/Institutions/Lander-University/json/Current/Undergraduate-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/Lander-University/json/Current/Undergraduate-Catalog.json

Graduation

Application for Degree
Students are eligible to apply for a degree if all degree requirements are completed by the end of the semester in which they are applying to graduate. A candidate for a degree must file a Request for Graduation form with the Office of the Registrar and complete the online graduation application in MyLander by the date published in the current catalog. An application for a degree is not complete until the student has paid the graduation fee. Graduation fees cover a student’s cap, gown, and diploma. Graduating students with physical disabilities are expected to communicate with the Office of the Registrar regarding accommodations needed for their participation in the commencement ceremony upon submission of their application. If a student's graduation plans change, academically or personally, the student must reapply for graduation during the next anticipated term of graduation and pay the graduation fee. Students who apply to graduate in August and who complete all requirements receive their diploma in August and are automatically included in the following December ceremony.

Participation in Commencement Ceremony
Student participation in the commencement ceremony is allowed if
• the student has filed a Request for Graduation form with the Office of the Registrar and has completed the online graduation application in MyLander for the specific commencement ceremony, and
• the student has completed all degree requirements during the semester of graduation (August graduates may participate in the December commencement ceremony).

An official or unofficial withdrawal of all classes during the graduation semester will disqualify participation.
Any other conditions that disqualify a student from participation in the commencement ceremony may be appealed.

Transfer credits during the semester of graduation - Students may not take coursework at another institution during their term of graduation. All coursework from other institutions must be received and posted prior to the semester of their graduation from Lander University. Students bear the responsibility of requesting their transcripts to be sent to the Office of the Registrar.

Posthumous Degrees - Enrolled undergraduate and graduate students whose untimely death prevents degree completion may be awarded a posthumous degree. The award of a posthumous degree may be an appropriate recognition of a student’s academic achievement when that student’s progress would have likely fulfilled the requirements of a degree except for the occurrence of death. Posthumous degrees may be awarded to the deceased students at the discretion of the appropriate college dean and the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and with the consent of the deceased student’s family under the following conditions:
1. When a student death occurs after ALL requirements for the awarding of the degree have been completed; or
2. When a student death occurs at a time when the student is enrolled in courses that would complete the degree requirements and that student otherwise has met all university, college and department requirements and is in good financial standing with the university.

If the University approves awarding of the degree posthumously, the Office of the Registrar will place the student’s name on the appropriate degree list. The diploma and a copy of the commencement program will be released to the family. Upon posting the degree, the transcript will be annotated to indicate that the degree was awarded posthumously.

The family may wish to have someone attend the commencement ceremony and receive the student’s diploma. These arrangements should be made with the University through the Office of the Registrar prior to the commencement date. If the person representing the student wishes to participate in the commencement ceremony and receive the diploma, the reader for the ceremony will announce his/her name as follows: “Jane Doe on behalf of Robert Jones”.

Awarding Major Program Honors - Students can earn undergraduate Honors in any major as long as the following conditions are met:
• the student is pursuing an undergraduate degree;
• the student meets all of the major honors conditions set forth in the Catalog that is current at the time the student graduates;
• the dean of the college of the student’s major provides initial notification in writing to the Office of the Registrar that the student is eligible for major honors within the first month of the graduation semester;
• the dean of the college of the student’s major provides final notification in writing to the Office of the Registrar that the student has earned major honors no later than the semester day and time deadline for final grades for the anticipated term of graduation.

Given the above, the Honors student’s transcript will be notated as follows: “Graduated with Honors in “(student’s major)”.

Graduation Honors
Honors recognized at commencement are based on the cumulative Lander University GPA that the student has earned at the end of the graduation term. Students must have earned at least 60 credit hours at Lander University to be eligible for any academic honor. Graduation honors are not awarded to graduate-level students. Students who are granted academic renewal are disqualified for graduation with honors. Summer graduates will be recognized for honors in the December ceremony.

Golden L Award - Awarded to students who have earned a cumulative GPA of at least 3.500 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate work through Lander University. Coursework graded on a “Pass/Fail” scale may not be used to meet the required hours or to meet the GPA requirement. Should hours be drawn from part of a semester’s work, the GPA hours from the course(s) with the highest grades from that semester, regardless of the hours earned in the course(s), will be used for the calculation.

Latin Designations – All coursework taken at Lander University will be included in the calculation of the GPA for graduation with honors and students must have earned at least 60 credit hours at Lander University to be eligible for Latin Honors.

The required average for the respective honor is as follows:
Summa Cum Laude - A cumulative GPA of 3.90 4.00; will receive a silver and gold honor cord
Magna Cum Laude - A cumulative GPA of 3.75 3.89; will receive a gold honor cord
Cum Laude - A cumulative GPA of 3.50 3.74; will receive a silver honor cord
4.0 Medalists – Awarded to students who graduate with a 4.0 cumulative Lander University GPA given that the student has earned at least 60 credit hours at Lander University. Students will receive a gold medallion on a white ribbon to wear at the ceremony.
The Thayer Award – Given to the student graduating with the highest cumulative Lander University GPA, given that the GPA is at least 3.75 and that the student has earned at least 60 credit hours at Lander University. If more than one student is qualified, the student with the most earned hours of credit at Lander University will be the recipient.

The Office of the Registrar will have the above-mentioned cords and medallions available for graduates at the ceremony during line-up.