Academic Policies

Academic Advising

One of the unique features of the School’s programs for adults is its emphasis on individualized academic advising. Admissions Coordinators and Academic Advising Coordinators are available to assist the student with his or her decision on pursuing a degree. They will discuss basic program requirements and review previous course work for possible credit. After formal application has been made, the student will be assigned to an academic advising coordinator who will process the application and work with the student to provide academic advising throughout his or her time at the college. They will provide assistance and guidance regarding:

• Course prerequisites
• Registration procedures
• Approved Program Checksheet
• Graduation requirements

Degree Program Checksheets

When a student is accepted into an academic program, an approved degree program checksheet is provided with the acceptance packet. It outlines the specific requirements for each individual student’s program. Courses accepted in transfer from other institutions or already completed at Elizabethtown are entered appropriately. On the back there are several items concerning residency requirements, grade point averages, etc., as well as the time limit established for completion of the program under the requirements given.

All adult students are responsible for reading and understanding the information found on their checksheet. Program sheets should be maintained by the student and referenced throughout their program. The curriculum is continually updated and different students may be operating under different sets of requirements, depending on when they entered the program. Academic Advising Coordinators also maintain the degree program checksheet for each student to ensure accurate tracking and advising services.

Credits/Residency

All Elizabethtown College programs require minimum numbers of academic credit for completion.

• Associate Degrees (64 credits)
• Baccalaureate Degrees (125 credits)
• Post-baccalaureate Diplomas (24-27 credits; a minimum of 18 must be outside the baccalaureate degree) 
• Graduate programs require 36, 39, or 42 credits

Distribution of Credits

The credits stipulated above must be distributed in such a way that all curriculum requirements for the program/major are met. This means that a particular student may need to take credits beyond the minimum required in order to meet the requirements of his or her major curriculum and/or the core curriculum.

Residency Requirements

Residency means courses/credits completed through Elizabethtown College. The minimum number of Elizabethtown College courses needed to satisfy the requirements varies depending on the program.

• Associates: Students must have at least 9 credits in their major and a minimum of 15 of the last 30 credits in the program overall from Elizabethtown College.
• Baccalaureate degrees: A minimum of 30 of the last 60 credits must be taken from Elizabethtown College. Elizabethtown College credits must include 15 credits in the major, 9 of these must be upper division. The Senior Research Project must be taken at Elizabethtown.

These are the general requirements, but they may vary slightly by major. Students should refer to the policies on their approved program checksheet for their particular major and/or check with their academic advising coordinator.

Change of Major / Minor

Students who wish to change their major or minor are encouraged to speak with their academic advising coordinator to determine how their completed coursework fits in the requested major/minor program. Students must then complete the “Request for Change of Degree or Major” form in JayWeb. The advisor will then facilitate the process to issue a new, approved, degree program checksheet.

Registration

Course schedules are typically published in late October for winter, spring and summer sessions and in late March for fall sessions. The schedule will indicate the date students may begin to register for classes.

Matriculated adult students will have access to the web-based registration system through their student portal, JayWeb. This allows students to add and drop courses directly (see Registration Holds below for exceptions), print out their individual class schedule, and access a variety of other information relating to their academic records and information. Self-registration is required for all sessions.

Since classes are in an accelerated format, registration for courses must take place no later than two weeks prior to the start of the semester (College closings will impact the exact end date of the registration period). This is necessary to ensure regulatory compliance and to provide sufficient time for students to obtain their materials of instruction and to complete any required assignments prior to the first class meeting. A list of required textbooks for undergraduate and graduate courses is available on the SCPS website. Books for all locations and sessions are available through our online vendor, MBS Direct. Courses are published in Canvas two weeks prior to the start of a session. Students can access course syllabi through a link in the Canvas course. Informational emails will be sent to the official Etown.edu email account for all registered students two weeks prior to the start of a session.

Late Registration
It is not possible to register for a course, including online courses, after registration is closed.

