33
Biola University
transferable credits from a college or university (excluding AP, IB, dual credit, or CLEP). Undergraduate Graduation Petition Graduating seniors must file a "Graduation Petition" form with the Office of the Registrar, meet with their graduation counselor, and submit any departmental checklists. Graduation Petitions must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the time a student has completed 88 credits. Students who fail to submit a completed Graduation Petition by the time they have achieved 88 credits will not be able to register for future courses until their petition has been submitted. In addition, students who fail to submit their petition before their graduating term will be charged a late graduation petition fee. This fee will be assessed for any petition submitted after the last day of the Add period of the student’s desired term of graduation. No petitions will be accepted after November 15th for Fall commencement and April 15th for Spring commencement. Thereafter, the student must participate in the next available commencement ceremony. Requirements for All Baccalaureate Degrees 1. All baccalaureate degrees require a minimum of 120 degree applicable credits for graduation. Each major consists of a minimum of 30 credits of which 24 must be upper-division. For specific major requirements please see indicated major listings. In the case of repeated courses, only the credits from one of the repeated courses apply. 2. Completion of all academic requirements. Obtain approval of the student's graduation petition by the major advisor and a graduation counselor in the Office of the Registrar at least one year before graduation. To ensure completion of degree requirements, the normal academic load, during the last year, for a student anticipating graduation, is 18 credits. Those students who wish to take more are expected to notify their graduation counselor. Approval for additional credits beyond the norm will be made through the Office of the Registrar. 3. A minimum of 30 credits must be taken at Biola University, at least 15 credits (upper-division level) in the major field. Biola has a residency requirement for biblical studies. Of the 30 credits of Bible required of all students, 15 credits must be taken at Biola. Transfer credit, credit for prior learning, credit by examination and off-campus programs may not be used to fulfill the minimum residency requirement. 4. A minimum "C" average (or a 2.0 grade point average) in the major and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 taken at Biola University. (Note: GPA requirements are higher in some majors. See departmental requirements.) 5. All transcripts counting toward graduation must be received by the Office of the Registrar prior to November 15th for Fall commencement and April 15th for Spring commencement. 6. All students who have entered the University Fall 1986 or later and who will be graduating in Spring 1990 or later must pass the Writing Competency Exam. Note: All graduation requirements may be met within four school years by carrying approximately 16 or 17 credits each semester. A student may still be graduated within four years if they wishes to take a lighter load and enroll in Summer Session. Graduation Honors - Undergraduate Programs Honors at graduation for baccalaureate recipients are based on grade point average, overall performance, Christian values, and a minimum 60- credit residency. Honors are not automatically granted. Faculty may raise
the standards at any time. Honors are granted by the faculty and may be denied or higher standards may be applied. The University honors have been defined by the Academic Standards Committee as:
Honor
GPA
3.50–3.69 3.70–3.89 3.90–4.00
Cum Laude
Magna Cum Laude Summa Cum Laude
Honors recognized in the graduation ceremony may be changed based on the processing of final grades. GPA standards for honors must be met with no rounding of numbers. Graduate students should check with their program section in the catalog for honors qualification. Honor Society A select group of eligible seniors are chosen by the faculty each year to membership in Epsilon Kappa Epsilon, the baccalaureate honor society of Biola University. To be eligible for membership, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher and must have completed 80 credits at Biola prior to the semester of graduation. Final selection is based upon scholastic performance, Christian witness and contributions to the Biola community. Membership is limited to no more than 7% of the fall graduating class and 5% of the spring graduating class. Graduate Programs Graduate Graduation Check Graduate students must make an appointment with a Graduate Graduation Counselor in the Office of the Registrar to declare their intent to graduate. This should be done one year prior to graduation. Students declaring this intention late will be charged a late graduate graduation check fee of $100. This graduation check will be considered late after the last day of Add/Drop during the semester of a student's intended graduation. For students graduating in the Spring, after April 15th students will not be allowed to be added to the graduation lists regardless of payment of the fee. For the Fall, the date is November 15th, after which no students will be added to the graduation lists. For all schools except Talbot School of Theology, students will need to meet with their department advisor(s) prior to meeting with a Graduate Graduation Counselor and bring the paperwork provided by that advisor. Doctoral students (including those from Talbot) must meet with their department advisor prior to contacting a Graduate Graduation Counselor. Requirements for all Graduate Degrees Refer to individual degree programs for specific requirements for graduation. 1. Completion of all academic requirements and approval of the student's intent to graduate by his or her department advisor and a Graduate Graduation Counselor, in Office of the Registrar, one year before graduation. See Graduate Graduation Check above for more details. 2. All course work during the final semester, which will be applied toward graduation requirements, must be taken at Biola University. Transfer credits, via an official transcript, must be received by the Office of the Registrar by the first day of a student’s graduating term. 3. A minimum of 24 credits must be taken at Biola University in the degree program.
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker