Graduation Requirements
The student is responsible for ensuring that he/she complies with all regulations and completes all degree requirements. Requirements for graduation are determined by a dual system reflecting both the quality and quantity of a student’s work. These are expressed in terms of semester credit hours and in a calculated GPA derived from assigned course grades.
A candidate for an associate's degree must complete a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit of academic work. At least 30 hours of the degree requirements must be earned at Cumberland University. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 is required for all course work taken at Cumberland University. Students must earn a grade of "C" or better in each core course required by the academic major.
A candidate for a bachelor’s degree must complete a minimum of 120 semester hours of credit of academic work. At least 25% of the degree requirement must be taken at Cumberland University. At least half of those (15 hours for 120 hour programs) must be upper division (300-400 numbered) courses. The candidate must complete those courses required in the General Education Core (GEC), the specific requirements for a chosen major and sufficient elective hours to complete the total credit hours requirement. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 is required for all course work taken and accepted at Cumberland University. A student must earn a grade of “C” or better in each core course required by the academic major.
Transient permission will not be granted for any coursework if the student is within the last thirty (30) hours required for graduation for Bachelor's or Associate's degrees.
Except as listed below, no student will be allowed to walk in Commencement unless they have completed all graduation requirements. We will allow students who have a documented ability to complete all graduation requirements in the May and Summer terms to walk with the approval of the Academic Affairs Office. These students must be registered for the May and Summer courses.
Students continuously enrolled in Cumberland University ordinarily will be allowed to graduate under the catalog that is current when they enter Cumberland University, provided graduation is within seven years of the time of that entrance date and the required courses are still in the University curriculum. Cumberland University will make every effort to honor curricula listed in the student’s entering Catalog. The University reserves the right to change degree requirements due to federal or state government licensure changes, to regulatory agency mandated modification, or to other extenuating circumstances. Continuously enrolled students may elect to graduate under any one catalog in use during the eight-year period with approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. If a student is not in continuous enrollment in the University, he/she must meet all requirements listed in the catalog including regulations that are in effect at the time of his/her return. Exceptions to this policy may be requested in writing by Academic Appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Degree requirements for each academic major offered by the University are published in this document. All academic degree requirement exceptions must be approved via Academic Appeal by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Students must submit degree requirement modification requests in writing to the Registrar.
The curriculum is designed to ensure that students study a common body of knowledge covering a broad range of disciplines. The purpose is to see that students develop those skills necessary for analytical thinking, for communicating ideas, and for choosing an area of study that will be rewarding. The General Education Core (GEC) includes this common body of knowledge.
The University reserves the right to hold diplomas and/or transcripts until the student has satisfied his/her University obligations.