Graduation and Commencement

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There is a distinction between participating in the Commencement Ceremony and graduation/conferral of a degree. Conferral of a degree occurs only when the University Registrar finalizes the student’s academic record and confirms that all requirements have been met. The Commencement Ceremony is simply the act of honoring and celebrating academic achievement and participation does not indicate degree completion.

Commencement Ceremony Participation Policy

In order to participate in the May Commencement Ceremony, all students must:

Submit a completed Petition to Graduate form (PtG) to the Office of the Registrar by February 1. The Petition to Graduate form is accessible at this link.
1. The Office of the Registrar must approve all submitted Petitions to Graduate. Once the PtG has been approved, any changes to a student’s registration schedule or degree could affect their final graduation date, but not their participation in Commencement. Late PtG forms will be accepted, but eligibility to participate in Commencement cannot be guaranteed.
Not have participated in any previous Franklin Pierce University Commencement ceremony for the degree listed on the PtG.
Fall under any of the following:
1. Have already had their degree conferred between the previous summer and April prior to Commencement.
2. Complete all requirements in Rindge Spring, Graduate Student Teach 4, Undergraduate Term 4 or Graduate Term 3 in order to graduate in May.
3. Be pre-registered for, or have submitted a plan with the PtG to complete all necessary courses in Undergraduate Summer 1 or 2, Graduate Term 4 or transfer in outstanding credits in order to graduate by August.
4. Have nine or fewer credits remaining, as listed on the approved PtG

Exceptions: Undergraduate Education majors who have completed all curricular requirements other than student teaching, who will complete student teaching during the subsequent Fall semester, are eligible to participate in the May ceremony. Master of Education students who meet all other conditions of requirement 3c), above, who will be student teaching during the subsequent Graduate Student Teach Term 1 and/or have credits totaling 12 or fewer remaining, are eligible to participate in the May ceremony.

Requirements for participation in the Commencement Ceremony may be appealed using the “Commencement Participation Appeal form” which is accessible at this link. Appeals must be filed with the appropriate Dean no later than April 1.

Graduation Requirements

It is the student’s responsibility to monitor and complete all requirements to graduate. Your advisor can help shape your academic career, but the student must ensure that all requirements are met. The University confers degrees at the conclusion of each semester/term.

A student’s degree will be conferred for the term/semester in which all requirements, including submission of supporting documents, have been met. Although course work may have been completed in a prior term, the degree will be awarded only for the term for which all academic and administrative requirements have been fulfilled.

Graduation requirements include:

Completion of all degree program requirements
Fulfillment of the program’s residency requirement
Achievement of the minimum cumulative grade point average required for the degree
Submission of all supporting documents (e.g., official transcripts and test results)
Filing of the Petition to Graduate (PtG)

All academic and administrative requirements must be met. It is the responsibility of the student to be familiar with their program-specific requirements as these may supersede the university’s minimum standards. Degrees are not awarded retroactively.

Master and Doctoral Degree Requirements:

Graduate degree conferral requires the student to fulfill all degree and graduation requirements and have a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.00 with no more than two grades below a B- factored into the calculation of CGPA.

Bachelor’s Degree Requirements:

To be eligible for a Bachelor’s degree from Franklin Pierce University, students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in each academic major, and complete 120 credits at the 100-level and above. In addition, in order to complete minor or certificate programs, students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in those programs.

All General and Liberal Education requirements and major requirements must be satisfied. Students must declare their first major prior to declaring any minor or certificate. Minors must be declared before a student has earned 75 credits.

Bachelor’s Degree residency requirements:

A minimum of 30 semester hours must be completed at Franklin Pierce University.
Within the 30 hours, 12 hours must be 300- or 400-level courses in each declared major (maximum of two majors allowed). Students must complete at least four courses towards the Minor/Certificate at Franklin Pierce University.

Associate’s Degree Requirements:

Requirements for an Associate’s degree are the successful completion of 60 semester hours (100-level and above) with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in an academic major and satisfaction of all General and Liberal Education requirements and major requirements. Average time to completion is 3 years.