Course Limitation Policy (Undergraduate and Graduate)

Students in the undergraduate program may register for no more than one course per five-week session.  Exceptions may be made if the student has completed at least 18 credits, has a cumulative GPA 3.6 or higher, and can justify the reason for the request.  Requests for exceptions should be submitted in writing to the student’s academic advising coordinator.

Students in the graduate program may register for no more than one course per eight-week session. Exceptions may be made if the student has completed at least nine credits, has a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher, and can justify the reason for the request. Requests for exceptions should be submitted in writing to the student’s academic advising coordinator.

Registration Holds

A student’s account may have a hold placed on it, identified in the student portal, JayWeb. The hold will affect a student’s ability to add/drop classes; the student will still have access to all other information and functions in JayWeb.

• Business Office Hold: a student will not be able to register for upcoming classes when there is an account balance. Contact the Business Office for assistance.
• Continuing Education/GPA Hold: this hold is placed on a student’s account when the GPA goes below 2.25. It will remain on the account until the GPA is raised. Students should contact their academic advising coordinator for assistance and to register for classes.
• Registration Check in Hold: this hold is placed when a student needs to complete the form under the Diploma Verification link on JayWeb to submit information about graduation and diploma. The hold will automatically be removed after the form is submitted.
• Grad Hold/Contact CE Advisor: this hold is on a student’s account when they are close to completing their degree requirements. Students will need to contact their academic advising coordinator for assistance with registering for classes for the remainder of their program.

Late Registration

It is not possible to register for a course, including online courses, after the first class meeting/day of the session.

Course Cancellations

Although the School will make every effort to run all scheduled courses, it reserves the right to cancel courses at its discretion. In such cases, every attempt will be made to contact students enrolled in the cancelled course in time to allow rescheduling.

Repeating courses (Undergraduate and Graduate)

Courses that are eligible to be repeated must be taken at Elizabethtown College and not at another institution as a transfer course.

Undergraduate Students may repeat any course in which they earned an F or NP and may attempt failed courses as many times as needed until the course is passed. Under certain conditions, students may be able to repeat a course in which they earned a C- or a grade in the D range. To do so, the following conditions must be met:

• The course to be repeated must be in their major/minor or be a course that is a prerequisite to a Core Program requirement.
• The student must submit a request to his or her academic advisor who will seek the approval of the Dean of the School.
• The student must file a repeat registration card/form in the Office of Registration and Records.

Under federal financial aid (Title IV) guidelines, a previously passed course that meets these conditions may be repeated only one time. This includes courses in which a program requires a minimum grade in the course (i.e., students who have previously passed a course have one opportunity to repeat the course for a better grade).  When repeating a course in order to earn a different grade, the original grade remains on the transcript but is removed from calculation of the grade point average, course credits are counted only once toward degree and program requirements, and only the last (i.e., most recent) grade earned for the course is counted in the grade point average.

Graduate Students may repeat any course in which they earned an F or NP. Students will only receive one attempt at retaking the course. A request to repeat a course in which a C or higher is earned must be approved by the Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Taking Courses at Another Institution

Once the SCPS has accepted an adult student into a degree program, that student may request approval to take courses at another accredited institution and transfer credits to the School, assuming the request meets all transfer and residency policies.

A Transfer Course Approval form must be submitted to an academic advising coordinator at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the course.

Approval of the request only guarantees that the course requested meets the School’s transfer guidelines and will satisfy a specific requirement in the student’s program. The student is responsible for not duplicating any credit already earned. Credit(s) will be granted upon receipt of an official transcript verifying completion of the course(s) with a grade of C- or higher for undergraduate students and a B or higher for graduate students.

Earning Undergraduate Credit through CLEP/DANTES Examinations

Students who have completed high school (or its equivalent) prior to taking CLEP or DANTES Examinations may be awarded Elizabethtown College credits, following recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) in place when the exam was taken. Up to 27 credits may be awarded for CLEP exams. Credits may not duplicate College credits completed or enrolled in at the time of the examination. CLEP examination credits do not count towards residency credits.

