Faculty advisors and the Academic Affairs Office assist students in planning a course of study which will fulfill the requirements for graduation; however, the ultimate responsibility for fulfillment of requirements lies with the individual student. Each student completes a graduation contract and submits the contract with all the necessary signatures to the Registrar's Office for an audit of the student's degree requirements. Deadlines for receipt of this contract are December 30 of the prior year for December graduates, May 30 of the prior year for May graduates, and September 15 of the prior year for summer graduates. Regularly enrolled students who fail to submit the completed graduation contract by the deadline will be charged a late fee. Any changes to a previously approved graduation audit must be submitted to and approved by the advisor and the Registrar. Courses to be counted for graduation in a particular major, including those listed for the minor or the contextual and support area (if one is in the student's program), must be approved in writing by the chairperson of that department before the Registrar certifies that graduation requirements have been met. Any exceptions to the requirements listed in the applicable catalog will be documented by Course Substitution Forms signed by the advisor and the department chair and submitted to the Registrar. For interdisciplinary majors, all involved departments will approve graduation audits as above.
The graduation contract includes a request that a diploma be ordered in the name indicated on the contract. Should the student be unable to use this diploma, either by reason of change of name through marriage or by delay in completing degree requirements, an additional charge will be made to cover costs of a new diploma. The following are college-wide requirements for graduation:
- Completion of 120 semester hours for the B.A. and B.F.A. degrees or 124 semester hours for the B.S. degree. (Some programs have specific requirements necessitating the completion of more than 120 or 124 semester hours.) If a student is a double major in a B.A. program and a B.S. program, two diplomas will be awarded.
- Achievement of a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0, based on a 4.0 scale. Also, a GPA of 2.0 must be achieved in the major and minor at Emory & Henry. Students in teacher preparation programs must achieve a GPA of 2.5 overall, and 2.5 in the major and the contextual and support area at Emory & Henry. If a course is repeated, only the higher grade is used in computing the GPA.
- Completion of Core Curriculum requirements, core courses, competencies, and disciplinary courses, listed below.
- Completion of an approved major. Requirements for the major, and for the minor or contextual and support area, if included in the student's program, are determined by the catalog in effect at the time of the student's initial enrollment. With an advisor's approval, a student may elect to follow the requirements in any subsequent catalog by notifying the Registrar's Office in writing of that change.
- Attendance at Lyceum programs. All students who are enrolled in a degree program are required to participate in the college Lyceum program as described in a subsequent section of this catalog.
- Fulfillment of a minimum residency requirement of the final 33 semester hours at Emory & Henry, half of the required courses in the major, half of the required courses in the minor or contextual and support area (if one is included in the student's major), and the CORE 200 and CORE 300 courses. Exceptions must be approved by the Provost.
- Payment of all college charges, including graduation fee during final semester of enrollment; freedom from disciplinary sanctions; and attendance at Commencement exercises.
While, as appropriate, a single course may meet a competency requirement, a study abroad requirement, and a major, minor, or contextual and support area requirement, a single course may not be counted as meeting more than one major, minor, or contextual and support area requirement. When courses required by majors, minors, and/or contextual and support areas overlap, the appropriate program director will choose substitute courses. In some cases, certain courses (as noted in their descriptions) may satisfy the requirements for two core curriculum categories. Students may return to the college to complete or add to their academic programs. Students who return within ten years of their first enrollment may complete the graduation requirements listed in the catalog under which they entered, provided that the requirements for the major are approved by the appropriate department. Students who return ten or more years after their first enrollment must complete the graduation requirements of the current catalog. Exceptions must be approved by the Academic Standards Committee.
Students who have been awarded an Emory & Henry baccalaureate degree (B.A. or B.S.) may return to earn a second major within that degree at the college. Upon completion of the requirements, which must include a minimum of an additional 30 semester hours completed at Emory & Henry, the second major in the B.A. or B.S. will be entered on the student's record and transcript; however, no new diploma will be awarded. If a student returns for a second degree (B.A. or B.S.), a minimum of an additional 30 semester hours of work selected in consultation with an academic advisor is required; a new diploma will be awarded.
A student with a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university other than Emory & Henry College may enroll at Emory & Henry to complete a second degree by satisfying the course requirements for the chosen major, plus a CORE 300 course. A minimum of thirty semester hours must be earned at Emory & Henry College. No more than one-half of the semester hours in the major may be accepted as transfer credits, and no transfer credit may be substituted for the CORE 300 requirement.