Graduation Information

Applying for Graduation

All Undergraduate, Graduate and PhD students should complete an application for degree card upon registering for their semester of graduation. (See Academic Calendar for application deadlines.) Application for degree cards are available through the student's academic adviser or program director and in the Registrar's Office, St. Louis Hall 104. This application for degree card is very important as it is used to conduct a final degree audit to confirm that students have fulfilled the requirements to complete their degree. The name on the diploma appears as written on the student's application for degree card so please give careful consideration to how you wish your name to appear on your diploma when submitting the application for degree card. Furthermore, students graduating in the summer and students unable to attend commencement exercises will receive their diplomas by mail so a valid after graduation address should be indicated on the application for degree card. Students receiving multiple degrees must complete one card for each degree. As of Summer 2003, students were no longer subject to a graduation fee upon submitting the application for degree card.

*Law students are asked to contact the Law School for graduation information at (210) 436-3531.

^@ Summer One graduation not applicable to Graduate/PhD students.

Undergraduate Graduation Checklist

• Meet with your academic adviser to confirm that your degree requirements will be satisfied by your intended date of graduation.
• Complete the total number of hours required for your degree, including CORE, major, and minor (if applicable). Most degrees require 128 hours or more. Make sure elective requirements have been met.
• Complete a minimum of six advanced hours of writing intensive courses in your major. Residency requirements stipulate that students must complete at least 45 hours at St. Mary's University, not including credit by exam. Twelve advanced hours (with a minimum 2.00 GPA) in your major must be completed at St. Mary's University.
• Earn a minimum 2.00 GPA in your major, minor, and St. Mary's University courses. Some departments such as Psychology, Engineering, and Education have special grade requirements for major courses.
• Verify that all transferred coursework from other colleges and universities has been received and recorded. Remember, only courses with a grade of C or better can transfer. If a course has been substituted for another, verify that proper documentation was processed in the Registrar's Office.
• Resolve outstanding incomplete grades.
• Remind your instructors that you are a graduating Senior as grades for graduates must be submitted to the Registrar's Office earlier than all other grades.

Graduate and Ph.D. Graduation Checklist

Refer to the "Checklist for Graduation" available in the Graduate School's Manual of Standards and Policies (pg. 47).

Graduation Schedule of Events

The staff of the Office of the Registrar rejoices in your accomplishment and invites you to visit us on the web at www.stmarytx.edu/commencement for a complete graduation schedule of events, including cap and gown distribution, invitations, and photo orders, graduation rehearsal, and more. Please note that final grades for you graduates are due approximately one week prior to graduation. If you require final official transcripts for graduate school, medical school, job interviews, etc., you are encouraged to submit these requests early as requests are processed in the order received. Feel free to contact Office of the Registrar at (210) 436-3701 if you have additional questions. Congratulations again, and best wishes for the future.

Graduating Senior Activities

Celebrate this milestone. Join your fellow graduates for a week of memorable activities. Contact Student Life at (210) 436-3714 for details.

Looking for some help polishing your resume? Interested in participating in a mock interview? Contact the Civic Engagement and Career Development Center at (210) 436-3102 or via e-mail at career@stmarytx.edu for details.

Invitations/Class Rings

Invitation samples may be viewed in the University Bookstore located in the University Center first floor. Please allow five to seven business days for delivery. For further information contact the University Bookstore at (210) 436-3406 or visit them on the web at www.rattlerbooks.com.

Class rings may be purchased from Balfour and Herff-Jones. Please allow six to eight weeks for delivery. Contact the University Bookstore for details.

Marianist Ring Blessing Ceremony

Blessings are opportunities for expressing sincere gestures of God's grace especially at the time of achieving hopes and dreams. The ceremony will include professed Marianists offering a blessing over you and your families as you journey into a new life after graduation.

Graduating students should bring a special item of significance to receive the blessing and commemorate your experience at St. Mary's: class ring, memorial pin, sash or honor cord. For further information, please contact University Ministry at (210) 436-3213 or visit them on the web at www.stmarytx.edu/ministry.

Graduation Cap and Gown

Caps and gowns are available at the Civic Engagement and Career Development Center located in the Center for Life Directions. Simply present your student identification card and provide your degree and height. You may contact the Civic Engagement and Career Development Center at (210) 436-3102 if you have questions regarding the distribution of caps and gowns or visit the official commencement website for dates and times. Students need not return caps and gowns upon the conclusion of Commencement Exercises.

