2011-2012 Archived Catalog Information

Eligibility for Degree

In order to be eligible to receive a bachelor’s degree from the University, a student must:

• Earn at least 126 semester hours in the College of Arts and Sciences; 124 semester hours in the Sawyer Business School; or 124 semester hours in the New England School of Art and Design
• Achieve not less than a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and earn a minimum 2.0 grade point average or higher in their major
• Achieve a minimum 2.0 grade point average or higher in their minor, if any
• Meet all the academic requirements for his/her particular degree. Eight years is the normal limit for completion of a part-time or an interrupted degree program.
• Complete a minimum of 45 semester hours at Suffolk
• Complete major residency requirement
• Complete the final 30 semester hours at Suffolk
• Complete at least 30 semester hours of business coursework at Suffolk (Sawyer Business School students only)
• Complete at least 60 semester hours of coursework at Suffolk in order to be considered for scholastic honors
• Complete at least 45 semester hours of coursework at Suffolk in order to be considered for transfer scholastic honors

Application for Degree

Students are required to submit an application for degree to the Registrar’s Office by the published deadline. It is expected that all obligations to the University, both academic and financial, will be completed at the close of that semester. Failure to comply with this requirement will delay graduation and participation in commencement to some future time.

Eligibility to Participate in Commencement Exercise

In addition to those students who have completed in quality and quantity the requirements for their respective degrees, students meeting the following conditions may also participate in commencement exercises, if they:

• Are within three courses of fulfilling their requirements
• Have met all other requirements for graduation (see Eligibility for Degree)
• Are registered for all remaining courses in the summer session
• File the appropriate petitions in the Registrar’s office. Completed petitions will be reviewed by the Registrar and the respective Dean for approval.

It is critical that students have the required GPA (see Eligibility for Degree) at the time of commencement in order to participate in the ceremony. In the event that a student has not completed all the required courses for graduation, he/she must arrange to complete the outstanding work in the Suffolk summer sessions immediately following graduation.

Academic Record Status

Student academic records are sealed at the time the degree is conferred. After this date, changes cannot be made to majors and minors, academic honors, removal of incompletes, grade changes, or other changes to an academic record.

Six-Year Graduation Rates for New Freshmen

(IPEDS Graduation Rate Data)

The Federal Student Right-to-Know Act of 1990 requires an institution participating in any student financial assistance program under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to disclose graduation rates to current and prospective students. The rates below have been calculated for the fall 2003 entering class of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshmen, in accordance with definitions established by the Student Right-to-Know Act.