Earning Undergraduate Credit through Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning is a term used to define learning from work and life experience. The philosophy of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) program at Elizabethtown College is that college level learning may be acquired through experiential learning; and that when properly documented and assessed, such learning may be applied toward partial fulfillment of your degree requirements.

For work and/or life experience to be evaluated for academic credit in an undergraduate SCPS program, you must assemble course equivalency proposals in which your learning is equated to academic courses offered at SCPS. Faculty experts then evaluate the course equivalencies to determine whether your learning is comparable in quality and quantity to the corresponding credit courses(s) we offer. There is a limit on the amount of academic credit that can be earned for experiential learning—a maximum of 24 credits. To request this type of credit, learners must be matriculated in one of our programs and need to have earned at least 15 credits (from Elizabethtown College, successfully completed or transferred FS1500 Foundations for Accelerated Learning and En1000 Writing and Language, and have a 3.0 or better.  Upon approval, credits earned will appear on the learner’s transcript as transfer credit and have no effect on the learner’s cumulative GPA; nor do they fulfill any of the College’s residency requirements.

Academic Records/Transcripts

As a student matriculated in one of our programs, the permanent record is maintained in the Office of Registration and Records on campus. All credits and grades are recorded there, as well as in an advising file in the School. All courses completed are noted in the advising file so that questions related to course selection, remaining requirements, etc., may be answered by the academic advising coordinator.

Quality Points and Grade Point Average Requirements

A 4.0 quality point system and plus/minus grading is used.

Undergraduate quality points are assigned as follows. Students in undergraduate degree programs must have a grade point average of 2.0 overall and 2.0 in the major.

Letter grade                             Quality Points per Semester Credit

A                                                          4.0

A-                                                        3.7

B+                                                       3.3

B                                                          3.0

B-                                                        2.7

C+                                                       2.3

C                                                         2.0

C-                                                        1.7

D+                                                       1.3

D                                                         1.0

D-                                                        0.7

F                                                          0.0

Academic Standing

Good Standing

Undergraduate students in academic good standing maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 overall and a 2.0 in their major.

Academic Probation

Undergraduate students falling into the following categories at the end of each academic semester are placed on academic probation:

Semester Hours                     with      Cumulative Grade

Attempted (Local)                   Point Average below:

1-18                                         1.7

19-34                                       1.9

35 or more                              2.0

Students on academic probation will be notified by the School in writing. Students should work closely with their academic advisor to review their degree requirements, develop a course plan for upcoming semesters, and identify resources that can aid in their success.  Students should refer to the School’s policy on repeating courses.

The status of Academic Probation does not prevent a student from registering for courses in upcoming sessions. However, financial aid eligibility may be impacted, in accordance with the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards http://www.etown.edu/offices/financial-aid/sap.aspx. Eligibility for use of VA education benefits may also be impacted, as the School is required to report a change in academic status for any student using such benefits.

Academic Dismissal

The College, upon recommendation of the Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, may dismiss a student who continues to experience difficulty on academic probation and/or is not making progress toward degree completion.

Readmission for Academically Dismissed Students

A student who is dismissed from the College due to academic difficulty or probation must petition the admission’s review panel for readmission.  Consult with an academic advisor or an admission’s representative for information on the readmission process.

Students are also encouraged to reach out to the Financial Aid Office to ensure understanding of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards that must be met to be eligible for financial aid. 

A student who is readmitted to the College after an absence of five successive years may, upon completion of 15 consecutive credits at Elizabethtown College and earning a grade of C or better in each class, have previous grades of F removed from the cumulative grade point average.

Grades and Grade Reports

Information is provided in the course syllabus explaining how various elements are weighted and how the grading scale is used.  In consideration of FERPA (Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act), students agree, by registration in a course, to the electronic exchange of course assignments and/or grades with the facilitator.

Grades are due one week after the session ends. Once grades are recorded, matriculated students may immediately view their grade through JayWeb.  Electronic copies of the grades are available to print via JayWeb.

