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Graduation

Housatonic Community College awards the Associate in Arts (AA) and Associate in Science (AS) degrees and certificates to qualified candidates as authorized by the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut.

Graduation Is Not Automatic:

It is recommended that students request a degree evaluation from their advisor when they complete 30 credits, or print one out themselves at any time from myCommNet. Students seeking a certificate should print their evaluation at the end of the first semester.

Catalog Selection:

Students are evaluated according to the curriculum printed in the catalog when they first enrolled except:

  • If you are not enrolled for 2 or more years you are a re-admit student and are evaluated under the re-admission catalog semester.
  • If you change your degree program you are evaluated on the semester that your program was changed.

Graduation Process:

Graduation Application Forms are online or available at the Registrar’s Office (LH-B109). They must be completed and handed in to the Registrar’s Office to be placed on the potential graduate list. This should be completed at least by mid-term before the student plans to graduate. Students will be notified by the Registrar’s Office with the results of their degree evaluation. There is no fee for graduation.

Candidates for graduation in May, August, or December are encouraged to attend the commencement ceremony in May.

Transfer Credits:

Students who wish to have credits from another institution transferred to Housatonic should visit the Academic Advising Center in room LH-A111 and arrange for an evaluation of transfer credits.

Graduation Requirements:

  • Official enrollment in a certificate or degree program.
  • Completion of a minimum number of semester hours for the certificate or degree program with an Academic Average of 2.00 GPA or above.
  • Most degree programs require a minimum of fifteen 200-level credits. Consult individual program requirements.
  • At least 25% of the graduation credit requirements must be granted by Housatonic Community College.
  • Satisfactory completion of all courses required in the student’s program.
  • Fulfillment of all financial obligations to the college.

Commencement Policy

Students who have completed all requirements and plan to graduate with a Degree or Certificate must submit a graduation application to the Registrar’s Office.

Application deadlines for potential Graduates:

  • May Graduates: April 26
  • August Graduates: August 5
  • December Graduates: December 10

NOTE:
If you are a potential August or December graduate who will be completing degree or certificate requirements at the end of the summer or fall semester and would like to participate in the May Commencement ceremony, the deadline to apply is April 11.

In order to participate in the May commencement ceremony August or December graduates must be registered at HCC for no more than 2 courses remaining, which do not exceed 8 credits left to finish over the subsequent summer or fall semester.

If you have applied for May graduation and are expected to complete your program in May but do not pass 2 courses or fewer, you will still be invited to the Commencement ceremony provided you register at Housatonic for the course(s) you need in the subsequent summer or fall semester.

You can attend the ceremony but your actual degree or certificate conferral will occur when you successfully complete all courses needed for your program.

Graduation Honors:

Beginning with Fall 2016

Students with exemplary academic performance shall be recognized at graduation with the following designations, in Latin:

  • Summa Cum Laude for students with a 3.9 – 4.0 grade point average
  • Magna Cum Laude for students with a 3.7 – 3.89 grade point average
  • Cum Laude with a 3.4 – 3.69 grade point average

All graduation honors are recorded on the student’s academic transcript.

Students with an Incomplete may become eligible retroactively for graduation honors upon completion of the course requirements, and recognition shall appear on the transcript, provided that the student has earned the required grade point average.

All graduation honors are recorded on the student's academic record.

Earning Multiple Degrees:

Students may earn a second degree in a different curriculum at Housatonic Community College. This will require that a student complete all program requirements of the second degree with 25% of the credits earned in the new curriculum as new credit hours at the college through which the second degree is to be conferred. A student may earn two degrees simultaneously at HCC by fulfilling all requirements as stated above.

A student wishing to earn a certificate and degree in the same program must complete the requirements of the certificate program and apply for graduation prior to earning the degree.

Requests for additional degrees beyond the second require prior approval from the Academic Dean.

Completing HCC Degree Requirements at Other Colleges

Students enrolled in a degree program who wish to complete Housatonic Community College degree requirements at other colleges or universities should request approval prior to undertaking such work. This procedure is referred to as "reverse transfer." In the case of course credits taken at other Connecticut Community Colleges with equivalent common course numbers, this approval may be received through the registrar’s office with the approval of the department chairperson. When the course work is from another higher education institution the courses should be pre-approved, when possible, through the Office of the Academic Dean. The Academic Dean will provide approval based on the recommendation of the Department Chairperson for the program.