20.2.1 Candidates for graduation must file applications with the graduation office prior to the deadlines published in the class schedule, according to the semester in which they wish to graduate:

20.2.2 Students must be cleared for graduation by a graduation advisor. Students who complete degrees and certificates receive the appropriate award after semester grades are posted.

20.3.1 A student must attain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 for all registered work to be eligible to graduate from Dixie State College.

20.3.2 Only "D" grades or better will be counted toward graduation credit, but "D" grades may not be transferable credit to other schools.

20.3.3 Courses numbered below 100 (under the quarter system) or below 1000 (under the semester system) do not count toward overall credits earned for graduation.

20.3.4 In order to graduate with a Dixie State College associate degree, a student must complete at least 20 semester hours of lower division credit at Dixie State College for institutional residency.

20.3.5 In order to graduate with a Dixie State College bachelor degree, a student must complete at least 30 semester hours of upper division credit at Dixie State College for institutional residency.

20.3.6 A student must have cleared all financial obligations to the college in order to graduate.

20.3.7 Any exceptions must be approved by the appropriate academic dean and academic vice president.

20.4.1 Students will be assessed a non-refundable graduation fee at the time they apply for graduation.

20.5.1 All Dixie State College of Utah course work will be used to compute the GPA for honors, valedictory, or cum laude consideration. Transfer hours and credit by examination are not used in the computation of GPA for honors, valedictory, or cum laude consideration. Students must complete at least 26 semester hours at Dixie State College for an associate degree and 48 semester hours for a bachelors degree (not including spring semester prior to graduation) and presumed completion of all graduation requirements prior to commencement date.

20.5.2 Exceptions to academic recognition requirements must be approved by the appropriate academic dean and academic vice president.

20.5.3 Valedictorian: The academic council will determine the Dixie State College valedictorian. A student will be considered for valedictorian if s/he is in the top 1% of students by cumulative GPA.

20.5.4 Summa Cum Laude is conferred upon associates and bachelors degree students whose cumulative GPA ranks them in the top 3% of the graduating class based on a five year average of the top 3% of the college.

20.5.5 Magna Cum Laude is conferred upon associates and bachelors degree students whose cumulative GPA ranks them in the next 5% of the graduating class based on a five year average of the next top 5% of the college.

20.5.6 Cum Laude is conferred upon associates and bachelors degree students whose cumulative GPA ranks them in the next 7% of the graduating class based on a five year average of the next top 7% of the college.

20.5.7 The registrar shall publish on the registrar's graduation web page the five year average GPA students will be required to achieve to merit the honors described in this policy.

20.6.1 A candidate for graduation with a bachelor degree must complete a minimum of 121 semester credit hours. These hours must fulfill the requirements for general education as specified by having an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree from an accredited institution, a specific bachelor degree and graduation as listed in the Dixie State College catalog.

20.7.1 A candidate for graduation with an associate degree must complete a minimum of 63 credit hours. These hours must fulfill the "Requirements for General Education and Graduation" listed in the Dixie State College catalog.

20.8.1 The associate of applied science degree is oriented toward job entry skills and is designed for students whose interests are in vocational training.

20.8.2 The associate of applied science degree requires that 15 hours of college credit be from general education requirements.

20.8.3 The other 48 hours will be in a specific discipline and/or required courses from related subject areas for a total of 63 credits.

20.8.4 General education course requirements are detailed in the Dixie State College catalog.

20.8.5 Curriculum for the student's major is described in each department's catalog listing.

20.8.6 Graduation requirements vary for vocational programs.

20.9.1 Students taking more than two years to complete graduation requirements may follow the requirements in the catalog under which they were admitted, or they may choose to follow the requirements described in the catalog the academic year they graduate.

20.9.2 Students who have been absent from Dixie State College for more than seven years must complete the current general education requirements for the associate degree.

20.10.1 Advanced Placement (AP) Credit: Students who have completed advanced placement courses in high school and passed the Educational Testing Service Examination with scores of 3, 4, or 5 will be granted 8 hours of credit for each, and given general education credit where applicable, with the exception of psychology and statistics which each grant only 4 hours of credit. (Refer to Credit by Examination, Prior Experiential Learning or Petition Policy 5-15.)

20.10.2 College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Credit: All students are eligible to take the CLEP (College Level Examination Program) battery which, if passed satisfactorily, may satisfy most of the general education requirements. (Refer to Credit by Examination, Prior Experiential Learning or Petition Policy 5-15.)

20.11.1 Transfer credit from other accredited institutions may be used to satisfy general education requirements.

20.11.2 If a course at another accredited institution of higher education fulfills general education requirements there, it will also be deemed satisfactory for the fulfillment of general education course requirements at Dixie, providing the course has like content.

20.11.3 For USHE Academic Transfer Information see the Academic Transfer Policy 5-47 and the USHE Articulation Agreements.

Other Revisions: