Academic Integrity Policy

East Stroudsburg University is committed to promoting a climate of openness and honesty among all members of the university community. In order to foster an environment suitable for the development of academic excellence, it is imperative that all members of the academic community uphold the principles of academic integrity in all scholarly endeavors.

Academic integrity implies that students are solely responsible for their work and actions while members of the ESU community. In accordance with this pursuit, students are responsible for knowing the rules and conditions under which university credit may legitimately be obtained.

Violations of academic honesty will be viewed with the utmost seriousness and appropriate sanctions will be applied.

It shall be deemed an academic offense if a student commits any of the following:

• During a test or examination, uses any material not authorized by the instructor.
• Provides or receives assistance in an examination, test, assignment, paper or project in a manner not authorized by the instructor.
• Buys, sells, engages in unauthorized exchange, or uses any tests or examinations in advance of their administration.
• Buys, sells, engages in unauthorized exchange or improperly using any assignments, papers or projects.
• Presents as his or her own, for academic credit, the ideas or works of another person(s), scholastic, literary or artistic, in whole or in part, without proper and customary acknowledgment of sources, and in a manner which represents the work to be his or her own.
• Falsifies or invents information, data, or research material.
• Obtains information in a way contrary to the stated policies of the course, and/or the university as stated herein.
• Attempts to bribe or coerce any university employee or student in order to gain academic advantage.
• Colludes with others in order to circumvent academic requirements.
• Substitutes for another student, or arranges for substitution by another student, or misrepresents oneself as another person during a test or examination whether in person or using electronic or telephonic communication.
• Alters, changes, or forges university academic records, or forges faculty, staff, or administrative signatures on any university form or letter.
• Submits any false record in pursuit of university credit.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Two or more incompletes (i.e., grades of “I”) are not considered satisfactory academic progress towards the degree or certificate completion, regardless of cumulative grade point average. Students with two or more incompletes, and without a remediation and success plan developed with the graduate program coordinator -and approved by the department chair and college dean- in place to address the incomplete coursework, will be prohibited from registering for additional coursework in the program and will be placed on academic probation, with eligibility to be dismissed, if the incomplete coursework is not resolved within the allotted timeframe as outlined in the remediation and success plan.

Standards of Behavior

The mission and objectives of the university include a serious concern for the overall development of the individual. This philosophy implies that all students maintain high personal standards and conduct themselves in a manner, which manifests not only intellectual and emotional growth but also personal and social development. The basic standards of behavior are outlined in the Student Handbook, under the Judicial Process and Regulations and the Student Code of Conduct.

Academic Correspondence

Correspondence from the office of Graduate & Extended Studies to graduate students is mailed to the permanent address of record or university e-mail account. Therefore, graduate students are required to notify Graduate & Extended Studies of any changes in mailing address and other contact information on a timely basis.

Graduate Degree Policies

Academic Degrees Conferred

Graduate and Extended Studies at East Stroudsburg University offers graduate programs that prepare students for a complex, changing global society, with four master’s degree designations – Master of Arts, (M.A.), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), and Master of Science, (M.S.) – in more than 20 academic majors or fields of study and two doctoral degree designations -  Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) and a Doctorate in Health Sciences (D.H.Sc.)

The master’s degree programs traverse each of the university’s four colleges – College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Management, College of Education, and College of Health Sciences.

Credit Requirements

Most M.A., M.Ed., and M.S. degree programs require 30 to 36 credit hours of coursework beyond the baccalaureate level; however, the number of credit hours required for the master’s degree varies with the type of degree and whether the student is required to write a thesis.

Some clinically-based Master of Science (M.S.) programs, and professional master’s degrees, such as the Master of Public Heath (M.P.H.), require 42 credit hours or more. Many of these degrees, however, do not require the student to complete a thesis.

Academic Major and Concentration

The academic major represents the sequence of courses and experiences constituting the major field of study and culminating in the master’s degree. Some academic majors or programs of study offer the student the opportunity to select a concentration (e.g., focused area of study, track, specialization, emphasis) within the major field.

Program Option

Many of ESU's master’s degree programs offer the student the opportunity to select a program option, typically a thesis or non-thesis option.

Admission to Candidacy

All master’s degree students who received an admission decision of Admission, Pre-Candidacy are expected to submit a Plan of Study before the completion of 12 credit hours.

Subsequent to submission of the Plan of Study, students are reviewed for Admission to Candidacy. To be admitted to candidacy, a student must be in Academic Good Standing and have fulfilled any requirements stated by the department.

Master’s degree students who received an admission decision of Admission, with Conditions must first fulfill all conditions, as stated on the admission decision letter, and have their status upgraded to Admission, Pre-Candidacy in order to be reviewed for Admission to Candidacy.

A master’s degree candidate must remain in academic good standing in order to be eligible to graduate.

In-Residence and Transfer Credits

Individual graduate programs at ESU may establish requirements for credits taken "in residence" and transfer credits, allowing up to one-third of the credits meeting program requirements to be accepted as transfer credits. Graduate programs that wish to allow the acceptance of more than six transfer credits, up to one-third of the credits meeting program requirements, must follow the process for approval of program requirements/transfer credits to set the higher limit of transfer credits for the program.

Transfer credits must have been completed at a regionally accredited institution, within the past six years, and the grade earned must be at least a "B" or its equivalent. Transfer credits must be approved and incorporated in the Plan of Study.

Culminating Experiences

All master’s degree programs at ESU require a culminating experience. This requirement may be met through a thesis, research project, or comprehensive examination, or in some cases this requirement can be met through integrative experiences, such as practicum, internships, and other field work that synthesize theory and practice.

Graduate & Extended Studies outlines the process and timeline for all culminating experiences. Failure to adhere to guidelines may delay a student's graduation.

Application for Graduation

All candidates for the master’s degree are required to submit a complete and approved Application for Graduation during the semester in which program completion and graduation are anticipated, as follows:

Anticipated Graduation	Application Due Date
May	February 15
August	May 9
December	September 15

Statute of Limitations

All program requirements for a master’s degree, including program credits earned or accepted by transfer, examinations, internships or field experiences, and research requirements must be completed within six years from the date on initial registration in the program. A leave of absence may be requested for professional or personal reasons; the time during the leave of absence does not count toward the maximum timeframe for completing degree requirements. An extension to the statute of limitation for program completion may be requested; the extension must be submitted and fully approved before the expiration of the six-year maximum timeframe.

Dual Graduate Degree

For awarding of dual graduate degrees at least 12 hours will be required beyond the minimal credit requirement for the degree program with the most required credits.

Second Masters Degree

Post-masters students returning for a second masters degree need to complete an additional 15 credits (regardless of number of earned credits for the first masters degree) and complete degree requirements in effect at time of matriculation for second masters degree.

Post-baccalaureate Students

Post-baccalaureate students are expected to earn a grade of “C” or higher in all coursework, graduate and undergraduate, in their post-baccalaureate career.

Post-baccalaureate students may repeat up to two courses for grade improvement. Each course may be repeated one time, for a total of two attempts. If a student has not earned a grade of “C” or higher after a second attempt, then the student will be dismissed from the post-baccalaureate program and Graduate & Extended Studies.

Credits for a repeated course will be counted only once, and the hours and grade earned when the course was last taken will be used to compute the grade point average. However, all attempts will continue to appear on the transcript.

Doctoral Students Taking One Credit

After entering candidacy status, a doctoral student may be considered half-time while enrolled in a 1 credit hour dissertation course. Doctoral candidates may maintain half-time status in this way until completion of the number of dissertation credit hours specified by their programs in The Graduate Catalog and designated on the plan of study.

Academic Standing

Academic Good Standing

Graduate and post-baccalaureate students at East Stroudsburg University are expected to maintain high academic standards. All graduate and post-baccalaureate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher in all coursework in order to be in academic good standing. In the first 6 credits of a graduate program (early pre-candidacy), an overall GPA of 2.50 or higher will be accepted as academic good standing. A graduate student must be in academic good standing to be admitted to degree candidacy and to graduate. Some graduate and post-baccalaureate programs may have more stringent requirements for academic good standing.

