Graduation Applications

Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

Sterling College grants the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science. All candidates for the baccalaureate degree must meet the following requirements:

Candidates must be recommended by the Faculty and approved by the Board of Trustees;

Candidates must have completed 124 credit hours (no more than 65 credit hours from a 2-year college) with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C). Please review catalog standards for cumulative grade point average for education licensure.

  • Candidates must have completed at least 32 credit hours at Sterling College.
  • Candidates must have fulfilled the requirements of the general education portion of the liberal arts curriculum.
  • Candidates must have fulfilled the requirements for all declared majors and programs, including professional licensure and certification requirements, and must have attained a minimum grade point average of 2.5 in their declared majors and minors. Education students must meet the grade point requirement noted in the catalog for their concentration area and their professional licensure coursework. See STEP requirements for verification.
  • A minimum of 12 credit hours is required to be taken in a student’s major at Sterling College; a minimum of six credits in a minor must be taken at Sterling College.
  • Candidates must complete testing required for institutional assessment in both general education and the major upon recommendation of the Assessment Committee.
  • Online candidates authorize their account to be charged the graduation application service fee by submitting this form. This fee is required even if a student does not participate in the commencement ceremony.
  • Traditional campus candidates must pay the graduation application service fee at the Student Accounts Office before picking up their cap and gown. This fee is required even if a student does not participate in the commencement ceremony.

Graduate Degree Requirements

Sterling College grants the degrees of Master of Arts and Master of Science. All candidates for the master-level degree degree must meet the following requirements:

  • Graduation applications are due by the end of the second to last semester.
  • Candidates must have fulfilled all degree requirements and must have attained a minimum grade point average of 3.0, earning no more than 6 graduate hours of “C” and no graduate hours of “D” or “F.”
  • Candidates must be recommended by the Faculty and approved by the Board of Trustees.

Participation in Graduation Ceremonies

  • The annual Baccalaureate and Commencement ceremonies are held at the end of the spring term each year. Students who will complete all of their degree and licensure requirements by the end of August (prior to the start of the new academic year) may participate in the spring ceremony.
  • IMPORTANT: Students who complete their work at the end of the Fall Semester will not receive their diplomas and participate in the ceremony until the following spring commencement; however, the fall graduation date will be posted to the transcript.
  • The program for each commencement ceremony carries the names of all students who have completed the requirements for graduation within that academic year and also the names of those who will have completed such requirements prior to the beginning of the Fall semester of the next academic year.