Degrees Awarded

The University offers the following undergraduate degrees:

Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Associate in Arts
Associate in Science

Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree

  1. Official acceptance by the Admission Office.
  2. A minimum of 120 earned semester hours.
  3. Fulfillment of the residency requirement.
  4. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00.
  5. Completion of the core curriculum requirements. (Refer to the specific core curriculum requirements.)
  6. A major satisfying the requirements of the department and minimum grade point average of 2.00 in courses required for the major. Refer to departmental requirements for majors.
  7. Integration of the specificity of the major field into the broader focus of the core curriculum.
  8. Completion of assessment courses and/or projects.
  9. A formal application for the degree must be on file in the Registrar’s Office by the application deadline specified in each semester’s or term’s Semester Policies and Procedures.
  10. Students can apply up to 9 co-op hours towards their degree; individual programs may further restrict the number of co-op hours that can apply towards a major.  
  11. No more than three documented Plus One Credits may be accumulated during pursuit of a degree.
  12. Students can apply a maximum of 4 credits total of combined ACT 175 intercollegiate sport credits to their MSJ degree. 

All of the listed degree requirements as well as fulfillment of all financial obligations to the University must be satisfied before a diploma or transcript with the degree noted can be released.

Requirements for the Associate Degree

  1. Official acceptance by the Admission Office.
  2. A minimum of 60 semester hours.
  3. Fulfillment of the residency requirement.
  4. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00.
  5. Completion of the core curriculum requirements. (Refer to the specific core curriculum requirements.)
  6. A major satisfying the requirements of the department and a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in courses required for the major. Refer to departmental requirements for majors.
  7. A formal application for the degree must be on file in the Registrar’s Office by the application deadline specified in each semester’s or term’s Semester Policies and Procedures.

All of the listed degree requirements as well as the fulfillment of all financial obligations to the University must be satisfied before a diploma or transcript with the degree noted can be released.

Graduation with Honors

The baccalaureate and associate degrees are conferred with special honors on students who have fulfilled the university residency requirement and whose final academic cumulative grade point average is 3.50 or above.  In addition to the GPA criteria, students must have completed a minimum of 42 semester hours in Mount coursework earning letter grades by the end of the final semester or term of courses/credits required for the degree. Courses earning a Pass/Fail grade or credits earned through experiential learning options do not apply toward the 42 hour minimum. Official graduation honors are noted on the student’s diploma and academic record.

The student’s cumulative grade point average and fulfillment of the residency requirements for honors (refer to preceding paragraph) determine the following distinctions:

Baccalaureate Degree
Cum Laude: 3.50-3.69
Magna Cum Laude: 3.70-3.89
Summa Cum Laude: 3.90-4.00
 
Associate Degree
With Distinction: 3.50 or above

Tentative Graduation Honors at Commencement

The May and December commencement ceremonies are held before final grades are reported by instructors. Therefore, tentative (unofficial) graduation honors are noted in the commencement program and announced at the commencement ceremony. Tentative graduation honors for purposes of the commencement ceremony are based on: 1) the applied graduation candidate’s previous semester/term earned cumulative grade point average; and 2) the Mount's residency requirement and 3) the required minimum of 42 semester hours in Mount course work with a letter grade (excluding P/F grades or experiential learning credits) earned by the end of the previous semester.

Degree/Graduation Application Information

Candidacy Determination

Application deadline dates for graduation candidates completing their degree requirements in December  is April 15,  May - September 15, and August - November 15 prior to the graduation session each year. 

Graduation candidates will be eligible to participate in the ceremony corresponding to their application deadline and degree requirements completion (i.e., December graduation candidates participate in December ceremony, May graduation candidates participate in May).  An August candidate with 12 or fewer credit hours to complete their degree will be given a one-time choice to participate in the May ceremony prior to the summer session in which they complete their requirements or the December ceremony after they have completed their requirements.

Commencement Ceremony Participants

Baccalaureate and associate degree students who will not complete degree requirements by the May ceremony, but are within 12 credits of graduation and who will complete their final course work by the end of the summer session, may apply and participate as August graduates in the May ceremony or the December ceremony.

Students in cohort programs with summer completion dates may walk in the May ceremony regardless of the number of scheduled summer hours for their major requirements.  Summer registration for August graduates must be completed during the first week of priority registration in April of the year in which they have applied to graduate.

Applying for Graduation

Students formally apply for graduation through the Registrar's Office. The graduation (certificate degree) application must be on file in the Registrar’s Office by the posted deadline dates for December, May, and August graduation.*

If graduation requirements are not completed by the date (month/year) specified on the student's graduation application, the application will be moved to the next graduation cycle. If the requirements are not completed by the next official graduation date, i.e. December, May, or August, the application will be cancelled. If a student completes their graduation requirements after they are notified their application has been cancelled, the student will be required to petition for review of completed graduation requirements for certification on the next official graduation date.

A one-time $75.00 non-refundable graduation application fee is assessed to all graduation candidates for each degree and/or certificate application.  Students who apply after posted application deadlines are at risk for not receiving important communications regarding participation in commencement and graduation-related activities, may not have their name listed in the commencement program, and may not be eligible to participate in commencement.

If a student applies for one degree during one academic year and another degree during a future academic year, the graduation application fee is charged twice. If a student applies for an Associate and a Bachelor in the same academic year, or two Associates, or two Bachelor degrees in the same academic year, the full graduation application fee is charged for the first degree and 50% of the full fee for the second degree. A student earning Bachelor and Master degrees during the same academic year will be charged the full graduation application fee twice. A student earning a certificate will be charged the full graduation application fee. A certificate seeking student is invited to participate in graduation.

Degrees are conferred by Mount St. Joseph University at commencement ceremonies. The May and December commencement ceremonies are held before final semester grades are submitted by instructors. Therefore, official diplomas for all graduates are mailed four weeks after grades have been submitted, degree certifications are completed based on the final semester's grades and all financial obligations to the University have been met.