Academic Probation and Dismissal

Students who fall below academic good standing are placed on academic probation. Students placed on academic probation must raise their cumulative grade point average (GPA) to 3.00 or higher within the next nine credit hours.

Students who fail to raise their cumulative average to at least 3.00 by the end of their probation period will be dismissed from their program, as well as from Graduate & Extended Studies.

Academic Dismissal Return: All applicants seeking to be (re)admitted to graduate study after being previously dismissed must include a written statement explaining the reason(s) why their application for readmittance should be considered. 

Registration and Schedules

Registration is the method of ensuring continuous matriculation in an academic program. Students register for courses each semester for a subsequent semester and a student's course schedule is regarded as a contract that determines official enrollment.

Fall and Winter registration takes place in March/April.
Spring/Summer registration takes place in October/November.

  

AUDITING COURSES
A student desiring to audit a course should speak with the course professor and their academic advisor before submitting an official request to the Student Enrollment Center.

A change of registration from credit to audit or from audit to credit may only take place during the first eight calendar days of the semester [Add/Drop period]. Auditing students pay the same tuition and fees as students taking courses for credit.

Please note: Senior citizens registering for courses under the special student status will automatically be assigned an audit grade.

Academic Attendance

Students are required to actively participate in their courses and professors are asked to confirm a student’s class participation/attendance through the Course Roster Verification process.

Each professor will determine a class attendance policy for each course and must notify students of this at the beginning of the semester, often by including the attendance requirements on the course syllabus. Class attendance may impact a student’s course grade per the stated policy, a copy of which is kept on file in the department office.

Excused absences, including absences for participation in approved university events, will not result in a penalty, provided that the student makes up missed work as required by the professor.

Student Procedure for Extended Absence Notification (Effective as of March 2, 2020)

The Dean of Students will assist and support students who miss a minimum of three class days due to illness, personal or family emergencies.

To utilize this service, the student or family member completes the “Instructor Notification for Extended Absences Form” including supporting documentation related to the absence. Upon verification, a note will be circulated to professors advising of the absence. Students are still required to contact professors for guidance related to any missed work during their absence.

In some cases, if a student is unable to return to one or more of their classes, the Dean of Students can discuss enrollment options. Students or family members should contact the office at 570-422-3461 with questions.

Registration Period

When you register for classes each term, you agree to pay the fees and charges assessed by ESU.

Fall/Winter registration takes place in March/April.
Spring/Summer registration takes place in October/November.

Course registration begins at different times for different groups of students.

1. Graduate Students
2. Priority Groups [Active Military, Veterans, ROTC, Honors Program, Student Athletes, etc]
3. Continuing Undergraduates [in order]
4. [Senior] More than 89.5 credits
5. [Freshman] Less than 29.5 credits
6. [Junior] Between 60 and 89.5 credits s
7. [Sophomore] Between 30 credits and 59.5 credits
8. Non-degree/non-matriculated

Please see below for order and visit the Ready . . . Set . . . Register! Webpage for more information

Changes to Academic Schedule

ADD/DROP PERIOD: Calendar Days 1 to 8
During the Add-Drop period, a student may adjust their class schedule by adding and dropping classes. The period provides students with one full week plus the weekend to add or drop courses without receiving a "W" grade. Courses dropped from the student’s schedule will not appear on the student’s transcript for that semester/term.

ADD COURSE: Courses may be added during the first eight calendar days for the Fall and Spring semesters through the MyESU student portal. Please check with the professor before adding a class online to make sure the student will be able to complete any coursework already assigned and to confirm that any course pre-requisites (if any) have been met.

A student attending a course without proper registration and payment of all tuition and fees does not constitute de facto enrollment. The university does not permit retroactive enrollment or payment for any courses once the term in which the course was offered ends.

WAITLISTS:  Final waitlist processing occurs the week before the semester begins and if a student is still on a waitlist after this time there is no guarantee the student will be automatically enrolled in the course if a seat becomes available.

