Degree Plans & Applications

 

All students planning to graduate must complete an application for degree. Students are responsible for knowing and completing all the requirements for their degrees as outlined in the catalog. The student should use the following steps regarding the degree application.

General Information

Review the options of degree applications and select the appropriate degree form; i.e, BA (Bachelor of Arts), BS (Bachelor of Science), etc.

  1. Download the appropriate degree application.
  2. Use an unofficial transcript obtained from the Indigo Student Portal to input the data. Complete the bio data. Please use your official name(s) only. No nicknames.
  3. Enter the course number and grades for the classes that you have completed. For the classes you have not yet taken, the Registrar’s Office will fill that in upon completion.
  4. Meet with your advisor to ensure all classes are or will be completed in the upcoming trimesters. The final draft should be sent to your advisor for signatures. Your advisor will then submit the degree application to the Office of the Registrar via email.

The deadline to apply for a degree is: 

  • October 15 for February completion,
  • October 15 for May commencement, and
  • March 31 for August commencement, and 
  • March 31 for November completion.                  

Applications submitted after this deadline will be charged a late fee in the following progression:

  • Within the first 30 days of the initial deadline: $50
  • 60 days after the initial deadline: $100
  • 90 days after the initial deadline: $150

Applications will NOT be accepted later than one month before graduation due to processing, printing of programs, and printing of diplomas.

It is important to start planning early for the completion of degree requirements.  Each department may have specific requirements beyond these, but the following are requirements for all degrees.

  • Writing Intensive Courses. All students must take a minimum of three hours of courses at William Carey University that are designated as writing intensive.  Writing intensive courses are listed on page 80.
  • Service Learning Requirement.   All students must complete an approved service learning activity in order to graduate.
  • Graduation requirements may be met under any catalog in effect during the student's enrollment within six years of graduation.  Community/junior college students transferring directly to William Carey University under admissions standards in the current catalog may elect to follow the academic policies in the immediately preceding catalog, provided they were enrolled at the community/junior college at that time.  Students seeking teacher or nursing licensure should follow currently approved programs.
  • Students who earn a degree at William Carey University may earn a second degree by completing the following:  any remaining degree requirements, a second major (and  a second minor, if the major requires one), any current core requirements not fulfilled in the first degree, and all graduation requirements, including the residency requirement.
  • Students who hold a baccalaureate degree from another accredited college or university may earn a degree at William Carey University by completing all course work for the degree, including core courses, a major (and  a second minor, if the major requires one), and  all graduation requirements, including the residency requirement of 32 hours.  Courses in the prior degree that match William Carey University requirements will be waived.
  • Courses used to satisfy requirements in one category (core, major, minor) may be used to satisfy the requirements in another category, but the hours only count once.  This applies to earning a single degree, major, and minor or any additional degrees, majors, or minors.  However, courses used in one degree cannot be used to satisfy major or minor requirements in a second degree.
  • Upper-Level Hours.  Forty hours in courses numbered 300 or above are required.  (Courses transferred from community/junior colleges will not be counted as upper-level hours.)
  • Upper -Level hours in the Major Field or Concentration Field   At least 50% of the required hours in the major field or a BGS concentration must be upper-level hours.
  • The residency requirement consists of the last 25% of course credits required for a degree, which must be earned at William Carey University. Most degree programs require 128 semester hours, thus the residency requirement is 32 semester hours. Degrees that require 120 hours have a residency requirement of 30 semester hour.
  • A minimum of 25% of the course credit required for a degree must be earned at William Carey University.
  • Upper-level hours in the major or concentration(s) earned at William Carey University must total at least 12; students with two concentrations in the BGS may achieve this upper-level requirement through any combination of the 12 hours.
  • Hours in the each minor or each concentration earned at William Carey University must total at least six.
  • A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in each of these categories:  total academic hours attempted, all work done at William Carey University, courses in the major and in the minor.  Individual programs may require a higher GPA.
  • Application for Degree.  Students who are candidates for May degrees are required to file applications for their degrees in the Registrar's Office by October 15 prior to graduation.  Candidates for August graduation must file application for their degrees by March 31.  Late applications may be taken within 30 working days of these deadlines.  There will be a $100 late fee in addition to the graduation fee.
  • Graduation Ceremony. Degrees are not conferred in absentia, except by special permission of the Registrar.
  • A maximum of nine hours in directed readings and independent study courses may count toward a baccalaureate degree.
  • Only eight activity credit hours from PEG courses may count toward a degree.  Activity credit for PEG courses are those semester hours awarded for participation in cheerleading, intercollegiate baseball, softball, basketball, golf, and soccer.
  • Nursing students must have a grade of C or above in all nursing courses.
  • Education students must have a grade of C or above in all education courses.
  • Repeated Courses.  The first eighteen hours of repeated courses, including those transferred and taken at William Carey University, will count as grade replacements and will not count in the grade point average.  Thereafter, all grades will be calculated in the grade point average.
  • Junior/Community College Transfer Credits.  A maximum of 50% of community/junior college hours may be applied toward a bachelor’s degree at William Carey University. The maximum community/junior college hours that may be applied to a 128-hour degree is 64, and to a 120-hour degree, 60.
  • Students who wish to repeat courses taken at William Carey University must repeat those courses at the university in order to receive the repeated course's credit and quality points.  The last William Carey University grade earned on a repeated course is the grade counted toward the degree requirements and in the grade point average.
  • When courses are repeated, whether resident or transfer credits, the last grade earned is the one that is counted for degree requirements, but previous grades will remain on the record, even if they have been marked as repeated.