Students who need an official transcript of their coursework may request one through the office of Registration & Records. There is no charge for transcripts. No transcripts will be issued to students who have an outstanding balance on their account.  Electronic transcripts are also available via Scrip-Safe for a fee.  Information about transcript requests can be found on the Registration & Records website.

Grading Standards

The grading standards established for undergraduate courses are:

            A          =          94 – 100%

            A-        =          90 – 93%

            B+       =          87 – 89%

            B          =          84 – 86%

            B-        =          80 – 83%

            C+       =          77 – 79%

            C         =          74 – 76%

            C-        =          70 – 73%

            D+       =          67 – 69%

            D         =          64 – 66%

            D-        =          60 – 63%

            F          =          < 59%

Incomplete grades

A student may request a grade of Incomplete (I) for a course when extraordinary circumstances prevent completing the course prior to grades being due. An Incomplete is not simply to allow additional time to complete course work; it is only to be requested when extenuating circumstances cause a sudden interruption in the student’s ability to complete the sub-term.

Students Requests for an Incomplete will only be considered if the student has completed at least 50% of course work and/or online participation at the time of request. Incompletes are also dependent on the availability and approval of the facilitator; not all Elizabethtown College courses may lend themselves to being completed as an Incomplete.

TO REQUEST AN INCOMPLETE, THE STUDENT MUST CONTACT THEIR ACADEMIC ADVISING COORDINATOR TO INITIATE THE INCOMPLETE REQUEST FORM. THE STUDENT MUST COMPLETE THE FORM NO LATER THAN ONE WEEK AFTER THE SUB-TERM HAS ENDED. THE ACADEMIC ADVISING COORDINATOR WILL WORK WITH THE FACILITATOR TO COMPLETE THE REMAINDER OF THE FORM, SPECIFYING THE NATURE AND QUANTITY OF WORK TO BE FINISHED AND THE FINAL DATE FOR COMPLETION.

Once the form has been signed by both the student and the facilitator, an (I) will be entered in for the student’s grade. If the remaining course work to be completed, as set out on the Incomplete Form, is not complete prior to the deadline, the student’s grade will be calculated based on the grades earned up to the point of the Incomplete request, with a zero for each remaining uncompleted assignment, to reach the final grade given for the course.

Grade Appeals

Questions concerning a course grade should be brought to the attention of the course facilitator immediately upon the student’s receipt of the official grade report. Formal grade appeals must be submitted by the student within 30 days of the date on which the grade was issued by the College. A grade appeal must have a valid basis in order to be brought forward, such as the following:

• A mathematical error in calculation of the grade
• A clerical/technical error in recording of the grade (for example, Canvas and Jayweb grades are inconsistent)
• Harsher grading standards were applied to one student when compared with other students in the course
• The assigned grade was not calculated using the standards stated in the syllabus

The grade appeal process consists of the following steps:

The student requests a meeting with the course facilitator to identify the concern, provide evidence to support position, and seek resolution. This meeting can occur face-to-face, over the phone, or virtually. If the facilitator determines there is a need to change the grade, the facilitator may submit the Change of Grade form.

If the student-facilitator meeting does not resolve the issue to the student’s satisfaction, the student may submit a Level 1 Grade Appeal Form to the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs. The Assistant Dean will review the evidence provided by the student and seek to resolve the concern with the facilitator. A decision will be communicated to the student, advisor, and Dean within 10 business days. If the decision is to change the grade, the Assistant Dean will submit the Change of Grade form.

If the student is not satisfied with the Level 1 Grade Appeal resolution, the student may submit a Level 2 Grade Appeal Form to the Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. A decision will be made by the Dean in consultation with the course facilitator within 10 business days and the student and advisor will be notified of the decision immediately. If the decision is to change the grade, the Dean will submit the Change of Grade form. The decision of the Dean is final.