DROP COURSE: Courses may be dropped with no record on the student’s academic transcript during the first eight calendar days for the Fall and Spring semesters through the MyESU student portal.

WITHDRAW PERIOD: Calendar Day 9 to 10^th Week
Students who withdraw from course(s) beginning on semester day nine through the 10^th week of classes will receive a grade of “W” for the course(s) on their permanent academic record. Instructor permission may be required to withdraw from a course.

CHANGES AFTER THE 10^TH WEEK
After the 10th week, a student may only withdraw due to extraordinary circumstances (e.g. illness, death in the family, etc.) and requires the appropriate dean's approval. "W" grade is assigned for courses a student is passing and a "Z" grade is assigned for courses a student is failing.

Any student who discontinues attendance in a course without formally withdrawing will be assigned an "E" as a final grade.

 

ACTION	Fall/Spring 15 Week [Full]	Fall/Spring 7 Week [Quarter]
No Transcript Record	Day 1 – Day 8	Day 1 – Day 4
Grade of W	Day 9 – Week 10	Day 5 – Week 5
No Withdrawal*	Week 11 – Week 15	Week 6 – End

 *Except for extraordinary circumstances as previously defined.

CLASS ROSTER VERIFICATION
A student who has not attended a course during the first week may be dropped from the course by the instructor. This is defined as the first five class days for the Fall and Spring semesters or the first two days of a summer session.

“W”/”Z” GRADE CREDIT LIMIT: 16 Credits
A student may withdraw ("W" or "Z") from a maximum of 16 credits during the student's stay at the university. Any course(s) dropped during the semester drop period, for which no grade is assigned, or "W'" grades assigned as a result of a total university withdrawal will be counted toward this limit.

 

Total University Withdrawal

Students who are withdrawing from all courses for an upcoming semester should contact the Student Enrollment Center at records@esu.edu [with Name, ID, Semester Withdrawing, and Reason] or complete the ESU Total Withdrawal form on the MyESU Student portal.  

Students who withdraw from all courses during the first 8 days of the semester and have engaged in academic-related activity during this period will receive a grade of "W" (withdraw) on their transcript. 

Academic-related activity includes but is not limited to the following:

• Physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students.
• Submitting an academic assignment.
• Taking an exam, completing an interactive tutorial, or participating in computer-assisted instruction.
• Attending a study group that is assigned by the school.
• Participating in an online discussion about academic matters.
• Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.

NOTE: Please be aware that add/drop period for the Summer and Winter sessions and quarter courses differs from the information above - see the current academic calendar for specific dates for each period.

Grades

Grades are the method of assessing student progress. Students are issued grades at mid-semester and a final grade at the end of the semester.

Course Credit

Course credit is measured in credits. A credit represents academic work equivalent to one hour per week in class plus two hours per week of outside studying for a semester. Class periods at East Stroudsburg are generally 50 minutes in length and are regarded as class hours. A semester is 15 calendar weeks. A credit is also equivalent to 15 weeks of full-time study whether in class or outside of class. In some courses two hours of laboratory per week for a semester earns one credit, while in other courses three hours of laboratory or fieldwork per week for a semester earns one credit. For example, CHEM 353 Physical Chemistry (4) is a course in Chemistry which earns four credits.

Academic Credit Hour Policy

The credit hour serves as ESU’s common measure of instruction based on the expected number of contact hours of coursework during the semester/term. All credit hours awarded by East Stroudsburg University will conform with the definitions and guidance outlined by the U.S. Department of Education (CFR, Title 34: Education, Part 600 – Institutional Eligibility under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, Subpart A-General, Section 600.2), the Pennsylvania State Board of Education Curricular Credit Policy (22 Pa. Code Chapter 31, §§ 31.21) and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (Verification of Compliance with Accreditation-Relevant Regulations, 2016). One credit hour of instruction equals 15 hours over the term, forty-five hours for a three credit course. Please note that not all of this instruction is necessarily conducted face-to-face with an instructor. Different types of courses require different amounts of contact time and may be delivered in multiple formats to students including but not limited to distance education, face-to-face, hybrid and interactive media.

