Graduation Certification Process

Overview

Rice University confers degrees three times per academic year at the end of each semester in August, December, and May. For Summer (August) and Fall (December) degree recipients, there is an available December Commencement Ceremony. Eligible participants can attend that event, or wait to participate in the university's annual Commencement Ceremonies weekend which takes place annually at the end of the Spring semester, in May.

For degree conferral and graduation each semester, the same general process is followed to certify students for graduation. First, students must formally apply for graduation with the Office of the Registrar (OTR) to indicate they are meeting (or intend to meet) all graduation requirements by the time of their expected graduation date. The receipt of this official application for degree by the OTR initiates the certification and review process. Then, departments (or programs) review and certify that the degree candidates within their academic program (degree, major, minor, or certificate) have met their program requirements. The OTR facilitates the certification in conjunction with designated faculty members and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS). As final grades are submitted (or additional requirements are completed at the end of each semester), student records are reviewed again before degrees are finally conferred and awarded.

Degree Works and the Initial Review of Degree Candidates

Rice uses Degree Works, a degree audit system, to monitor and certify students’ progress toward degree completion. A student’s academic progress and course history are audited against the requirements for their declared academic program, as stated in Rice’s official curriculum, the General Announcements (GA). For all undergraduate students (major, minor, and/or certificate programs) and for students in select graduate programs (terminal or professional master’s degrees, diploma programs, and graduate certificate programs), faculty members identified as Official Certifiers review and certify that students have met academic program requirements by using the petitions function within Degree Works.

Students who intend to graduate will complete an application for degree in a given semester by the deadline stated in the Academic Calendar each semester:

  • on or near September 30 for fall graduation (for both undergraduate and graduate students)
  • on or near October 31 for spring graduation, (for undergraduate students)
  • on or near the Friday of the 2nd week of classes for spring graduation, (for graduate students), and
  • on or near June 30 for summer graduation (for both undergraduate and graduate students)

More information regarding the application for degree process for students can be found on the Degree Application section of the Office of the Registrar website here. Note: Graduate students must additionally observe deadlines stated (as applicable) by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) related to graduation, thesis submission, candidacy, etc. Students should reference the Academic Calendar for more information.

Official Certifiers complete petitions for any necessary course substitutions or exceptions, and ultimately for the approval of program requirements. Additional information on the review and certification of degree candidates using Degree Works is sent to Official Certifiers by email from the Office of the Registrar (OTR) each semester.

Once students have applied for graduation, the Official Certifiers will be asked to complete their review and certification of degree candidates within Degree Works (please see the term-specific Academic Calendar for information on the actual deadline):

  • generally by week 10 of the fall semester
  • generally by week 6 of the spring semester, and
  • generally by the end of July for the summer semester

Graduate students in MA, MS, DMA, or PhD programs work with their department or program administrators and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) to monitor progress toward degree completion. Any necessary paperwork (forms, petitions, certification, etc.) must be submitted to GPS for these graduate students by the stated deadline(s) on the Academic Calendar (or set forth by GPS).

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) performs an additional review of all graduate students, while the Office of the Registrar (OTR) processes all petitions and approvals, from faculty and GPS (as applicable) for both undergraduate and graduate students by using Degree Works.

Additional Review of Degree Candidates - Undergraduate Students

After processing the departmental (or program) petitions and approvals, the Office of the Registrar (OTR) will conduct a second internal review of all degree candidates. If no deficiencies are noted, their graduation status will be changed from Applied (AP) to Pending (PN) - Pending Final Grades/Review (for undergraduate students who are expected to graduate, pending successful completion of all in-progress requirements and coursework).

Additional Review of Degree Candidates - Graduate Students

After processing the departmental (or program) petitions and approvals, the Office of the Registrar (OTR) will update graduation statuses from Applied (AP) to University Requirements Review (UR). The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) will ensure all university requirements are met. The Office of the Registrar will then conduct a second internal review of all degree candidates. If no deficiencies are noted, their graduation status will be changed from University Requirements Review (UR) to:

  • Pending (PN) - Pending Final Grades/Review (for undergraduate or graduate students who are expected to graduate, pending successful completion of all in-progress requirements and coursework), or
  • Pending Thesis (PT) - Pending Completion of Thesis Requirements Only (for graduate students with no in-progress coursework who are expected to graduate, pending successful completion of all thesis requirements, including candidacy, defense, and/or submission)

Additional Review of Degree Candidates - MBA Students

After processing the departmental (or program) petitions and approvals, the Office of the Registrar (OTR) will conduct a second internal review of all degree candidates. If no deficiencies are noted, their graduation status will be changed from Applied (AP) to Pending (PN) - Pending Final Grades/Review (for MBA students who are expected to graduate, pending successful completion of all in-progress requirements and coursework).

Completion of Graduation Requirements and Final Review of Degree Candidate

At the end of the semester, or after courses and university requirements are completed, final grades have been submitted, and all thesis requirements are completed and/or submitted (for graduate students), degree candidates will undergo two additional reviews by the Office of the Registrar (OTR). If all requirements are verified to have been completed successfully, the degree candidate’s graduation status will be changed to Approved to Graduate (AG).

Degree candidates who have successfully completed requirements will be updated to Awarded (AW) as a final step. The official graduation dates each academic year are typically December 30 for fall, on or near the second Saturday in May for spring, and typically August 31 for summer. After the awarding of degrees, students will be sent their Rice diplomas, and they become members of the Rice Alumni community.

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