Whom do I contact if I have questions about my eligibility to graduate?
For questions regarding your graduation audit, eligibility to graduate, and/or eligibility to participate in the ceremony, you may contact your graduation auditor: Kelly Rigg, krigg@scad.edu Please use your SCAD e-mail account for all correspondence.
What do I need in order to graduate?
Graduate students must satisfy all preliminary and program required courses and must pass all non-course requirements; e.g. RVCN (Review for Candidacy), COMP (Comprehensive Exam), and/or FORN (Foreign Language Exam).
All graduate students must meet the GPA requirements: 3.0 cumulative and 3.0 major.
When am I considered graduated?
You are not considered “graduated” until you have met all of the requirements listed above. Please be aware of the difference between participating in the commencement ceremony and graduation. Walking across the stage in the commencement ceremony does not mean you’ve graduated. Please be mindful of the following: The term in which you complete all of your program requirements is the term you are awarded your degree. Once end-of-term processes are run, your diploma will be ordered and your degree will appear on your transcript.
I have taken all of my coursework, and have met all requirements except for my thesis. I’m applying for jobs and want to submit a resume that reflects my graduate degree, but I don’t know how to go about this since I haven’t really graduated yet. What do I put on resumes and job applications?
If your thesis is the sole remaining requirement in your program, you can list on your resume that you are a “candidate” for the MFA or MA degree with thesis pending. Until your degree is actually conferred in the system, you are not considered graduated or as having earned a degree.
How do I submit my thesis?
Be sure to review the thesis formatting standards before submitting your thesis (which can be found in MySCAD under the Resources tab/Department Directory/Graduate Studies). If your thesis committee has changed since applying for thesis, a Change of Thesis Committee Application must be completed, signed, and submitted to your graduate advisor before submitting your thesis. This form can be found on the MySCAD forms channel, graduate program.
Please complete the Thesis Contact Information Form. When completing this form, please use Adobe Pro. Once you have finished filling out that form, save it as a separate PDF.
You should be ready to upload your three separate PDF documents!
1. Thesis document (including the unsigned Signature page)
2. Thesis Contact Information Form
3. Scanned signed Signature page
You must initial the legal waivers before you can upload your thesis in this system.
If you have questions you may call 912.525.4612 or email ammartin@scad.edu.
What’s the process once I submit my thesis paper?
Once your thesis has been submitted to the Thesis Coordinator, a grade will be requested from your committee chair. A final audit on your program requirements will determine whether you are eligible to graduate. The graduation date on your diploma and transcripts will reflect the last day of the quarter during which you meet the final requirement, not the date you submitted your thesis.
When will I receive my diploma?
You are eligible to receive a diploma once you have:
§ Satisfied all of your program requirements within the 5 year deadline
§ Submitted your thesis paper and have received a final grade
§ Submitted a graduation application
§ No financial obligations to the college
How long does it take to receive the diploma once I complete my program requirements?
Diplomas are ordered at the end of each term. Shipments are generally received within eight weeks; however, during the spring, orders can take up to twelve weeks because of the busy graduation time for Herff Jones. After that, if students have no financial obligations to the college and have graduation applications on file, diplomas can be mailed out.
When is the graduation ceremony?
This year commencement will be held Saturday, June 1, 2013.
I won’t be living in Savannah (or Atlanta) after a particular date, but I plan to participate in the graduation ceremony. Is there anything I need to do between now and then?
If you will not be able to attend a regular graduation meeting before you leave campus, you need to know that there is a MANDATORY graduation rehearsal the day before the ceremony. Ordering your cap and gown is also mandatory.
I don’t think I’ll be able to come to the graduation rehearsal that day. Is that okay?
No, this is a mandatory rehearsal. If you do not attend the graduation rehearsal, you do not get to participate in the graduation ceremony. You will also be able to make exchanges for your cap or gown if there is a problem (you pick up your cap and gown from the O-House ballroom May 29th or 30th, 11 am to 6 pm). Please note: Extra caps and gowns will not be available the morning of the ceremony.
I have a 4.0 GPA. Will I be receiving honors during the ceremony and on my diploma?
No, only undergraduate students receive honors with their degrees. While some institutions may recognize graduate students with Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude, SCAD does not make this distinction. There are, however, departmental awards given to graduate students. Those students will be recognized during the separate ceremonies for their schools, if they are ceremony participants.
I am a Savannah student and I want to walk in the ceremony, but one of my classes will not be offered until the fall. Is it still ok for me to walk in the spring ceremony?
Unfortunately, it is not. The spring ceremony is for students that are completing their requirements in the winter and spring quarters. For students completing their requirements in the summer and fall quarters will participate in the fall commencement ceremony.
Will I receive my diploma at the ceremony?
No. Students receive a diploma cover with a letter from the President inside as they walk across the stage.
When and where do I get tickets?
Tickets will be distributed by the Trustees’ Theater Box Office. You must show your student ID to receive your tickets; you may not send someone to pick up the tickets for you. Tickets for the ceremonies are only for those students who are participating. Please see the SCAD Atlanta page for Atlanta ticket information.
Will I need tickets for my family to come watch me walk across the stage?
Yes. Each student participating in the commencement will be allotted tickets for both the Conferment of Degrees ceremony and the Presentation of Degrees ceremony.
I have more people who want to watch me walk across the stage than the allotted number of tickets. Can I have more tickets?
The number of tickets per student is based on the number of participants versus the number of available audience seats. Extra tickets will not be available. However, a live simulcast of this event will be available to accommodate your guests in the Johnny Mercer Theater located inside the Savannah Civic Center. The simulcast does not require a ticket for entry.