Graduation

To qualify for an associate’s degree, a student must be admitted to a degree program, complete the program requirements as identified in the audit curriculum, attain at least a 2.0 cumulative and program GPA, and petition to graduate.

Completion is defined as earning the grade A, B, C, D, or S for any course. An earned D may not count toward graduation, depending on program and/or division policies. As part of the graduation requirements for the Associate of Applied Business (AAB), Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Associate of Individualized Study (AIS), and Associate of Technical Study (ATS) degrees, a student must complete at least 21 credit hours in general education areas. See the College catalog for details.

Program Graduation Requirements
(Degree Audit Curriculum)

Requirements for each degree and certificate program at Cincinnati State are published each year in the College catalog. A student is expected to fulfill the requirements in effect for the catalog year when the student enrolls in the the program. This set of requirements may be referred to as the student’s Academic Evaluation or Degree Audit curriculum. Students can review a copy of their Degree Audit curriculum using the MyServices tab in the MyCState section of Cincinnati State’s website.

A student readmitted to the College after an absence of a year or more is expected to fulfill the requirements in effect at the time of readmission. Students should consult with their program chair or academic advisor to discuss any changes made to program requirements that could affect progress toward completing the degree or certificate program.

Graduation Petition

A student must file a graduation petition in order to graduate. Any matriculated student may submit a graduation petition when he or she has earned 70 credit hours (including transfer credit) toward an associate’s degree, or 40 credit hours (including transfer credit) toward a one-year certificate.

The graduation petition is available here.

Petitions for certificates in programs shorter than one year should be submitted according to the schedule below and corresponding with the term when the student expects to complete the certificate (no specified number of credit hours required to petition).

The petition must be filed in the Office of the Registrar prior to the date of completed coursework. Check Calendar of  Important Dates for specific deadlines.

A student’s graduation date is the last day of the academic term in which the student completes all requirements. The College holds only one commencement ceremony each year.

Participation in Commencement

A student may participate in the annual commencement ceremony if he or she meets all of the following requirements:

• The student will satisfactorily complete all requirements for an associate’s degree during or before the Spring Term immediately preceding commencement, or the student can complete all remaining degree requirements during the Summer Term immediately following commencement. The ability to complete requirements in Summer Term is defined as needing no more than 15 credits, which may include the final cooperative education, clinical, or internship placement. The student will satisfactorily complete all requirements for a certificate of forty-five (45) or more credits during or before the Spring Term immediately preceding commencement.
• The student has not previously participated in a Cincinnati State commencement ceremony to receive the same degree.
• The student has submitted a Petition to Graduate form to the Registrar’s Office, by the published deadline applicable to the term when the student will complete all degree requirements.
• The student has submitted an Intent to Participate in Graduation form to the Student Activities Office by the published deadline.

Graduation Honors

Associate’s degree candidates who earn at least 45 credit hours at Cincinnati State and achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher will graduate with honors. Honors are classified as follows:

Cum Laude 3.500 - 3.799
Magna Cum Laude 3.800 - 3.899
Summa Cum Laude 3.900 - 4.000

Students who complete their degree requirements in the term following commencement (Summer Term) are eligible for honors at commencement only if the remaining requirements are courses that do not affect GPA calculations, such as cooperative education and internship courses. Honors designations in the printed program at commencement are projected based on GPA calculations made at the end of the Winter Term. The student’s GPA at the conclusion of the program will determine the final honors designation.