Graduate School Graduation Policy

All students must apply for graduation in CheckMarq by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. Graduation deadlines are scheduled well in advance of the date of Commencement to allow time for student academic audits and for printing diplomas, graduation invitations and program booklets.

The awarding of a degree or certificate is contingent upon students' successful completion of all program requirements prior to the date of graduation. Participation in commencement does not mean a student has graduated. A cumulative grade point average of 3.000 or above is also required to graduate. Any exceptions to the total credits and minimum grade point average requirements for any degree and/or certificate must be approved by the provost. When students fail to graduate at the time originally anticipated, they must reapply online for the next graduation before the appropriate deadline stated in the Academic Calendar.

Students who have completed all of their degree or certificate requirements prior to a specific graduation date, but who have missed the graduation application deadline, may request a letter from the Graduate School certifying the completion of their program; however, in order for degrees to be conferred, students must still apply for graduation and the diploma reflects the next graduation date. Furthermore, the university reserves the right to graduate students without a graduation application on file, once all degree requirements are complete.

GRADUATION RECORD

The academic record of students is frozen once the degree is posted and may not be altered thereafter, unless required to do so by law and/or an egregious error is discovered after the posting. This includes, but is not limited to: all relevant grade point averages, grades, additional information relating to the degree(s), specialization(s) and academic censure.

POLICY GOVERNING GRADUATION DATES

Marquette University offers graduation on a weekly basis during the summer months and on a monthly basis during the academic year. However, each college/school may develop a policy that guides the implementation of this process for students in that college/school. This statement addresses the policy as implemented by the Graduate School.

The Graduate School implemented only specific additional graduation dates, and then only for students in specific academic disciplines. The additional graduation dates are used to accommodate students who are earning or earned a professional certificate issued by an agency other than Marquette University. This includes Wisconsin teaching licensure, the licensure in counseling psychology or psychology doctoral programs, and the programs in orthodontics, endodontics, and prosthodontics issued by the American Dental Association.

All graduate students other than those listed in the paragraph above are restricted to graduating in May, August or December of each year according to the Academic Calendar. In addition to these three regular graduations, the following additional graduation cycles are in effect for the groups of students specified:

• Last Friday of June – Utilized specifically for students in educational policy and leadership who are completing their student teaching, where the student teaching requirement is the final requirement necessary for graduation. This applies to master’s degree and certificate students. Master’s students in school counseling and clinical mental health counseling who are finishing internship requirements are also allowed to avail themselves of this graduation. Additionally, graduate dental students earning their master’s degree in orthodontics, endodontics, or prosthodontics may be eligible for this graduation date on an exception basis, if they fail to meet the May graduation deadline for approval of the thesis.
  • For educational policy and leadership, school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and graduate dental students, applications for June graduation must be submitted by the deadline for May graduation.
  • Graduate dental students must submit an approved thesis and all other graduation requirements no later than June 1.
• Last working day of September – Available for clinical psychology and counseling psychology doctoral students who complete their pre-doctoral internship and/or their dissertation defense and dissertation submission after the deadlines established for the August graduation, but before the September graduation deadline. Students are responsible to apply for September graduation, and to complete all graduation requirements, no later than the last working day of August.
• Last working day of October – Available for clinical psychology and counseling psychology doctoral students who complete their pre-doctoral internship and/or their dissertation defense and dissertation submission after the deadlines established for the September graduation, but before the October graduation deadline. Students are responsible to apply for October graduation, and to complete all graduation requirements, no later than the last working day of September.
• Last working day of January – Available for clinical psychology doctoral students who complete their pre-doctoral internship and/or their dissertation defense and dissertation submission after the deadlines established for the December graduation, but before the January graduation deadline. In addition, this deadline is available for students in educational policy and leadership who are completing their student teaching, where the student teaching requirement is the final requirement necessary for graduation. This applies to master’s degree and certificate students.
  • Students in clinical psychology are responsible to apply for January graduation and to complete all graduation requirements no later than the last working day of December.
• Last working day of February – Available for clinical psychology doctoral students who complete their pre-doctoral internship and/or their dissertation defense and dissertation submission after the deadlines established for the January graduation, but before the February graduation deadline. Students are responsible to apply for February graduation, and to complete all graduation requirements, no later than the last working day of January.
  • Students in educational policy and leadership are responsible to apply for February graduation no later than the last working day of January.

Students who miss the deadlines for October or February graduation must wait until the following December or May to graduate, and in such cases are responsible to meet the established deadlines for those graduation cycles.

In exceptional cases, students enrolled in other graduate programs not explicitly covered in the above policy may also be permitted to graduate during the additional graduation cycles providing that these students apply to graduate, have the support of their department, and the Graduate School approves of their inclusion in the alternate cycle.