Academic Integrity

Elizabethtown College and the School for Continuing and Professional Studies assumes that all students will act honorably. Students are expected to adhere to the following Pledge of Integrity:

Elizabethtown College Pledge of Integrity

“I pledge to respect all members of the Elizabethtown College community, and to act as a responsible member of the College community. I pledge to respect the free exchange of ideas both inside and outside the classroom. I pledge to represent as my work only that which is indeed my own, refraining from all forms of lying, plagiarizing, cheating, and academic dishonesty. As a member of the Elizabethtown College community, I am responsible to represent and uphold these values.”

Standards of Academic Integrity

Academic work is expected unequivocally to be the honest product of the student’s own endeavor. Academic dishonesty – including, but not limited to, the examples below – constitutes a serious breach of academic integrity:

Breach of confidentiality. Integral components of courses are based on student and facilitator self-disclosure (the use of personal experiences) for the purpose of facilitating learning. The School expects students to honor confidentiality as it relates to student disclosure. No one should ever use information, comments, or opinions expressed by the students or the facilitator during classroom discussion in a manner intended to humiliate, embarrass, harass, damage, or injure others in their personal, public, or business lives. Confidentiality requires that no information be disclosed which would identify any particular individual. The student has a right to choose how much information to disclose and a responsibility to respect the limits of disclosure set by other students and facilitators.

Fabrication, falsification, or invention of information, data, or citations in any assignment. To knowingly help or attempt to help another student to commit an act of academic dishonesty is considered to be an equivalent breach of academic integrity and is treated as such.

Cheating, defined as using, giving, or receiving unauthorized information as part of an examination or other academic exercise. This includes handing in any work that was originally undertaken to satisfy requirements of the same course by another student.

Plagiarism through the failure to acknowledge, appropriately and accurately, the extent of the student’s reliance on or use of someone else’s words, ideas, data, or arguments, even when such material has been paraphrased, summarized, or rearranged. Conscious intent is not necessary for plagiarism to take place; committing plagiarism from ignorance still constitutes a serious violation of academic integrity.

Self-plagiarism by handing in any work that was part of work submitted previously in the current course or a prior course. Students are expected to create original work for each assignment, even when re-taking a course.

Violations of academic integrity are reviewed individually and according to the circumstances of the violation.

Procedures for Dealing with Violations of Academic Integrity involving course work

Student Meeting: When a facilitator discovers evidence of academic dishonesty in any form, a meeting is scheduled promptly with the student. This meeting can take place via e-mail, telephone or in person.  The facilitator will explain the breach of academic integrity found and discuss the situation with the student.  If this discussion resolves the issue and the facilitator determines that there was no breach of academic integrity, the process is complete.  If, after the meeting, the facilitator determines there is sufficient evidence of an academic integrity violation, the Written Notification step is initiated. If the facilitator is unable to reach the student to discuss the situation or the student does not respond to the facilitator within three business days, the notification process to the School will proceed to Written Notification without a meeting.

Written Notification:  The facilitator will inform the student in writing via email using the Academic Integrity Violation Form. Facilitators exercise discretion in determining the recommended penalty; this discretion includes re-submission of work, assignment failure, and/or course failure.  The Form is then reviewed to determine whether a Review Committee is required and signed by the Director of Student Services, the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, and the Dean. In addition, Recommended Actions will be made to facilitate student development so that a future violation is less likely to occur. This formal documentation will be sent to the student and academic advisor, who will place a copy in the student’s advising file.

Review Committee: If the violation is of sufficient seriousness, or forms a pattern of abuse by the student, the Dean of the School may appoint a Review Committee to evaluate the violation and/or history of violations.  Recommendations from the Review Committee may include failure of an assignment or course up to expulsion or dismissal from the School and College. The Dean will notify the student in writing of the decision and the factors that influence that decision.

The student may appeal the decision of the Review Committee to the Dean. The appeal must be presented in writing to the Dean within 5 days of receipt of the decision.  A meeting will be held with the student, the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, and the Dean.  The Dean will review the matter and will inform the student in writing of the final outcome. The Dean’s decision is final.

