Candidacy for the Degree
Membership in the senior class does not within itself imply candidacy for the degree. Before the degree can be conferred, all indebtedness to the university must be met and published requirements for the particular degree fulfilled. Responsibility for meeting these requirements rests with the student, and each candidate should ensure her/his program of study is on file for graduation with the Office of the Registrar.
A student must submit an application for graduation, and pay the graduation fee by the published deadline for the semester in which the student anticipates completing degree requirements. Additionally, the student must be on-track to complete all degree requirements no later than the grade submission deadline for the term in which the student is to be awarded the degree. The Registrar's Office will determine whether or not a student is eligible to participate in a commencement ceremony. This application may be secured from the Office of the Registrar on online at http://www.northgeorgia.edu/Registrar/Graduation/Application.aspx
For the Bachelor of Arts degree, the Bachelor of Business Administration degree, and the Bachelor of Science degree, the student must complete the requirements of the core curriculum, must fulfill the major and minor requirements, if any, and offer sufficient approved elective courses to bring the total number of acceptable credit hours to at least 120. A student pursuing a Baccalaureate degree must also pass or be exempted from the Regents' requirement.
Georgia law requires that all candidates for a degree from an institution supported by public funds shall successfully pass coursework or an examination "of the History of the United States and the History of Georgia" and coursework or an examination "upon the provisions and principles of the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Georgia."
For an Associate's degree, a student must complete a minimum of 20 hours in residence at North Georgia College & State University. For a Baccalaureate, a student must complete a minimum of 30 hours in residence at North Georgia, including at least 21 hours of upper division (3000 level or above) in the major field. A student must also meet any additional residence requirements of their degree program. Credit is considered in residence if the credit is eligible to count toward graduation and tuition is assessed by North Georgia (excluding credit by exam). Special exceptions may be granted with the approval of the department head and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. For more detailed information, see the section on a Second Baccalaureate.
A student must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on all work presented for graduation. A student must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on coursework completed at North Georgia and at least a 2.0 institutional grade point average in the field of study. Certain programs of study may have higher minimum grade point averages and grades that are required for graduation.
Not more than 25 percent of the credits for graduation may carry grades of D.
Degree candidates may participate in only one commencement ceremony per semester and will be recognized for only one degree when they cross the stage during that ceremony. Any degree candidate eligible to receive multiple degrees must choose one degree for which they will be recognized during the commencement ceremony.
Students who, at the end of the semester in which they are eligible to graduate, receive one or more failing/inadequate grades and/or grades of IP or I in a course or courses that are required to complete the degree will be allowed to participate in the commencement ceremony, but will not be certified to receive the degree until all degree requirements are met.
Study abroad students who, at the end of the semester in which they are eligible to graduate, receive one or more failing/inadequate grades and/or grades of IP or I in a course or courses that are required to complete the degree will be allowed to participate in the commencement ceremony, but will not be certified to receive the degree until all degree requirements are met.
Transient students who, at the end of the semester in which they are eligible to graduate, receive one or more failing/inadequate grades and/or grades of IP or I in a course or courses that are required to complete the degree will be allowed to participate in the commencement ceremony, but will not be certified to receive the degree until all degree requirements are met. Transient students who, at the end of the semester in which they are eligible to graduate, do not have official documentation of transient course credit on file in the Registrar's Office will be allowed to participate in the commencement ceremony, but will not be certified to receive the degree until all degree requirements are met.
In order to participate in a commencement ceremony, students who plan to earn required course credit via credit by examination (departmental examinations for course credit, CLEP, DSST/Dantes, etc.) during the semester in which they are eligible to graduate must attempt to earn the appropriate credit by examination and have official documentation of that attempt on file in the Registrar's Office no later than the grade submission deadline for the term in which the student is eligible to be awarded the degree.
No student may be declared a graduate of the university until all requirements for entrance and for graduation have been met, the degree has been conferred, and the diploma has been awarded.