General Regulations.
Seven baccalaureate degrees: the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Science, the Bachelor of Business Administration, the Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Bachelor of Music Education, and the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing - are conferred by McMurry University upon recommendation of the faculty and the approval of the Board of Trustees. Recommendations for the baccalaureate degrees are contingent upon the following conditions being met:
Written Application for Graduation.
Candidates for graduation must make written application in the Registrar’s office at the beginning of the long semester just prior to the expected graduation semester:
September 1st for students who expect to graduate the following May or August.
February 1st for students who expect to graduate the following December.
Transfer Credits.
All transfer credits which apply to a degree, whether earned at a regionally accredited higher education institution through distance learning or in residence, must be on file in the Registrar’s Office by the beginning of the final semester leading to the degree. Any grade below C- will not be accepted for transfer. When a studenthas earned 66 credit hours or more toward a baccalaureate degree, credit earned from a junior college cannot be accepted thereafter toward any degree. Following matriculation, any credits transferred must be approved in advance through submission of a Transfer Course Application, available in the Registrar’s Office. The application requires approval of the Registrar, academic advisor, Certification Officer (if applicable), and the appropriate department or dean. Any hours taken without prior permission may not count toward a McMurry University degree.
Graduation Under a Particular Catalog.
A candidate may obtain a degree according to the requirements of the catalog under which he/she enters the University or the catalog governing any subsequent year in which he/she is registered, provided that all requirements are completed within six years of the date of the catalog chosen. A student may always graduate under the current catalog. The meeting of requirements and regulations of the catalog is the final responsibility of the student and not of the University.
Conferring of Degrees.
Degrees are conferred three times a year, on the last day of the fall, spring, and summer II term, as listed in the on-campus Academic Calendar. Students in the Virtual Campus degree programs who complete requirements at the end of the first or second summer subterm will have their degree conferred as an August graduate.
Students are responsible for meeting all the graduation deadlines listed elsewhere in this catalog. Once a degree is conferred, it is considered final. No additional majors, minors, concentrations, focus areas, teaching fields, or emphasis can be added to a degree once it has been conferred. For students interested in obtaining a second degree, please see information in the “Requirements for a Second Degree” section of the catalog.
Commencement Ceremony.
Students who complete degree requirements in the fall or spring semesters participate in a commencement ceremony in May. Candidates for graduation in August, including Virtual Campus students, who meet specific criteria may also participate in the May ceremony. Candidates who elect to graduate “in absentia” are not permitted to participate in a commencement ceremony at a later date. If a candidate does not meet degree requirements but has already participated in commencement, they do not participate again for the same degree once degree requirements are completed. Students who anticipate completing degree requirements in the fall semester may not participate in commencement until the following May.
Graduation with Honors.
At the time of graduation, a student is designated Summa cum Laude if the student’s cumulative grade point average is 3.85 or above; Magna cum Laude, 3.7; cum Laude, 3.5. To be eligible for graduation with honors, a student must have completed a minimum of fifty seven semester hours in courses at McMurry University. Grades for all courses taken at McMurry, including courses in which the student received a “D+,” “D,” “D-“, “F,” or “WF,” or “I” will be included in the calculation of honors.
Diplomas.
Diplomas are provided to graduates once all final degree requirements, grades, and transcripts have been received and verified. The diploma will include the degree, Latin honors, departmental honors, and honors program. It will not include the major, minor, concentration, focus, etc. Only the name of the student listed in our student information system will be printed. If another name is requested, official documents will be required to verify the name change. Titles and other name designations will not be printed on the diploma. Diplomas cannot be released for students who have a hold in any area of the university.
If a replacement diploma is needed, a request can be made to the Registrar’s office, along with a fee of $25.00. Any replacement diploma will include the current format and signatures in use at the time of reprinting, and the request will be honored with the next subsequent diploma printing. Typically, diplomas are printed three times a year following each of the degree conferral dates in May, August, and December.
Minimum Degree Hours and Advanced Hours.
All undergraduate degrees at McMurry University require a minimum of 120 semester hours, including 39 advanced hours (junior and senior level courses).
Residence Credit.
Residence credit means credit for coursework earned under a McMurry University course number, including distance education courses. To qualify for graduation with a baccalaureate degree, a student must complete residence credit of at least 25 percent or a minimum of 30 hours of all hours required for the degree. Course credit provided though other institutions, Intercollegiate Enrollment (ICE), remedial credit, and credit earned by examination do not apply as residence credit. All candidates for degrees must complete their last twelve hours of coursework directly through McMurry’s campus or distance education classes. All candidates for undergraduate degrees must complete at least six semester credit hours in residence in the major, minor, focus areas, concentrations, and/or teaching fields.
General Electives.
The number of general electives required may vary by the choice of degree and major. Each student will be required to take enough lower and/or upper level elective hours to meet a total of 39 advanced hours and 120 overall hours excluding remedial courses. Questions concerning general electives should be directed toward either the student’s academic advisor, the office of Academic Advising, or the Registrar.
Semester Hours.
A candidate for a baccalaureate degree must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours, excluding remedial courses.
Advanced Hours.
All baccalaureate degrees require a minimum of 39 advanced semester hours. Additionally, a minimum of 12 advanced hours are required for the major and 6 advanced hours are required for the minor.
Applied Fine Arts Credit.
Not more than twelve semester hours of applied fine arts will be accepted as credit towards a bachelor’s degree except for a major or minor in music.
Health Fitness Credit.
Not more than eight semester hours of Health Fitness courses will be accepted as credit towards a bachelor’s degree. Courses are repeatable for credit.
Grades.
An average of C (2.0 GPA) must be made on the total work undertaken at McMurry University. Some majors specify a higher required GPA for completion. No grade of less than C quality is acceptable in the major, concentration, focus area, field of study, or teaching field. Some majors specify the grade required in general education courses.
Choice of Major and Minor.
The student is advised to choose his/her major early in his/her college career, and is strongly encouraged to do so by the beginning of his/her junior year. The University is not obligated to offer courses for a student who changes his/her major after the first semester of the junior year. The student should secure his/ her academic advisor’s approval upon the choice of both major and minor.
Concurrent Enrollment Policy.
No student may be concurrently enrolled in any other residence-required courses or programs at another regionally accredited college or university without prior approval by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A student may take no more than 18 total credit hours during a semester as per the overload policy in this catalog. Non-residence and distance learning courses from regionally accredited institutions may be taken for transfer credit as per the guidelines of the Transfer Credit section of this catalog. The transfer course application for this purpose is available in the Registrar’s Office (Financial Aid restrictions may apply). Courses taken through the Intercollegiate Enrollment program are not subject to these requirements.
Requirements for Second Degree.
A McMurry graduate wishing to obtain a second degree must complete the requirements under a single catalog in effect after entering school for the second degree. A minimum of 150 total credit hours are required, with a minimum of 51 total hours at the advanced level. The second degree must include at least one field of study different from the one(s) earned for the first degree. All other requirements must be met for the second degree and must be completed within six academic years in order to graduate with the second degree under the entering catalog. All credit for the second degree must be earned in McMurry courses.
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