A semester hour of contact time is defined as at least fifty minutes of contact each week in a standard semester. East Stroudsburg University follows the Pennsylvania System of Higher Education Academic Calendar (Board of Governor’s Policy 2002-04). The standard semester – fall and spring – includes 16 weeks where 14 weeks are used for instruction, one week is assigned for final examinations each semester and once week used for non-teaching days in the fall semester and spring break in the spring semester. In the absence of a Common Calendar, ESU will follow the USDOE guidance that defines a semester as having 15 weeks inclusive of 1 week for final examinations.

The following standards are intended to specify the minimum contact time for the assignment of one (1) semester / credit hour. Some courses may exceed these minimum standards.

 

Course Type	Total Semester Hours (minimum)	Total Actual Contact Minutes (minimum)
Clinical	45	150 minutes X 15 = 2,250
Lecture/Seminar	15	50 minutes X 15 = 750
Laboratory	30	100 minutes X 15 = 1,500
*Internship/Practicum/Field Experience	40	60 minutes X 15 = 900
Studio	30	100 minutes X 15 = 1,500
Physical Activity	22.5	150 minutes X 7.5 = 1,110

 *calculated based on an actual work week.

Additional information regarding the Academic Credit Hour policy can be found online at www.esu.edu/provost/faculty_resources.cfm

 

Dual-Level Courses

Graduate students who enroll in dual-level courses as graduate credit should be aware that dual-level courses commonly require more advanced work and additional requirements than required of undergraduate students taking the same course. Dual-level courses with graduate credit taken while a student was an undergraduate may be approved for the graduate program if the course did not count toward the requirements for the baccalaureate degree.

Course Auditing

Graduate students may audit a course if permission has been granted by the course instructor (Permission to Audit card). Auditors must pay normal tuition and related fees. A change of registration from credit to audit or from audit to credit may occur only during the first week of the semester.

An auditor will, with permission from the instructor, participate in class discussion, do practicum work, take examinations, and share generally in the privileges of a class member. If the student completes all course requirements, an "audit" notation is posted to the student’s academic record.

No student who is required to carry a certain number of credits may count among those credits the credit for an audited course.

Grade Reports

Student grade reports are available at mid-semester and at the end of the semester. Only the semester grades are entered on the student’s permanent records (transcript). Semester grade reports are available through the student portal myESU. Specific information about access to the student portal is mailed to each student upon his or her initial enrollment at East Stroudsburg University.

It is the responsibility of each student to check grade reports at mid-semester and at the end of the semester. Students are expected to check grade reports as they are available to be aware of academic performance in each course, to register for courses for the next semester, and to address issues related to course grades immediately. Grade reports are an important tool for assessing academic progress.

Quality Point System

In addition to meeting course and credit requirements for graduation, students must maintain a specified academic level throughout a given curriculum as measured by quality points. The minimum number of quality points required for graduation is twice the number of credits attempted. Pass/fail courses are not used in the computation of the quality point average. Work completed at other colleges and accepted as transfer credit is not considered in computing the quality point average. The required quality point average for graduation is 2.00 or higher. Some degree programs require a higher cumulative quality point average.

Each credit grade is calculated as follows:

A	4.0 quality points
A-	3.667 quality points
B+	3.333 quality points
B	3.0 quality points
B-	2.667 quality points
C+	2.333 quality points
C	2.0 quality points
C-	1.667 quality points
D	1.0 quality points
E	0 quality points

The following grades are not counted in calculating a student GPA:

F                      Failure (Pass/Fail)
I                       Incomplete
L                      Audit – Complete
M                    Military Leave of Absence
ML                  Military Leave of Absence Completed
N                     Academically forgiven [appears before grade being forgiven]
O                     Ongoing
P                      Pass (Pass/Fail)
R                      Repeat (used prior to fall 2011)
S                      Satisfactory
T                      Transfer Course
U                     Unsatisfactory
X                      No Grade Reported
Y                      Audit – Incomplete
W                    Withdrew Passing
Z                      Withdrew Failing

Calculating Grade Point Average

Calculating of grade point average is done using the steps below.

