A candidate for a degree must be determined by the faculty to be of good moral character and fit for the practice of the profession, must have paid all indebtedness to the University, and must be present at the Graduate Recognition and Hooding Ceremony and at Commencement unless excused for extenuating circumstances by the Assistant/Associate Dean in the Office of Academic Affairs.
GPA Requirement
A cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00 is required for graduation in all programs in the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions. The average shall be computed only on the basis of all work attempted while enrolled in Creighton's School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.
Hooding Ceremony
Each year in May Hooding and Commencement is held for the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions for all May, August, and December graduates. Students wear their gowns. At these special ceremonies, selected awards may be distributed and student addresses are delivered, students recite the oath of their profession, and doctoral students are hooded. Parents, family and friends are invited to attend.
Commencement
Each student must file a formal application for degree (completed online through the NEST > Student Services > Student Records > Degree Application and Graduation Participation) by the following deadlines:
Degree completion in Spring Semester (May conferral): Application due February 15
Degree completion in Summer semester (August conferral): Application due February 15 - if participating in the May Commencement ceremony; If not participating in May Commencement ceremony, application is due June 15
Degree completion in Fall semester (December conferral): Application due October 15; Undergraduates participating in the May Commencement ceremony prior to degree completion, application due February 15)
Late applicants may be charged a late fee.
Annual University Commencement ceremonies for all Colleges and Schools are held in May. The Graduate School holds a University Commencement ceremony in December for students who complete their degrees in Summer or Fall.
The Graduate School Students who complete their degrees in the Spring Semester are expected to be present at Commencement. Students who complete their degree programs in the Summer or Fall Semesters may attend Commencement in May following completion or the May prior to completion. Diplomas will be mailed upon confirmation of the completion of all degree requirements by the respective Dean.
NOTE: A student may participate in only one Commencement ceremony for each degree granted.
The respective Deans of the Schools and Colleges of the University have the responsibility for approving candidates for graduation.
Those applicants who do not complete all degree requirements or who are not approved must complete another application by the published deadline in order for a degree to be conferred at the end of the next semester.
Graduation Honors
Graduation honors are awarded to the top 15% of the students in each entry-level graduating class anticipated to graduate during in a specific year. Awardees must have at least a 3.65 grade-point average (GPA). Graduation Honors are awarded to students in the post-professional occupational therapy program who graduate with a 4.0 GPA. Graduation honors are based on a student’s work while enrolled in a professional program in the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions at Creighton University. To be eligible for graduation honors, a student must have completed at least half of the prescribed semester hours for the degree in the School. The diploma of a student who qualifies for graduation honors is inscribed “with Honors.”
Graduation Honors are implemented using the following guidelines:
- Entry-level students in each program will comprise a separate graduating class. Campus (Omaha and Phoenix) and distance pathway students in the pharmacy program will be considered as a single graduating class. Campus and hybrid pathway students in the occupational therapy program will be considered as a single graduating class.
- The lowest GPA of a student receiving Graduation Honors when a majority of students graduate, will establish the minimum cumulative GPA for Graduation Honors for subsequent graduates within a graduation cycle (December and/or August, depending on the professional program). Any student graduating after the originally anticipated date but within the same calendar year will receive honors if they meet or exceed the minimum GPA established by the class.
- A student will not be eligible to receive Graduation Honors if he/she is found guilty of a violation of the codes of conduct described in the University’s Student Handbook or the School’s Misconduct Policy. Information on specific class ranking is not provided to individual students at any time during their academic programs.
Program Based Student Awards
Awards and other academic recognitions are regularly bestowed upon students by Program-based Awards Committees. The Chair of each Program Awards Committee shall inform Committee members about any act of misconduct or unprofessional behavior committed by award nominees that is documented in the academic record housed in the Office of Academic and Student Affairs. It will be the prerogative of each of the Program Awards Committees to decide if and/or how any such information will be used in the award recipient selection process.