When a student has made considerable progress towards the completion of a degree, St Cloud State University will extend to the campus community, family and friends an opportunity to share in the student’s academic success. This policy provides minimum requirements for the awarding of a posthumous degree.
The student must have been enrolled at St. Cloud State University within the previous 12 months. Exceptions to this will be decided on a case by case basis.
To be eligible for the award of a baccalaureate degree, a student, at the time of death, must have:
- 30 credits or fewer remaining to complete their degree,
- completed at least 30 credits at St. Cloud State University,
- successfully completed more than half of the courses required for their major,
- a minimum 2.0 GPA,
- and be in good academic standing, and not on conduct probation status.
For the award of an associate degree, a student at the time of death must have:
- 15 credits or fewer remaining to complete their degree,
- completed at least 20 credits at St. Cloud State University,
- a minimum 2.0 GPA,
- and be in good academic standing, and not on conduct probation status.
To be eligible for the award of a graduate degree, a student, at the time of death, must have completed an adequate amount of research/work toward a thesis, dissertation, or project or generally 75% of the credit hour requirements for programs without a research or writing requirement. On rare occasions, exceptions may be granted for special circumstances that merit awarding a degree.
If a student does not meet the criteria for a posthumous degree, the Office of Academic Affairs may award a certificate of achievement.
Anyone may identify a candidate for a posthumous degree, but such a nomination must be made to the chair of the appropriate department following the Posthumous Degrees procedure.