Degrees and Graduation

University faculty, advisors, and staff play an important role in guiding students to degree completion. Learn about the tools available to you for reviewing degree requirements and the degree clearance process and associated deadlines. Also, learn more about the commencement ceremony and the availability of diplomas.

Degree Clearance at OSU

The Office of the Registrar monitors institutional requirements as defined in Academic Regulation 25, while the academic college and departmental advisors monitor baccalaureate core, college, major, option, and minor requirements.

The Office of the Registrar Role

  • Create the Week 10 Institutional Awarding reports
  • Review IA Checklist Notes from Advisors
  • Load students into the graduation pool based on MyDegrees information
  • Add/remove deficiency holds
  • Communicate progress to students and advisors:
    • OSU email address with information about graduation status and any existing deficiencies.
    • Provide graduation pool and deficiency reports to advisors
  • Perform final reviews and award degrees
  • Produce PDF of Final Audit for storage in OnBase

The Advisor Role

Learn more about the Degree Clearance Timeline and MyDegrees.

When are degree clearance deadlines, reports produced, communications sent, degrees awarded, and more? Degree Clearance Process Graphic 

Application for Graduation

Undergraduate students

Undergraduate students are automatically evaluated for graduation through Institutional Awarding.

Please note: Undergraduate students that are registered for courses for a term subsequent to the term in which their degree is awarded must apply for admission under a new status. If an application for a new status is not completed, the status will be changed to non-degree for the future term in which they are enrolled.

 

Graduate Students

Graduate students, must apply for graduation via the Apply to Graduate link in their Beaver Hub account. It is recommended that graduate students apply for graduation three terms prior to the term in which they intend to complete their degree requirements. Applications must be submitted no later than the end of the second week of the term in which the student plans to complete degree requirements. Please direct graduate students to the Graduate School or have them email [email protected].

Degree Requirements Resources

OSU Academic Catalog

The OSU Academic Catalog contains detailed program and university degree requirement information.

Overview of Double Degrees, Dual Majors & Honors Degrees

MyDegrees

MyDegrees is a degree planning and clearance tool for students and advisors. The degree checklist and academic planner are tools for advisors to use in helping students plan their schedules and to clear degree requirements for pending graduates. From the beginning of their academic career at OSU, students should be using this system to plan their enrollment and monitor their progress.

Faculty/staff login to Online Services, choose a term, identify a student, and you will be taken directly to MyDegrees to see the student's information.

Detailed information about this system is provided in the Intro to MyDegrees for Advisors documentation provided to assist faculty and staff in the use of this system. Video Tutorials are also available. 

MyDegrees Exception Access

  • MyDegrees allows advisors to apply exceptions to a student's audit to clear degree requirements. These exceptions are part of the audit trail of the degree clearance process.
  • Users with exceptions privileges may apply exceptions only in their areas of responsibility.

 

  • Exceptions may not be applied to university level requirements; these are the responsibility of the Office of the Registrar.
  • Users applying exceptions privileges inappropriately will receive a warning and the exception will be reversed. Continued violations will result in revocation of the user’s exceptions privileges.

Visit the Graduation & Degree Pages for Students:

Advisor & Registrar Roles

The Advisor Role
  • Select students from the Week 10 Institutional Awarding reports
  • Review audit for accuracy and completeness
  • Notify students if curriculum change is needed (i.e., add a minor)
  • Create Substitutions and exceptions (click to download PowerPoint How-to) for major, option, minor or bacc core for area of responsibility
  • Create Checklist Notes for Registrars (IA, DEGR1, DEGR2, DEGR3)
  • Goal is completed Degree Audit Checklist. Intro to MyDegrees documentation is available to assist you in the use of the sytem.
The Registrar Role
  • Create the Week 10 Institutional Awarding reports
  • Review IA Checklist Notes from Advisors
  • Load students into the graduation pool based on MyDegrees information
  • Add/remove deficiency holds
  • Communicate progress to students and advisors:
    • Email ONID account with information about graduation status and any existing deficiencies.
    • Provide graduation pool and deficiency reports to advisors
  • Perform final reviews and award degrees
  • Produce PDF of Final Audit for storage in OnBase

Double Degrees, Dual Majors, & Honors Degrees

Double Degrees

A student may earn multiple, different degrees simultaneously. Additional degrees may also be earned after your first degree was awarded. The degrees may be offered by the same college, or by different colleges. To earn a double degree, or for each additional degree, a student must complete a minimum of 32 credits above the minimum number of credits needed for one of the degrees.

On the student’s academic record, each degree awarded will be recorded as a separate degree with its major, (e.g., Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Bachelor of Arts in English). The student will also receive a separate diploma for each degree awarded (See Academic Regulation 26).

Some majors may only be pursued in conjunction with another degree or as a subsequent degree.

Dual (or Multiple) Majors

Though less common, a student may receive a single degree with multiple majors. Often the number of credits required to complete the requirements for multiple majors allows a student to earn multiple degrees, but that is not always the case. 

When the degree is awarded there will be one degree award with two majors recorded on the student’s record. The student will receive one diploma. 

Learn about standalone certificates

Honors Degrees

Students completing the Honors College curriculum receive an honors degree in the college of their major, (e.g., HBS Honors Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, or HBA Honors Bachelor of Arts in English). In some cases it might be possible for an Honors College student to earn multiple degrees simultaneously, each of which would be recorded as an honors degree.

 

Students seeking an honors degree must meet the requirements of the Honors College in order to receive their degree. Students that complete an honors degree will have the honors degree recorded on their academic record. The student’s diploma will also include the honors degree designation (e.g., Honors Bachelor of Science).

MyDegrees Exceptions Access Policy

MyDegrees allows advisors to apply exceptions to a student's audit to clear degree requirements. These exceptions are part of the audit trail of the degree clearance process.

Users with exceptions privileges may apply exceptions only in their areas of responsibility.

Exceptions may not be applied to university level requirements; these are the responsibility of the Office of the Registrar.

Users applying exceptions privileges inappropriately will receive a warning and the exception will be reversed. Continued violations will result in revocation of the user’s exceptions privileges.

Degree Requirements (Faculty)

OSU General Catalog

The OSU General Catalog contains detailed program and university degree requirement information.

MyDegrees

MyDegrees is a degree planning and clearance tool for students and advisors. The degree checklist and academic planner are tools for advisors to use in helping students plan their schedules and to clear degree requirements for pending graduates. From the beginning of their academic career at OSU students should be using this sytem to plan their enrollment and monitor their progress.

Faculty/staff login to Online Services, choose a term, identify a student, and you will be taken directly to MyDegrees to see the student's information.

Detailed information about this system is provided in the Intro to MyDegrees for Advisors documentation provided to assist faculty and staff in the use of this system.

Updating MyDegrees

Advisors: Please email [email protected] and type "mydegrees support" in the subject box.

Undergraduate Students: Contact your advisor to answer questions and resolve problems.

Changes to academic program requirements require curriculum proposals reviewed and approved by the University Curriculum Council. The Office of the Registrar receives notification of approved curricular changes from the curriculum proposal system and automatically adjusts your department's program requirements.