GRADUATION
Students who are completing the requirements for a master’s degree from the Bauer College of Business in the current or upcoming semester need to follow the steps outlined in “Filing for Graduation” to notify the Registration and Academic Records Office to initiate the degree certification process and order the student’s diploma. Students who also wish to participate in the commencement ceremony need to follow the steps outlined in “Procedures for Bauer College Commencement”. Please click on the link below for commencement information.
Commencement Ceremony
Commencement is the graduation ceremony to publicly acknowledge the awarding of the degree. The UH Bauer College of Business has two commencement ceremonies specifically for graduate students, one at the end of the Fall semester and one at the end of the Spring semester. Students graduating in the Summer may participate in the Spring ceremony prior to their actual graduation, or the Fall ceremony following their summer completion. On-line registration (R.S.V.P.) and information for the Graduate Commencement is available on the Bauer web site. Although a student participates in Commencement, actual graduation is contingent upon successful completion of all graduate coursework and other degree requirements by the end of the semester for which the student has filed.
Click here for commencement info
Filing for Graduation
Master’s level students graduating from the UH Bauer College of Business must officially file an application for graduation either the semester prior to, or at the beginning of, the semester in which they plan to graduate.
Students must complete ALL requirements toward their degree in the semester they intend to graduate, or their graduation application will be disapproved.
Students wishing to graduate in the current semester who were disapproved for graduation in any past semester, must re-file for graduation.
Students filing for graduation prior to the deadline may submit a graduation application request online through their Enrollment Services Online account, https://www.stu.uh.edu (after logging in, select “Graduation Request” under the “Records” tab), or by completing all information on a downloaded hard copy of the graduation application form. Applications are also available in the Graduate & Professional Programs Office, 330 Melcher Hall, or from the Welcome Center. Completed paper applications should be submitted to the Graduation Office, 128 Welcome Center, or mailed to:
Registration and Academic Records
University of Houston
Room 102 E. Cullen Building
Houston, TX 77204-2027
Applicants who miss the deadline must submit a hard copy graduation application by mail or in person to the Graduation Office, or fax the form to 713-743-9030. Late applicants’ names cannot always be included in the commencement program so if you plan to participate in the ceremony, apply on time!
Deadlines to file for graduation
| Semester | Fall 2007 | Spring 2008 | Summer 2008 | Fall 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | September 14 | February 8 | June 27 | September 19 |
NOTE: Prior to receiving your UH diploma you will be asked by the College to fill out an employment survey. Please watch for an e-mail that will be sent to your UH e-mail alias after the last day of classes. Completion of this survey benefits you and your classmates by providing anonymous aggregate data about the job market and average salaries for graduates to help you interview and negotiate more effectively. Rankings organizations also solicit this information to use in ranking graduate programs. Your cooperation in providing the requested information is very important to the Bauer College.
Check remaining Degree Requirements Prior to Filing
During the registration cycle prior to the intended semester of graduation, masters’ students should check with an academic advisor to verify that all degree requirements will be met. October is a good time to do this if you plan to graduate in the spring, and February/March would be a good time for a degree plan check if you plan to graduate in the summer or fall. If you have any questions, consult your academic advisor before the beginning of the graduating semester.
The Graduation approval Process
- Students fill out a Graduation Application form, available online or in 330 Melcher Hall. MBA/JD and other joint program graduates will need to submit two applications for graduation at the same time. (The same form is used for all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.) Forms are submitted to the Graduation Office, 128 Welcome Center.
- The Graduation Office will send a graduation certification form to the academic advisors in the Bauer College Graduate & Professional Programs Office.
- The academic advisor in the Bauer College will check your degree program requirements, fill out the certification form, and return it to the Graduation Office. You will receive a copy of this form by mail. If, as is true in most cases, you are currently completing your last requirements, your graduation will be “conditionally approved.” Your graduation status online will show as “pending.”
- After grades have been posted, the Graduation Office will send final graduation verification forms to the College (usually 3-4 weeks after the semester has ended). At this point, your advisor will either approve or disapprove your graduation for that specific semester. Once a final audit has been performed by the Graduation Office, your degree will be posted on your UH transcript.
- Students normally receive their diplomas from the Graduation Office in the mail 2-3 months after the end of their graduating semester. If you prefer, you may arrange to pick up your diploma in person from the Graduation Office in the Welcome Center. It is important to make sure that the Graduation Office has a correct address to which your diploma will be mailed in the U.S. or overseas. In the event that you are not certain where you will be living several months after graduation, it is recommended that you have your diploma mailed to your parents, or to a friend or relative with a stable mailing address. If you do not receive your diploma within 3 months of completing your degree, contact the UH Graduation Office at (713) 743-9352.
Graduation Certifications
In certifying a master’s level application for graduation, the academic advisor will verify that:
- You have successfully completed all courses required for your degree plan (no Incompletes should remain)
- You have at least a 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA at UH (calculated from all grades in graduate courses taken at UH, including those in any prior UH graduate program at this institution).
- You have no more than 11 semester hours of “C+” or below grades in graduate courses taken at UH.
- You have completed at least 30 semester hours of graduate courses toward your degree in residence at UH.
- You have completed your degree within five years (or for the 48-hour MBA degree, that you have completed your degree within seven years, and that you have earned at least 36 semester hours that are not more than five years old at the time of graduation).
- Receipt of your bachelor’s degree has been verified and the prior degree has been posted on the UH transcript.
- The correct number of graduate transfer hours has been posted on your UH transcript, if applicable.
Any certificates you have earned by taking the required number of electives in specific areas will be mailed to you by the Bauer College Graduate & Professional Programs Office within 3 months of graduation.
Graduation with honors
You will automatically receive the Bauer College of Business Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence if your UH graduate cumulative GPA is 3.70 or higher upon completion of your graduate degree. These awards will be mailed separately by the Graduate & Professional Programs Office. The Dean’s Award is college honors, not university honors, and does not appear on the student’s UH diploma.
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334 Melcher Hall Room 330
Houston, TX 77204
713.743.0700
houstonmba@uh.edu