Graduation Requirements

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For associate degrees, attainment of a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit, a minimum of 18 hours must be earned in attendance at Harper College and be in courses numbered 100 or above. For certificates of completion, 50 percent of required credit hours must be earned at Harper. Up to four hours of credit in physical education activity courses (100 level) may be included as free electives in the minimum 60 required hours for an associate degree, excluding the AGS degree. A maximum of four semester hours of Independent Study credit may be included as free electives in the minimum 60 required hours for an associate degree.
In order to earn an associate degree, students must attain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0. Attainment of a minimum GPA of 2.0 for any applicable course work is required for all certificate programs.
Requirement of 60 hours must be in courses numbered 100 or above for the degrees of Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in Fine Arts, Associate in General Studies or Associate in Engineering Science. Courses below 100 level may be used only where an AAS program allows.
Fulfillment of appropriate associate degree requirements as listed in the College Catalog at the time the student first enrolled or any catalog thereafter except for courses or programs no longer offered. Students have a maximum of 10 years to complete requirements from the catalog edition under which they first enrolled. Students who do not complete requirements within 10 years must upgrade to the most recent catalog edition. Students may choose to upgrade to a more recent catalog edition at any time; however, curricular degree requirements of more than one catalog edition cannot be combined to complete degree requirements without the written permission of the Provost or designee.
- Students who are already admitted into, or are in the process of fulfilling requirements for a career degree or certificate program under their original catalog, may be required to upgrade to a more recent catalog edition, due to updates in industry, licensing and/or accreditation standards.
- Students who fail to complete their degree or certificate within the 10-year limit should meet with an Academic Advisor to determine if an extension can be granted or to help decide which catalog edition best meets their academic and career goals.
Effective spring 2020, Harper College has instituted a Stop Out policy, in which students who have stopped attending for four or more consecutive semesters, including summer, must update their student record through their MyHarper portal upon reenrollment. Students are subject to the degree requirements stated in the Harper College catalog at the time of reenrollment.
All associate degrees require a student to successfully complete a World Cultures and Diversity course as a graduation requirement. World Cultures courses that fulfill this requirement will be designated with this symbol: + Fulfillment of this requirement for one associate degree and/or program of study does not guarantee it has been met for another.
A student must apply for graduation online at harpercollege.edu no later than one week after the midterm of the semester in which the student intends to graduate. Harper College offers one commencement ceremony per year. Students are encouraged to participate in the formal graduation ceremony in May which includes previous fall and upcoming spring and summer graduates. Students should complete their application for graduation when registering for the semester in which their graduation requirements will be fulfilled.
Students that determine they have fulfilled all graduation requirements but have not yet been issued a credential (degree/certificate) must apply for graduation no more than two years after the student’s last date of enrollment. Graduation dates may not be retroactive; any student that applies for graduation and meets criteria will be issued a credential for the semester in which they apply.