Application for Graduation and Commencement
An Application for Graduation and Commencement must be completed by the date indicated on the academic calendar which is located in the academic calendar section of the catalog. If you are completing degree requirements during the summer term you must complete the form for the preceding May graduation. A student is allowed to walk only once in a commencement ceremony. Students must be actively enrolled in the semester that they graduate and meet the requirements of the degree. This form is online at the following URL: interact.sdsmt.edu/aes/graduation.htm
Minimum Graduation Standards
To be awarded a baccalaureate degree, an associate degree or a certificate a student must at a minimum have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Associate Degree
The institution granting the degree determines the honors designation for its associate-level graduates. To earn an honor designation at graduation, an associate-level graduate must meet both the following cumulative and institutional grade point averages:
With highest honor:
equal to or greater than 3.90
With high honor:
equal to or greater than 3.70 and less than 3.90
With honor:
equal to or greater than 3.50 and less than 3.7
An associate-level graduate must have completed a minimum of 15 credit hours at the institution granting the degree. In addition, 8 of the last 15 credit hours earned preceding completion of the degree must be earned from the institution granting the degree. Courses that are part of a formal collaborative agreement among Regental universities are considered to be earned from the institution granting the degree.
Baccalaureate Degree
The institution granting the degree determines the honors designation for its graduates. To earn an honors designation at graduation, the student must meet both the following cumulative and institutional grade point averages:
Summa Cum Laude:
equal to or greater than 3.90
Magna Cum Laude:
equal to or greater than 3.70 and less than 3.90
Cum Laude:
equal to or greater than 3.50 and less than 3.70
The student must have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours at the institution granting the degree. In addition, 15 of the last 30 credit hours earned preceding completion of the degree must be earned from the institution granting the degree. Courses that are part of a formal collaborative agreement among Regental universities are considered to be earned from the institution granting the degree.
Two Bachelor of Science Degrees From South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
An undergraduate student who wishes to qualify for a second bachelor of science degree must complete all requirements for both degrees granted.
To qualify for a second bachelor of science degree conferred by School of Mines, a student must complete all additional unique required courses for the second degree above the minimum 130 credits required for an engineering degree or the minimum 120 credits required for a science degree.
Additionally, 30 semester credits must be completed above and beyond the 130 credits (required for an engineering degree) or the 120 credits (required for a science degree). This mean 130 credits plus 30 credits for two engineering degrees or 120 credits plus 30 credits for two science degrees. The residency requirement of a minimum of 30 credit hours completed at the institution granting the degree applies to both degree programs.
If pursuing two (2) bachelor of science degrees simultaneously, a student must report this intent to the Office of the Registrar and Academic Services. This action will initiate the assignment of an advisor in each discipline. If returning to school to pursue a second bachelor of science degree, a student should investigate possible financial aid implications by contacting David Martin or Erin Richards in the Financial Aid Office.
Qualifying for a second bachelor of science degree should not be confused with qualifying for a double major. See section on “Double Major in Science Programs.”
General Requirements
The following rules on graduation requirements apply for the bachelor of science degree in any curriculum offered by the university. Requirements that apply to many or all programs are described below. Please refer to the curriculum for an individual degree program for specific course requirements. Each candidate for a degree is personally responsible for meeting all requirements for graduation. No university official can relieve a candidate of this responsibility.
The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology reserves the right to change any course of study or any part of a curriculum in keeping with accreditation, educational, and scientific developments.
Bachelor of Science Graduation Requirements
For information regarding the Associate of Arts degree requirements, see General Studies, A.A. .
Semester Credit and Grade-Point Average
Additional requirements are listed with each departmental curriculum found in a later section of this catalog. All curricula require passing grades in the prescribed courses and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00. Each engineering curriculum requires 130 hours of credit for graduation and each science curriculum requires one 120 hours of credit.
Military Science Credits
Military Science credits may apply to all degrees as free electives. This option varies with the number of free electives available in an individual curriculum. A veteran may petition the Registrar and Director of Academic Services to receive credit for basic military science and physical education.
Transfer Credit
Articulation of credit may be allowed for previous college education if the courses are equivalent to required or elective courses at this university and if each course presented is of passing quality.
The acceptability of transfer credit is determined by the student’s major department.
Transfer credit for work at a junior, community college (two year) and/or two-year technical college may not exceed one-half of the hours required for completion of the baccalaureate degree at the accepting institution.
Credit Definitions
Credits in Residence
Credit in residence within the Board of Regents system is a course offered by any of the degree-granting Regental institutions at any approved sites using any approved method of delivery.
Institutional Credits
An institutional credit is a credit offered by the degree granting institution and includes credits that are part of a formal collaborative agreement between that institution and another Regental institution.
Credit earned for college level courses by validation methods such as Credit by Exam, CLEP, AP, portfolio, and others within the Regental system will not be considered “credits in residence.”
Institutional Credit Requirements for Degree-Seeking Students
- Minimum number of credit hours that must be earned from the institution granting the degree:
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Baccalaureate |
30 hours |
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Associate |
15 hours |
- Number of the last credit hours earned preceding completion of the degree that must be earned from the institution granting the degree:
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Baccalaureate |
15 of the last 30 hours |
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Associate |
8 of the last 15 hours |
- Minimum number of credit hours specified in the major or minor requirements that must be completed at the degree granting institution: 50 percent. However, this requirement may be waived for students enrolled in the set of majors offered by the system’s Centers which include in the established programs of study common courses offered by one of the other Regental universities. In addition, the Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost may make exceptions to this requirement for individuals based on the student’s prior learning experiences.
Required Check-out Procedure
All graduating seniors and students terminating enrollment at School of Mines are responsible for ensuring that they have returned all keys, library books, laboratory equipment, and other university property to the appropriate departments prior to graduation or their last day of enrollment. All financial obligations to the university or any of its departments must also be paid prior to graduation or termination of enrollment at School of Mines.
Perkins Student Loan recipients must complete an exit interview with a Business Office representative prior to graduation or termination of enrollment at School of Mines. The university reserves the right to withhold a student’s diploma and/or transcript of grades for failure to meet any of the above specified requirements.
Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency
CAAP Exams Required for Graduation
The South Dakota Board of Regents has mandated that all students attending a state university in South Dakota and seeking their first undergraduate degree take and pass the Board of Regents Proficiency Examination. Baccalaureate degree-seeking students will sit for the exam on completion of 48 passed credit hours at or above the 100 level and associate degree-seeking students will sit for the exam on completion of 32 passed credit hours at or above the 100 level. Enrolled students who have already earned a baccalaureate degree are exempt from the requirement.
Testing will be offered during a two-week period during the fall and spring semesters. Students who fail to sit for the exam, when required to do so, will not be allowed to register for courses at any of the state universities for two academic terms unless the student seeks and is granted a deferment for a valid cause (i.e. co-op, internship, etc).
Students failing to achieve the minimum proficiency level on one or more components of the exam will be allowed to retest. Retesting must occur within one year of after initial testing. During that year, students may continue to enroll in courses. As preparation for retesting, students are required to complete a development plan for remediation, within one month of notice of failure and in collaboration with the director of Retention and Testing. Students will be able to retest twice during that year and a fee of $15.00 will be charged to cover the cost of testing.
Students will be informed by the testing office when they are eligible to test. Approximately four to six weeks after a student has tested, he or she will receive the results and an explanation of how to interpret his or her achievement. Students who failed to achieve an acceptable score within one year from initial testing will not be permitted to continue their enrollment. An appeal process for certification of proficiency using alternate methods is available to those students.
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