IX. Degree/Certificate Requirements

A. Degree Requirements

A candidate must fulfill the following requirements, except where exemptions or waivers are approved and recorded:

1. The student must be matriculated in a degree/certificate program and meet all program and credit hour requirements.
2. The student must achieve at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
3. All grades of Incomplete (“I”) must be resolved before the degree/certificate is conferred.
4. At least twenty-four (24) of the academic credits for the degree and twelve (12) credits for a certificate must be completed at Onondaga Community College, subject to specific program restrictions.
5. No more than 12 independent study credits may be taken at Onondaga Community College.

Onondaga Community College will automatically confer a degree or certificate upon ensuring that the student has completed all program requirements and is in compliance with the rules above.

B. Graduation

Degree/Certificate candidates are recommended for graduation by the Curriculum Proctor, the Scholastic Standards Committee, the Faculty, and the Board of Trustees. Applicants for graduation who fail to meet requirements are notified by the Office of Registration and Records.

C. Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Summa Cum Laude

Latin Honors will be recognized at the commencement ceremony based on the cumulative GPA recorded for the semester prior to commencement. Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Summa Cum Laude will be designated on the diploma based on the student’s final cumulative GPA.

Cum Laude 3.4 - 3.59
Magna Cum Laude 3.6 - 3.79
Summa Cum Laude 3.8 - 4.0

D. Multiple Degrees/Certificates

A student may earn more than one degree at Onondaga Community College, subject to the following restrictions: A minimum of 20 of the academic credits for any associates degree and ten academic credits for any certificate must be credits which have not been applied to any previously or concurrently awarded degree. 

E. Microcredentials

1. Credit bearing microcredentials should consist of a minimum of 3 courses, and must stack to a program.
2. Classes that require prerequisites must be met with the same criteria currently in place.
3. Course grades and GPA in microcredentials should match the requirements of the program to which it stacks.
4. Previously completed courses may be applied based on the rules of the program to which it stacks.
5. Forty percent of required credits must be taken through Onondaga Community College (not via transfer credit, testing, or experiential learning.) A department chair or program coordinator may seek an exception to this requirement subject to Scholastic Standards Committee review. A program coordinator may also seek an exception on behalf of a student.
6. Students will be awarded a document of completion, which will display the title of the credential and list courses completed with credits awarded for each, signed by the registrar. Registration & Records will be responsible for maintaining permanent records of awarded credentials. Grading rules that apply to academic programs also apply to microcredentials. Consult the academic program for more information.
7. Each academic department and/or program will create and maintain a Credential Requirement Checklist for each approved microcredential.