Attendance Policy

Academic programs offered through the School are in an accelerated format; therefore, it is expected that students attend all scheduled face-to-face classes and complete all online requirements for the entire session in order to achieve the course outcomes.

For face-to-face or blended classes, students are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions for the full class time. Arriving late or leaving early could have an impact on the student’s grade. If absence or lateness is unavoidable, students must notify the facilitator as soon as possible, prior to the class meeting. The result may be missed points or make-up work assigned by the facilitator; this is at the facilitator’s discretion. If a student is aware of a conflict at the time of registration, he/she are encouraged to contact the facilitator immediately to discuss the scheduled absence. Depending on the class session affected, it may be prudent to select a different course that is not impacted by the scheduled absence.

For online or blended classes, students are expected to fully participate in online activities, discussion boards, and assignments throughout the course. If lateness of an assignment or absence from a scheduled on-line session is unavoidable, students must notify the facilitator as soon as possible, prior to the assigned activity. The result may be missed points or make-up work assigned by the facilitator; this is at the facilitator’s discretion.

In consideration of the learning experiences that occur in the classroom and the value of those interactions for all students enrolled in the class, students are not permitted to bring any additional persons to class who are not enrolled in that class.  This includes any family members (spouses, children, siblings, etc.), friends and co-workers.

Due to the accelerated nature of the courses, students who do not complete coursework in the first week may be administratively withdrawn if they do not show their intent to complete the course by participating academically in the second week.

Students who determine they are unable to complete a course in which they have participated must contact their academic advisor immediately to discuss options. For most situations, students should refer to the SCPS Withdrawal and Refund Policy. Medical Withdrawals or Incomplete Requests are for extraordinary circumstances and require additional documentation.

Failure to properly withdraw from a course or request a medical withdrawal or incomplete within the appropriate timeframe may result in a student earning a failing grade.

For pertinent deadlines and procedures for initiating a drop/withdrawal, medical withdrawal, or incomplete, see the School’s student handbook.

Withdrawal and Refund Policy

Withdrawal from classes after the start of a session affects your academic record and tuition charge/financial aid. Contact your academic advisor immediately to discuss the withdrawal process and/or complete the Withdrawal Form in JayWeb to initiate the process.

To determine the effect withdrawing from a course may have on your financial aid status, contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@etown.edu; 717-361-1404.

The meeting of class refers to the actual day of the week that blended/on-ground class meets. For purposes of these deadlines, online classes start on the first Monday of each session. For four-week winter online sessions, the class starts on the first Sunday of the session.

NOTE: Students are not able to initiate a drop/withdrawal request after the last date of the session.

Medical Withdrawal

A medical withdrawal for a physical health or mental health reason is defined as a withdrawal from the College for at least the remainder of the semester term in which it is initiated. The withdrawal may extend through subsequent semesters depending on the nature of the health concerns. The transcript will indicate “W” for all current courses.  The student must provide their academic advising coordinator with the required written documentation from their doctor, and must provide re-entry documentation prior to readmission.  Students should also consult with Financial Aid and the Business Office regarding implications for individual financial aid and the Institutional Refund Policy.

Policy for reservists/students called to active duty

While the Veterans Administration and the American Council on Education have not mandated policies for colleges/universities whose students are called to active duty, the American Council on Education has provided guidelines for these situations:

• 100% tuition refund through the 3rd week of the session.
• No notations made on the permanent record card.
• After the 3rd week, grades of “I” (incompletes) or “W” (withdrawals) are given – based upon the students’ preference.
• Tuition refund is given for only courses with grades of “W.”
• If the withdrawal is during the last two full weeks of the session, full course credit is to be awarded and grades earned by the time of activation shall be posted. 
• A copy of the activation paper is filed in the SCO’s file and the Advising folder.

Student Enrollment:

Step In-Step Out

Step in-step out is a feature of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies in recognition of the many commitments held by our adult students. A student is not required to be enrolled in every session in order to maintain “active” status with the School.