Graduation Photographs

Group

The Goldbeck Company will take a group photo of the candidates for graduation. Students are asked to wear casual business attire. Goldbeck will provide order forms upon the conclusion of the photo session. Contact information for the Goldbeck Company follows:

Goldbeck Company
4407 Centergate
San Antonio, Texas 78217
sales@goldbeckcompany.com
Telephone: (210) 656-1445
Toll-Free: (800) 656-9289
Fax: (210) 656-1461

Individual

A professional photographer from Flash Photography will take a picture of each graduate receiving a diploma during Commencement Exercises. Several weeks after the ceremony, students will receive a proof of the picture and an order form. Students are under no obligation to place an order. Contact information for Flash Photography follows:

Disabled Guests

Students with disabled guests attending the Baccalaureate Mass and/or Commencement Exercises are encourage to arrive early because handicap seating is limited.

Diploma (Duplicate)

Diplomas for May and December graduates are awarded on stage to students attending commencement exercises. Students unable to attend commencement exercises will receive their diplomas in the mail. Students graduating in the summer will also receive their diplomas in the mail approximately two months after graduation, and they will be invited to participate in the December commencement exercises.

If a diploma is lost or destroyed, a duplicate diploma may be ordered by submitting a request form to the Registrar's Office. There is a $30 fee for a duplicate Undergraduate or Graduate diploma and a $40 fee for a duplicate PhD diploma. The Registrar's Office requires 30+ days for delivery of a duplicate diploma. Duplicate diplomas bear the signatures of current St. Mary's University officials. Any additional questions regarding duplicate diplomas should be directed to Office of the Registrar at (210) 436-3701.

*Duplicate law diplomas are $50 for Juris Doctor and $80 for Retro-Active Juris Doctor (previously known as LLB). Law students should contact Yvonne Olfers, Director of Student Records for the Law School, at (210) 436-3531 for ordering information or you may download the Duplicate Diploma request form.

Graduation Honors

Undergraduate

To be eligible for graduation honors, a student seeking a baccalaureate degree must enroll in and complete a minimum of 45 undergraduate semester hours at St. Mary's University, not including Pass/No Pass or credit by exam courses, preceding graduation. The grade-point-average (GPA) of all college hours attempted, excluding transfer hours, must equal that required here for the appropriate category of honors. Honors are not conferred on combination degrees or on second degrees.

Graduate

Distinguished graduates are:

• students who receive a favorable recommendation from their Graduate Program Director;
• students who graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher; and,
• students who have not received a grade of U or a grade below B, even if they have repeated the course with a grade of S, B, or A.

Distinguished graduate requirements subject to change.

Distinguished graduates may pick-up a distinguished graduate medallion from the Graduate Admissions Office in Reinbolt Hall, Room 104.

For further information, contact the Graduate School at (210) 436-3101.

Law

Upon graduation, students who rank in the top two percent of their class are graduated summa cum laude, those who rank in the top five percent of their class are graduated magna cum laude, and those who rank in the top ten percent of their class are graduated cum laude. This determination is made in the Spring semester for the entire class (including students who graduate earlier in the academic year). The appropriate designation is included on a student's diploma and is announced during the graduation ceremony. For further information, contact the Law School at (210) 436-3531.

Academic Apparel

Graduation Tassel Colors

The following is a list of colors established by the intercollegiate code to represent the different departments of learning:

Hooding of Degree Candidates

St. Mary's University formally hoods the recipients of all Master, Juris Doctor (Law), and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The wording of the degree and not the department in which major work was done determines the color for the velvet trim on the hood. Therefore, the Master of Business degree requires the drab color of Business Administration; the Master of Science degree requires the gold-yellow of Science; the Master of Arts degree requires the white for Arts, Letters, and Humanities; and the Doctor of Philosophy degree requires the dark blue for Philosophy.

Transcripts

Students requiring final transcripts for admission applications, job interviews, and so forth are encouraged to make their requests early as the Registrar's Office receives many transcript requests at the end of the semester and requests are processed in the order received. For your convenience, request forms are available on the Registrar Web site and can be mailed or faxed to the Registrar's Office with payment. There is a $3 fee for an official transcript.

Verification of Degree

Upon the conclusion of commencement exercises, some students may require a letter verifying that they obtained a degree from St. Mary's University. Students can request a letter of verification by submitting a form available in the Registrar's Office and on the Registrar Web site. Processing time is two to three business days.

Class Rank (School of Law)

Contact Yvonne Olfers at (210) 436-3531 for details.

For more information, please visit the Official Commencement Web Site.