General Catalog 2021-2022

Graduation, Honors and Diplomas

Diplomas

Diplomas must be claimed by graduates at the Office of the Registrar no later than one year following graduation. The University will not be responsible for diplomas after that date.

Any notice, official or otherwise, mailed to a student’s address as it appears on the records shall be deemed sufficient notice.

Graduation Requirements

Students will graduate in agreement with the requirements of their program of studies and the regulations established in the General Catalog of the University under which they were admitted or in any single subsequent catalog but no combination thereof. In the event that a required course of the selected catalog is no longer offered by the University, substitutions may be made with the approval of the Department Chairperson. Courses required in more than one program may be credited as such in each program. Courses taken after graduation will not alter the graduation grade point index. In the case of readmitted students, refer to the section Readmission to the University.

Graduates must meet the current laws and regulations of their profession.

Note: Students who opt for a second major may not use financial aid from Title 1V to pay for the costs related to it.

Graduation Requirements for Associate Degrees

To complete requirements for graduation with an Associate Degree from Inter American University, students must:

  1. Approve the General Education academic requirements and those specified in the program for the Associate Degree for which they are candidates. (See these requirements under Associate Degree Programs).
  2. Achieve a minimum overall grade point index of 2.00 or that required by the study program.
  3. Complete satisfactorily no less than one-third of all the credits required for the degree at Inter American University.
  4. Complete satisfactorily at Inter American University no less than one-third of all course credits required in the major.

Graduation Requirements for Bachelors’ Degrees

In order to fulfill the basic with a Bachelor’s Degree from Inter American University, a student must:

  1. Approve the total number of credits required by the study program.
  2. Complete a major consisting of the number of credit hours specified in the curriculum of the student’s major department. See the section Undergraduate (Associate and Bachelor) Degree Program and Course Descriptions.
  3. Achieve an overall, minimum grade point index of 2.00, or the one required by the program of study. Remedial courses will not be counted toward the required academic index for graduation.
  4. Achieve an overall grade point index of 2.00 or higher in the major field of study, or that required by the study program.
  5. Complete satisfactorily at least 24 credits of those required for the degree at Inter American University.

    5.a. When the student transfers from a university accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education or another regional accreditation agency, he must complete satisfactorily at least 12 credits of those required for the degree at Inter American University.

  6. Complete satisfactorily at least 15 credits of the major at Inter American University. (General Education courses and elective courses are not included)

    6.a. When the student transfers from a university accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education or another regional accreditation agency, he must complete satisfactorily at least eight credits of the major at Inter American University. (General Education courses and elective courses are not included).

  7. Complete the General Education requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree as established in the student’s major.

Application for Graduation

Candidates for an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree who have completed three-fourths of the required credits should apply for graduation no later than one academic term before the term in which they expect to graduate. Students must graduate from a campus authorized to offer the major and degree to be conferred. If the students are not studying at such a Campus at the moment of applying for graduation, they must apply at a campus in which they took residency courses. Applications may be obtained at the Office of the Registrar and should be returned to that Office after they have been filled out and stamped by the Business Office showing that the non-refundable fee of $100.00 has been paid for the doctor, master, bachelor and associate degrees. Failure to comply with this procedure may result in the postponement of the granting of the diploma.

Any student who considers that there is an error in the evaluation of his application for graduation should report this to the appropriate Registrar within a week after the receipt of the evaluation.

The payment of graduation fees of any kind, the listing of the student as a candidate for graduation in any document and/or invitation either to the graduation ceremonies or to any other activity related to graduation exercises shall not be interpreted as an offer to graduate until the Registrar’s office certifies that the student has completed all requirements for the degree.

Only the completion of all requirements listed in this catalog or in any other official University directive entitles a student to graduation irrespective of any representation of any kind made by any official of this University.

Candidacy for graduation will be attained by the student after the faculty has determined that the requirements for graduation have been fulfilled. Subsequently, the faculty will present the degree candidates to the President of the University and to the Board of Trustees.

Students that have completed the graduate requirements and paid the graduation fee, but interrupt their studies, have the right that their payment be considered effective for four regular semesters or two academic years from the date of the last term in which they studied.

Graduation with Honors

The distinctions of Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Summa Cum Laude are awarded to students who have achieved academic excellence in the Associate and Bachelor degrees. To be eligible for these honors, the student must have earned an overall average of:

3.25 for Cum Laude (with honors)

3.50 for Magna Cum Laude (with high honors)

3.85 for Summa Cum Laude (with the highest honors)

These distinctions are awarded only to students who have completed satisfactorily at least 30 percent of the credits required for the degree at this University. This same grade point index will be used in granting all other academic honors.

Posthumous Degree

In case of death of a student who has fulfilled the graduation requirements, such student may be considered by the appropriate university authorities for the granting of a posthumous degree.