Once students have enrolled at William Carey University, they may not transfer a course from any other senior or community/junior college except by special permission of the Vice-President of Academic Affairs.  William Carey University will accept transfer credit only from regionally-accredited institutions or from a recognized accrediting agency.

Students enrolled at William Carey University who wish to earn credits at another college must make an application in advance to the Vice-President of Academic Affairs through their dean/advisor.  The student must be in good standing at William Carey before permission will be granted to take a course elsewhere during any term. 

Grades of D will not transfer if the student has a cumulative grade point average on all transfer credit for all college work attempted of less than 2.0.

Depending on the student’s degree, several items need to be addressed before graduation to prepare for ‘life’ after commencement.

Education

Students seeking Education degrees should meet with the Education Department to fill out the licensure application (if needed) and request a transcript from the Registrar’s Office to be sent after the degree has been conferred. The student also needs to update their information in ELMS. Transcripts sent to Mississippi Department of Education should be requested to be sent electronically to transcript@mdek12.org.

Nursing

Students seeking Nursing degrees should meet with the Nursing Department to fill out the licensure application, and complete any state requirements. Then, request a transcript from the Registrar’s Office to be sent after the degree has been conferred.

The transcript request form is available on the William Carey University home page. The fee is $11.00 per transcript.

Transcripts are issued within five business days provided all University Holds have been cleared.  Status updates are provided on the Parchment website after your request is submitted. If there is a hold on your account, you will be notified on your Parchment account. Holds and payment blocks will delay processing.

You will receive several emails to your William Carey University (WCU) student email concerning graduation. Depending on the date the degree application is filed, the Degree Audit Letter will be the first letter you receive. If there are classes you still have to take, those will be listed, as well as any other details you may need to complete. You can also check this information on the Indigo Student Portal under Check Student Status.

The Commencement Details Letter from the University Registrar contains more news about the commencement ceremonies. This email will include details about the date and time of your ceremony and your cap and gown order, as well as information about the photographers that will be at the ceremonies. If you need any accommodations to make your way across the stage, please contact the Registrar any time prior to your commencement ceremony with instructions of what you need.

**Remember to check your WCU student email for these letters. Official emails will not be sent to personal email addresses due to potential FERPA violations.

Please refer to the WCU Commencement webpage for updated information.

Degree Applications

  • Bachelor of Science in Business (Accounting) - Must see advisor for degree plan
  • Bachelor of Science in Business (Computer Information Systems) - Must see advisor for degree plan
  • Bachelor of Science in Business (Finance) - Must see advisor for degree plan
  • Bachelor of Science in Business (Management & Marketing) - Must see advisor for degree plan
  • Master of Business Administration - Must see advisor for degree plan
  • Master of Business Administration/Master of Science in Nursing

All candidates for 2024 graduation are required to file applications for their degree by January 31, 2024. Degree applications received after January 31, 2024, will be assessed a late fee of $200.00. The late and final deadline for all applications to be received is February 15, 2024. The fee will be charged to your student account, and your balance must be clear before receiving your diploma.

Guidelines for Completing Application for Degree

  • Enter all information on the form before downloading and printing it.
  • Enter only your official name (no nicknames) to be on your diploma.
  • Complete all the information at the top of the form.
  • The courses have been filled in for you. You will only have to fill in your grades earned on specific courses by the deadline date.
  • Leave the grades blank for courses that are not graded on your transcript/or completed by the application deadline.
  • After all information has been entered, download the form, and return with your signature to the Assistant to the Registrar of the WCU COM. The Assistant to the Registrar for WCU COM will get all necessary signatures before being turned in to the WCU registrar's office.

Degrees

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