Graduation

Special Events Dress Code

Participation in Commencement is an earned privilege. Piedmont University students are expected to abide by the following guidelines for appropriate and acceptable dress. Participation is permitted at the sole discretion of Piedmont University.

Graduates should dress in appropriate attire under their academic regalia. It is suggested that graduates wear dress slacks, a button- up shirt and tie or a day dress. Hoods and mortarboards are worn at Commencement. Mortarboards are to be worn squared, not tilted. Men remove their mortarboards for the invocation and again during the benediction. Women do not remove their mortarboards. Some institutions allow students to display symbols of ethnic pride and religious cloths. Piedmont’s decision is not to allow these types of cloth to be worn as stoles but to allow a graduate to display it flat on top of the mortarboard. Any unapproved enhancements to regalia will be confiscated and returned to the graduate after the service. Replacement robes and/or mortarboards will be provided.

Tassels:

The tradition of moving the tassel signifies graduation. Undergraduate students wear the tassel on the right until the degree is conferred. Once the degree is conferred, the tassel is moved to the left. Since graduate students already have the distinction of achieving graduation, their tassels are worn on the left throughout the ceremony.

Mortarboards:

The current policy is to allow decorations on hats as long as they are two-dimensional. E.g., glitter is OK, but a several-inch palm tree sticking straight up is not. Lights, bows, feathers, action figures and flowers are also not acceptable. The policy will be enforced and noncompliant hats will be confiscated for the duration of the ceremony and the graduating student will be provided with a plain hat. Confiscated mortarboards will be returned to graduates after the ceremony.

Piedmont University does not permit the use of cords, medallions or stoles for graduate students.

Graduation and Residency Requirements

Only six graduate hours from an accredited institution may be transferred into a graduate program of study if applicable. The last 12 academic hours, exclusive of student teaching in Education programs, must be taken at Piedmont University.

All requirements for the degree must be completed within six years. A student must satisfy the following:

1. Hold unconditional acceptance status;
2. Successfully complete an approved program of study;
3. Earn an overall GPA of 3.0 in all graduate courses attempted with no more than one “C” grade in the approved program of study; and
4. Complete all documentation requirements and apply for graduation by the posted appropriate graduation application deadline.

Graduation Charges

An application fee is due at the time of application for graduation.* The fees are $125 for master’s and education specialist and $200 for doctoral candidates. It is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with application deadlines which are posted on the academic calendars. All university accounts must be paid in full before the degree is conferred.

* Late fees are assessed following the deadline published on the academic calendar. A late fee of $25 is required during the late fee period before the semester the student is graduating begins. A late fee of $100 is required during the late fee period after the semester the student is graduating begins. No late applications are accepted after the late fee period without permission from the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Posthumous Degrees

In order to receive a posthumous degree, a majority of the degree requirements must have been completed. The president must approve the awarding of the degree. When a posthumous degree is awarded, a member of the student’s family will be invited to accept the diploma during commencement exercises.