August graduates may participate in May Commencement if they have registered and paid by May 1 for their remaining courses through USD Summer Sessions. There are no exceptions to this policy; unavailability of a needed course in USD’s Summer Sessions will not be grounds for an exception. Both the USD Spring semester and Summer Sessions offerings are made available in the Fall semester so students may plan their course schedule accordingly. An exception might be granted in the case of extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control, in which case the student should contact the dean of his or her school to request an exception.
Undergraduate students with questions regarding their August graduation status should contact the One Stop Student Center. Graduate students with questions regarding their August graduation status should contact Ruey Shivers of the Graduate Records Office, rshivers@sandiego.edu. Questions regarding Summer Sessions courses and schedules should be directed to the Summer and Intersession Office, sio@sandiego.edu.
Baccalaureate Graduates (anchor link to August 2012 Baccalaureate Graduates)
Master’s and Doctoral Graduates (anchor link to August 2012 Master’s & Doctoral Graduates)
August 2012 Baccalaureate Graduates
Since Commencement is a solemn, official University action, close monitoring of authorized participants is mandatory. August baccalaureate graduates are not graduating, and can claim no right to participate in the May ceremony.
The USD catalog statement reads as follows:
Seniors graduating in August may participate in the previous May ceremony, provided that: 1) they take their remaining courses in USD's Summer Session; and 2) they have registered (including payment) in USD's Summer Session for their remaining courses by May 1, and have given to the Registrar's Office written evidence of such completed registration.
What does this mean for August 2012 baccalaureate graduates who wish to qualify for participation in the May 2012 Commencement?
Courses needed in Summer 2012 to complete degree work must be taken at the University of San Diego. Exceptions to this policy may be approved by the student’s dean when there are extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control. Unavailability of a needed course in USD's Summer Session will NOT be grounds for an exception to the policy about Commencement participation. August graduates who wish to take courses elsewhere (after procuring the appropriate waivers) may do so, but they may not participate in the May 2012 ceremony. (NOTE: Summer 2012 courses taken in USD's own Guadalajara and USD’s sponsored Summer Study Abroad programs will meet the requirement for courses taken at USD.)
August 2012 graduates should register in Intersession 2012 or Spring 2012 for any needed courses that are not being offered at USD in Summer 2012. To facilitate the process of looking at the Spring 2012 and Summer 2012 courses together, a list of courses, dates, and times of USD Summer Session offerings can be obtained at the Summer Session Office, Founders 117 or the USD website. The Intersession 2012 schedule will be available in Founders 117. NOTE: Students wishing to participate in the May 2012 Commencement may NOT complete their coursework with an Independent Study (499) during the summer. Unavailability of a needed course in USD's Summer Session will NOT be grounds for an exception to the policy about Commencement participation.
In cases where financial aid is involved in attendance at USD's Summer Session, papers must be filed timely (by Thursday, March 15, 2012) so that the request can be processed before May 1, 2012. Summer applications will be available in the Financial Aid Office on or after February 1, 2012.
As noted in the catalog statement above, May 1, 2012, is a final deadline for completion of summer registration at USD for August graduates wishing to qualify for participation in the May ceremony. August graduates may enroll in Summer Session after that day, but it will be too late for them to participate in the May 2012 Commencement ceremony.
Graduation invitations, caps and gowns will be issued only to:
- May graduates;
- August graduates who have registered and paid by May 1 in USD's Summer Session for all courses needed to complete the degree. (These courses may not include Independent Study.)
August 2012 Master's & Doctoral Graduates
August Master's & Doctoral students may participate in the May Commencement only if they have nine or fewer units remaining and if those units are in regular classroom courses, practicum, fieldwork, student teaching or internship. In order to receive permission to attend Commencement, eligible students must register and pay in full for their remaining units at USD no later than May 1, 2012. August graduates may not attend the May 2012 Commencement if their remaining work includes: independent study; foreign language or comprehensive examination; independent final project; integration paper; master’s thesis; or doctoral dissertation.
If you expect to complete your degree during the summer, please be aware that as a potential August graduate, in order to qualify to participate in the May commencement ceremony you agree to complete all degree requirements for which you are pre-registered in USD’s Summer Session. If you withdraw from your summer course(s) after having participated in the May commencement, the tuition charges for your Summer courses will remain on your account, no money will be refunded to you, and any outstanding balance will remain due.
NOTE: Courses needed in Summer 2012 to complete degree must be taken at USD. Exceptions to this policy may be approved by the student’s dean when there are extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control. Unavailability of a needed course in USD’s Summer Session will NOT be grounds for an exception to the policy about Commencement participation. August graduates wishing to take courses elsewhere may do so, but they may not participate in the May 2012 ceremony.
