A-010 Graduation and Commencement Requirements

Catalog Term

The “Catalog Term” defines the specific set of requirements (ordinarily established in the catalog for a specific year) that students must satisfy to qualify for an academic award.

  • The catalog term is the term students begin pursuing their program of study.
  • Having more than one major can result in multiple catalog terms.
  • Students are eligible to change to a more recent catalog term for their major, minor, or certificates if it is to their benefit and if they had been enrolled during that term.
  • Minor requirements will be evaluated based on their major catalog term and can be changed to any catalog meeting the seven-year requirement rule.
  • Certificate requirements will be evaluated based on the catalog term students begin pursuing the certificate.

Degree Requirements

The requirements for obtaining a degree from Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) shall include the following.

General Undergraduate Requirements

For both Associate and Baccalaureate degree programs, students must complete the following:

  1. Comply with the following degree check procedure.
    1. Completion of the degree check no later than the first day of the semester prior to graduation. Degree check forms must be signed by the student, student’s advisor, and the appropriate department, and returned to the Registration and Records office.
    2. Application for graduation completed and submitted with the advisor degree check form. The Registration and Records office shall be responsible for establishing that degree requirements have been completed.
    3. Satisfaction of all financial and library obligations to the University before the end of the student’s final semester.
  2. Select the degree designation of choice when the student has completed two or more majors under different degree designations.

Be approved by the Faculty Assembly for graduation with the degree sought.

Associate Degree Program

For the Associate Degree program, students must successfully complete the following:

  1. A minimum of 60 semester credit hours
  2. A minimum of 20 of the final 30 semester credit hours at SMSU.
  3. The requirements for an approved Associate Degree program.
  4. All coursework with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 for courses taken at SMSU.
  5. Students may qualify for graduation under the graduation requirements of any term in which they have been a degree-seeking student, provided the catalog listing the requirements went into effect not more than seven years prior to the year of graduation.

In addition: No more than 10 semester credit hours of credit/no credit (CR/NC) courses shall be counted toward graduation.

Students have the right to petition degree requirements except for the total graduation credit requirement and the cumulative GPA required for a degree.

Baccalaureate Degree Programs

For the Baccalaureate Degree programs, students must successfully complete the following:

  1. A minimum of 120 semester credit hours
  2. A minimum of 30 semester credit hours at SMSU
  3. A minimum of 40 semester credit hours at the 300- or 400-level (upper-division credits) from an accredited institution. No substitution of lower-division credits for upper-level division credits for purposes of fulfilling this requirement is allowed.
  4. The requirements for an approved major, of which a minimum of 18 semester credit hours must be taken at SMSU
  5. The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) with a cumulative SMSU grade point average (GPA) of 2.00.
  6. All coursework with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 for courses taken while in residence at (completed through) SMSU.
  7. Students may qualify for graduation under the graduation requirements of any term in which they have been a degree-seeking student, provided that the catalog listing the requirements went into effect not more than seven years prior to the year of graduation.

Additionally, no more than 20 semester credit hours of credit/no credit (CR/NC) courses shall be counted toward graduation for BA and BS degree programs, and no more than 10 for BAS degree programs.

Students have the right to petition degree requirements except for the total graduation credit requirement, the upper-division credit requirement, and the cumulative GPA.

Second Baccalaureate Degree

For graduates seeking a second Baccalaureate degree, students must complete the following:

  1. A different degree from the previous (BA to BS, BS to BA, or BAS to BA).
  2. All major, MnTC, and associated graduation requirements for the second degree.
  3. An additional 30 semester credit hours at SMSU.

Master's Degree Programs

For the Master's Degree programs, students must have successfully completed the following:

  1. A minimum of 30 semester credit hours as set by the graduate program.
  2. A minimum of 24 semester credit hours must be taken while in residence at SMSU. No more than 9 semester credit hours may be transferred into a SMSU Graduate program. Individual programs may allow less than 9.
  3. All coursework with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 for courses taken while in residence at SMSU.
  4. All credits earned toward the program must be completed within 7 years.

Graduate students have the right to petition degree requirements except for the total graduation credit requirement and the cumulative GPA.

Education Specialist

For the Education Specialist Degree program, students must have successfully completed the following:

  1. The course requirements for the program
  2. All coursework with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 for courses taken while in residence at SMSU.
  3. All credits earned toward the program must be completed within 7 years.

Posthumous Degrees

A degree may be awarded posthumously if the following conditions are met:

  1. The student was in good academic standing.
  2. The student was currently enrolled at SMSU or on an approved leave.
  3. The student had completed 90 undergraduate credits, with a minimum of 24 SMSU credits for a baccalaureate degree, or 25 credits with a minimum of 12 SMSU credits for a graduate degree.

Requests for consideration should be submitted to the Registrar to review for eligibility. If all qualifications are met, the Faculty Assembly will consider the request. Assembly approval will be submitted to the President for final approval.  

Conferring Degrees

Associate, baccalaureate, master, and educational specialist degrees shall be conferred by the University three times a year. The designated times shall be the end of the fall, spring, and summer terms.

Completion of graduation requirements includes completion of an approved major, completion of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00, a cumulative GPA of 2.0, completion of the degree check process, completion of the application for graduation, and satisfaction of all financial obligations to SMSU.

Conferring of degrees is an official act by the University signifying that the student has completed all requirements for graduation and has been recommended by the faculty at Faculty Assembly for a degree according to curricula.

Commencement Requirements

Commencement is a ceremony during which graduates and candidates for graduation are publicly recognized. The Commencement ceremony shall be held annually at the conclusion of the spring term.

Candidates for Commencement are those who have completed graduation requirements as stated in this policy and who have 15 or fewer credits to complete (undergraduate degree) or 9 or fewer credits to complete (graduate degree).

Candidates will participate in the Commencement ceremony during the academic year in which they complete all coursework. (The academic year is defined as the Fall Semester, Spring Semester, and Summer Session. For example, the 25-26 Academic Year is comprised of the Fall 2025 semester, Spring 2026 semester, and 2026 Summer Session.)

Candidates must clear all university holds and financial obligations prior to participating in Commencement.

Candidates for graduation who qualify for an exception may choose to participate in Commencement under this exception or the Commencement immediately following their graduation but not more than once.

Students have a right to petition the credit requirement to participate in commencement.

Related Documents

Board Policy 3.36, “Academic Programs”
System Procedure 3.36.1, “Academic Programs”

Policy History

Date of Adoption: April 29, 1977
Date of Revision: April 21, 2025

Date and Subject of Amendments

4/21/2025 – Combined policies A-010, “Graduation” and A-011, “Commencement,” updated graduation requirements for master’s programs, and clarified commencement requirements.

Note: While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, SMSU reserves the right to correct any clerical errors herein. Also, you can submit feedback.