Associate’s Degree residency requirements:

A minimum of minimum of 15 semester hours must be completed at Franklin Pierce University. Within the 15 hours, a minimum of 6 hours must be completed in each declared major (maximum of two majors allowed).

Undergraduate Certificate Requirements:

Requirements for the stand-alone Paralegal or Human Services certificates requires a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 and the successful completion of all required courses for the certificate. Students must complete at least four courses towards the certificate at Franklin Pierce University. All other undergraduate certificates are earned in conjunction with the bachelor’s degree.

Ceremony Program Policy

The inclusion of a student's name in the ceremony program does not constitute a guarantee of degree conferral or successful completion of the program of study. Final degree conferral is subject to the successful completion of all academic requirements, and fulfillment of University policies. Students listed in the ceremony program are expected to complete all degree requirements for graduation.

The University strives to ensure the accuracy of all information presented in this ceremony program; however, errors or omissions may occur. The University reserves the right to make changes as necessary.

Latin Honors

Undergraduate students will be awarded Latin honors upon conferral of the Bachelor degree if they have completed a minimum of 60 semester hours in residence and meet the following minimum requirements:

Cum Laude: Cumulative grade point average of 3.25–3.49 at the time of degree conferral.
Magna Cum Laude: Cumulative grade point average of 3.50–3.79 at the time of degree conferral.
Summa Cum Laude: Cumulative grade point average of 3.80 or higher at the time of degree conferral.

Valedictorian: This designation is based solely on the highest grade point average attained among those students who have, or are, graduating with a Bachelor degree at a given commencement ceremony and who meet the residency requirement for graduation honors (i.e., sixty semester hours of credit earned at Franklin Pierce). In the rare case of equal GPAs, the student with the most number of credits earned at Franklin Pierce University will be the valedictorian.

Latin, major, and other graduation honors listed in the program at the May Commencement ceremony will be determined by CGPA and a minimum of 60 semester hours earned at Franklin Pierce University as of February 1^st. Final Latin honors for all graduates will be determined by credits and CGPA earned when the student completes all requirements and will be recorded on the student’s diploma and final transcript.

Honor Societies and Awards

Special Departmental Honors*

Biology Citizenship Award
Biology Faculty Citation
Brezovec Math Award
Catherine T. Crochiere Memorial Award (Psychology) Clio Award (History Department)
Criminal Justice Award for Outstanding Senior Communication Media Production Award Communication Media StudiesAward
Distinguished Future Educator Award
Environmental Science Faculty Recognition Award Fine Arts Faculty Citation
Frank Hubacz Jr. General Chemistry Achievement Award Health Sciences Achievement Award
Health Sciences Service AwardHuman Services Award for Outstanding Senior
May-Lawrence Memorial Award (School of Business) Outstanding Master’s Entry to Practice Nursing Student Award Oustanding Student in Communication
Outstanding Student in Sports Media
Richard T. Desmond Chemistry Achievement Award
Peter B. Allan Award (English)
Professor Douglas A. Ley Award for Public Service (History) Psychology Award for Outstanding Senior
Psychology Award for Exceptional Sophomore
Publius Award (Political Science)
Sports Media Award for Outstanding Student
Stellan C. Wollmar Memorial Award (School of Business) The Zuchara Prize (Academic Affairs)

*For more information on Special Departmental Honors, consult the appropriate Department.

National/International Honor Society Chapter Affiliations

Alpha Chi (National Honor Society) Alpha Phi Sigma (Criminal Justice)
Chi Alpha Sigma (Student Athletes) Delta Phi Tau (Doctor of Physical Therapy) Lambda Pi Eta (Communication)
Pi Alpha (Physician's Assistant)
Phi Alpha Theta (History)
Pi Lambda Theta (Education)
Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science)
Psi Chi (Psychology)
Sigma Beta Delta (Business)
Sigma Theta Tau International (Nursing) Sigma Tau Delta (English)
Sigma Zeta (Science and Mathematics)