Graduating Students Information

Degrees are awarded three times a year: January, May and August.

Commencement exercises are held in the spring. Undergraduate and graduate students may participate in the ceremony provided that:

1. They have completed all requirements for their degree or are within 6–8 credits (two courses) of their degree;
2. If they have credits to complete, they are enrolled in summer courses; and
3. They have a minimum 2.00 grade point average.

Although faculty advisers assist each student in the selection of courses, the responsibility for fulfilling the requirements of the program and all Quinnipiac University program and departmental academic requirements of study rests with the individual student.

For the Bachelor’s Degree

1. The satisfactory completion of at least 120 credits, of which the final 25% must be taken at Quinnipiac University. (Certain majors require the completion of more than 120 credits; see specific program requirements.)
2. Completion of the University Curriculum common to all bachelor’s degree programs.
3. The satisfactory completion of the specific course standards and requirements of a student’s chosen major (see curriculum descriptions).
4. A grade point average of at least 2.00 and any other GPA requirements imposed by the school, department or program. GPAs are not rounded; they are truncated at the hundredths place.
5. Up to 6 credits of pass/fail fitness, leisure and wellness (FLW) courses may be applied toward the degree requirement.

Majors

A student’s major must be approved in advance by the department chair or program director (if applicable), and the student must follow the prescribed course of study leading to the completion of this major.

Co-Majors

A co-major is a program that is not meant to be a stand-alone program but must be taken in conjunction with another major program.

Double Majors

A student may request to major in two areas of study. The student must fulfill all department requirements in both areas and complete all school requirements. The student receives one diploma if the degrees awarded are the same type. Those earning both a bachelor of science and a bachelor of arts degree will receive two diplomas. A maximum of 12 credits may be used to fulfill the foundational/core and/or elective requirements for two majors. This maximum excludes mathematics and/or science requirements for the major, as well as any required school core or University Curriculum courses. No courses may be triple counted across three majors. The catalog lists all the policies and requirements for majors, including cases where a major allows for fewer than 12 credits to double count with another major.

Double Degrees

A student may earn two undergraduate degrees of different types (e.g., bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, bachelor of fine arts) provided that:

1. All requirements for each degree are completed successfully, and concurrently
2. All pertinent requirements of Quinnipiac and of the departments and schools involved are completed successfully, and
3. Both degrees are conferred concurrently.

Second Degree

A second bachelor’s degree may be earned, provided a minimum of 45 additional credits in residence have been earned, and all requirements have been satisfied.

Dual-Degree and Accelerated Dual-Degree Programs

A student may apply to a dual-degree program or accelerated dual-degree program, which allows the student to receive both an undergraduate and graduate degree. The student must fulfill all requirements of both degrees and while some of the classes may be taken concurrently, most work is completed sequentially. The student will receive one undergraduate diploma and one graduate diploma. In the accelerated dual-degree program, both degrees are completed in a shorter period of time than if the student attended each degree program separately. To complete the degrees in the compressed time period, it may be required for the student to take some courses over the summer and January terms.

Posthumous and In Memoriam Degrees

The conferral of Posthumous and In Memoriam degrees provides a means by which Quinnipiac can honor students whose education at Quinnipiac was tragically halted due to an untimely death, while at the same time upholding the requirements of integrity in the award of academic degrees.

Posthumous degrees can be awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student who was in academic good standing when they passed away during the last semester of their degree program at Quinnipiac. If the deceased student had completed sufficient work in order to be awarded course grades for their final semester, the student will be issued either the grade for which they were eligible at the time of their death or a passing grade. Grade determinations are made following discussion with the faculty member teaching the course in question and are approved by the school dean. If the deceased student had not completed sufficient coursework to be issued a passing grade, course substitutions permitting the completion of the degree will be approved and implemented via the variant procedure process. Posthumous degrees are regular degrees included in the official count of degrees and thus are awarded with an official diploma. Hence any Latin Honors for which the deceased student was eligible will be conferred.

In Memoriam degrees can be awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student whose death occurred prior to the student’s last semester in their degree program. The In Memoriam degree honors a deceased student’s progress toward a degree, but is not included in the official count of degrees. To be eligible for the In Memoriam degree, at the time the student’s studies at Quinnipiac were halted due to an illness or accident leading to death, a deceased student must have been: 1) enrolled in classes in the current term or the most recent fall or spring term; and 2) in good academic standing. For any courses the student was enrolled in at the time of their death, the student will be issued either the grades they earned if sufficient coursework had been completed, or grades of W. The In Memoriam degree is awarded with a distinct document that affirms the student’s good academic standing and progress toward a degree. Latin Honors are not applicable.