Graduation Requirements
To earn a baccalaureate degree, a student must do the following:
Complete 124 semester hours, with at least 62 hours outside the subject area of the major, (unless the student is pursuing a major accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music or by the Pennsylvania Department of Education which explicitly mandates more credit in a particular department). ‘Subject area’ is defined as the subject code listed in the course catalog,
Satisfy major requirements,
Fulfill all sections of the university Central Curriculum,
Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (C average) or better for all courses attempted at Susquehanna and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (C average) for all courses in the major, unless the department has a higher standard (unless otherwise indicated in the departmental listings, every course applied to the major will be included in the major GPA calculation),
Satisfy the university residence requirement, and
Have program approval from his or her academic advisor and the Office of the Registrar.
Each student is responsible for ensuring the completion of all degree requirements. The university provides an automated degree audit program to help students chart their progress toward graduation and recommends that students periodically check their records and immediately bring any questions or concerns to the Office of the Registrar.
Commencement
Candidates must declare their anticipated graduation date at least two semesters before they intend to graduate. The university holds one commencement ceremony in May of each academic year and expects graduating seniors to attend to receive their degrees. Susquehanna will award degrees in absentia only on approval of a written request addressed to the provost.
Students who are within eight semester hours of completing all requirements for graduation and who are in good academic standing are permitted to participate in commencement prior to completion of those requirements. Students who meet these qualifications should contact the Office of the Registrar by the end of February to confirm their participation. Students who attend May commencement prior to completion of requirements may not participate in the Celebration of Mid-Year Graduates held the following December.
Celebration of Mid-Year Graduates
In December of each year, Susquehanna hosts a Celebration of Mid-Year Graduates for students who completed their degree requirements in August or will complete all their degree requirements in December but did not participate in the previous May commencement. Students who are eligible to participate in the Celebration of Mid-Year Graduates may return for commencement the following May.
Residence Requirement
Baccalaureate candidates must take at least 62 semester hours of their total coursework, including 24 of their last 32 semester hours and their major capstone course and any other course a major program may designate, in residence or in approved off-campus programs. At least half the courses applied to a student’s major or minor must also be taken in residence. The faculty or the Residence Waiver Committee as its designee must approve any variation from this policy.
Second Bachelor’s Degree
Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree, whether from Susquehanna or from another institution, must fulfill the following requirements if they wish to enroll at Susquehanna for a second bachelor’s degree:
Be formally admitted to the bachelor’s degree program at Susquehanna,
Complete a minimum of 32 additional semester hours in current residency at Susquehanna,
Satisfy all the current requirements for the Central Curriculum and for the chosen major, and
Complete at least half of the coursework for the major, the major capstone course and any other course a major program may designate at Susquehanna.
Any coursework that a student has taken at another college or while earning a first bachelor’s degree at Susquehanna must be approved by the appropriate department in order to be applied to the new major.
Susquehanna graduates who wish to complete a second major but who do not wish to earn a second degree need to notify the Office of the Registrar of their intention. Such students must satisfy all of the current requirements for the chosen major and must complete half of the coursework for the major at Susquehanna. Any coursework that the student has taken at another college or while earning a bachelor’s degree at Susquehanna must be approved by the appropriate department in order to be applied to the new major. After the student has completed the second major, the double major will be recorded on the transcript, but another diploma will not be issued.
Dual Degree
Students who complete two majors may be awarded both degrees if they complete a total of 156 hours of coursework. A second degree presumes not just completion of a dual major but the completion of a greater amount of coursework than would be required by one degree. The additional coursework is also needed to give the breadth that a liberal arts education should provide. Students who complete two majors and who do not wish to take a total of 156 semester hours of coursework will be awarded one bachelor’s degree.
Accelerated Degree
Most majors, with the exception of accounting, music and elementary education, adapt to Susquehanna’s accelerated degree option, which allows highly motivated students to complete degree requirements in three or three and one-half years of study. To complete an accelerated degree, students plan carefully from the beginning to do the following:
Earn exemption from some first-year courses through placement testing,
Pursue course overloads when appropriate, and
Add summer courses at modest cost.
For further details, please contact the Office of Admission.
Transcripts
The Office of the Registrar will issue official transcripts of the student’s permanent academic record upon signed request through the National Student Clearinghouse.