When considering whether to step out, students should communicate with their academic advisor to understand the impact that time away may have on course scheduling and degree completion, as well as the impact to financial aid eligibility. Additionally, students should be aware of the impact that stepping out may have on payment requirements of loans from prior institutions.

Inactivation and Re-enrollment Procedures

If a student steps-out for three consecutive academic semesters (fall, spring, summer) and is non-responsive to SCPS communication, they may be made inactive. In effect, this withdraws the student from the School until action to re-enroll is taken. An Inactive student will no longer receive emails from SCPS, or have access to Elizabethtown College systems.

Inactive students who wish to return may request re-admission by contacting their former academic advising coordinator or admission’s counselor.

Students who were inactivated or have left the School while on academic probation or while experiencing academic difficulty (refer to the SCPS Academic Standing policy), will be required to submit responses to specified prompts to petition for re-admission. Responses will be reviewed along with the student’s application for re-admission and transcripts. Students will be notified if additional information is needed, and/or when a decision has been made.

Academic Recognition and Program Completion

Dean’s List

To be eligible for the School’s Dean’s List, undergraduate students have to complete nine graded credits in the fall semester and nine graded credits in the spring semester (for a total of 18 credits) and achieve a GPA of 3.6 or higher in each semester.

The Dean’s List distinction is noted on a recipient’s transcript each summer. Additionally, students receive a certificate card in the mail, further acknowledging the achievement of academic excellence.

Program Completion / Degree Conferral

Degrees are typically conferred in May, August, and January. All coursework must be completed and prior to the date of degree conferral. This includes work taken at other colleges or through testing; all official transcripts must be received prior to the date of degree conferral. 

Students approaching the last few credits in their program will be sent a notice to complete a Graduation Verification form through Jayweb.  Students will fill in their name as they wish it to appear on their diploma or degree and will be asked to verify or provide updated contact information.

Commencement

The School of Continuing and Professional Studies celebrates the achievement of its graduates through an annual commencement ceremony, held in May. All degree-seeking students are invited and encouraged to participate. Students completing a Graduate Certificate are not eligible to participate in commencement.

Undergraduate students must have completed all degree requirements, including having all official transcripts from other institutions submitted, prior to the May commencement date in order to participate in that year’s ceremony.  Students completing after the May commencement date will be invited to attend the following May’s ceremony.

Diplomas are mailed to students following the August and January degree conferral. Diplomas are presented at commencement to students with a May degree conferral date, provided they do not have a business office hold. Diplomas are mailed to May graduates who are unable to attend commencement.

Information relating to commencement will be sent to all eligible students by the College Store for regalia and the SCPS for all details and requests for information. Commencement is a ticketed event, determined by the space available and the number of participants each year.

Discontinuation of Early Participation

The School of Continuing and Professional Studies no longer allows students to participate in Commencement as Early Participants. The School recognizes the immense accomplishment of students who have completed all program/degree requirements prior to commencement day and wishes to celebrate those achievements. Eliminating Early Participation will allow for additional family members of graduates to attend and will enhance the experience for those who have completed their coursework within the academic year leading up to the ceremony.

Students who complete their requirements after Commencement will be invited to participate in the following year’s ceremony. Students are encouraged to talk with their advisors regularly about their degree completion plan.

Graduating with Honors

Undergraduate Latin Honors

Undergraduate students will graduate with Latin honors after having completed a minimum of 60 credits from Elizabethtown College and earning a grade point average for those credits of:

• 3.60 or better for cum laude
• 3.75 or better for magna cum laude
• 3.90 or better for summa cum laude

Undergraduate SCPS Honors

SCPS Honors is awarded to undergraduate students who achieve a 3.60 or higher and complete a minimum of 30 credits with Elizabethtown College, but less than 60 credits, which is the residency requirement to receive Latin Honors. Students should keep honors’ residency requirements in mind when considering the option of taking credits at other schools.

Graduate Honors in the Discipline

Graduate students will graduate with Honors in the Discipline having completed their program with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. Recipients will receive an honor cord to wear at Commencement.