. When degrees are awarded they will be posted to student transcripts where they may view it. Also, the Office of the Registrar will send a notice of congratulation to the student ONID email address once the degree is awarded. It is the responsibility of the student to confirm their degree award.

MyDegrees Exceptions Access Policy

MyDegrees allows a user who has exception privileges to apply exceptions to a Students audit to clear degree requirements.  These exceptions are part of the audit trail of the degree clearance process.  The product does not have a relationship built between Advisor/Faculty and Student and the types of exceptions that an Advisor/Faculty may apply to a student’s audit.  The User with exception privileges has a responsibility to apply exceptions only  to students assigned to the user’s departmental real of study.  Exceptions are not to be applied to University level requirements.  University Level Requirements are the responsibility of the Registrars to review and apply exceptions as necessary. 

No exceptions are to be applied outside of the users of the departmental responsibilities or to University level requirements.  Users who use their exceptions privileges inappropriately will receive a warning and the exception reversed.  If continued violations occur, the user’s privileges for applying exceptions will be revoked.

Commencement & Diplomas

Commencement

 

 



Diplomas