1. Grade symbols are translated into quality points per credit as listed above.
2. The university recognizes that a good grade in a three-semester-hour course requires more work than in a two-semester-hour course. Owing to this, the university follows a system which recognizes both the quality and quantity of a student’s work. Under this system, the number of quality points for each letter grade (e.g. four points for an A) is multiplied by the number of semester hours of credit for the course. For example, an A in a three-semester-hour course earns a total of 12 quality points. To find out a student's quality point average, divide the total number of quality points by the total number of semester hours scheduled. This average considers both the quality and quantity of work. 
3. Quality points are awarded only for work completed at East Stroudsburg University. Work completed at other colleges and accepted as transfer credit is not considered in computing the quality point average.

Incompletes

The maximum time for completing course requirements to remove incomplete grades is one semester from the end of the session in which the “I” grade was assigned. After that time, the “I” grade will automatically be converted by the Registrar to an “E,” “F,” or “U,” based on the grade mode for the course. The student can then only earn credits for the course by registering for it again in another semester.

If a student applies for graduation in a session before the one semester period has expired, the course requirements must be completed by the end of that session, or the “I” grade will be converted by the Registrar to an “E,” “F,” or “U” based on the grade mode for the course.

Students who cannot complete the required coursework during the specified time period should notify the faculty member as soon as possible. A faculty member who chooses to deviate from this policy will require the student to sign a contract specifying conditions necessary for course completion, which may include a time period for completion of less than one year or other conditions. The faculty member will also notify the Registrar of any changes to the completion date.

Ongoing Grades

Students registered for thesis credits will be assigned the letter "O" (Ongoing) instead of "I" while completing their research.

Course Repeats

Graduate students are required to earn a grade of “C” or higher in all coursework in order to progress in their program of study and in Graduate & Extended Studies, with a maximum of three grades of “C” across the program.

Students may repeat only one course for grade improvement for each graduate program. The course may be repeated one time, for a total of two attempts. If a student has not earned a grade of “C” or higher after a second attempt, then the student will be dismissed from the graduate program and Graduate & Extended Studies.

Credits for a repeated course will be counted only once, and the hours and grade earned when the course was last taken will be used to compute the grade point average. However, all attempts will continue to appear on the transcript. Some graduate programs may have more stringent requirements for course grades and course repeats.

Graduation

A student at East Stroudsburg University must earn a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in order to graduate (individual departments may, however, stipulate higher graduation requirements), complete the general education requirements and competencies requirements. A student's graduation application initiates his/her graduation clearance process. As designated by the Registrar, the Graduation Services team begins working with the student's department and college to review and finalize the degree requirements. 

Priority processing deadline dates for applying for graduation are September 20 for Fall 2021 and Winter 2021 degree conferral, February 7 for Spring 2022 degree conferral and Summer 2022 degree conferral. The university holds commencement exercises at the end of the spring semester. Students graduating in the Fall, Winter and Summer terms may participate in the Spring commencement ceremony.  

Degree/Certificate Completion

When students submit their “Intent to Graduate” by the established application priority deadline dates based on their completion semester, their academic record will be put through a graduation clearance process. This process requires a thorough review of the student’s academic record with the collaboration of their respective department, college dean and the Graduation Services team. This process is used to certify that students will meet their degree requirements by their intended graduation date. An audit of the student’s degree is performed twice during the graduation clearance process - after the "Intent to Graduate" has been declared and when all coursework is completed at the end of the semester or term. Correspondence will be sent to all students who have submitted their “Intent to Graduate” request after their degree audit has been reviewed to notify students of their graduation status.

If a student has met all the graduation requirements at ESU including the credit minimum (See Graduation Residency policy), the student will be notified and the degree or certificate will be conferred by the Graduation Services team. Degrees are conferred at the end of the fall, winter, spring and summer terms during the following months: December, January, May and August respectively. 

Once a degree has been conferred, the academic record is final and sealed. Changes to enrollment, courses, grades and program of study associated with the degree conferral are not permitted to the academic record of a graduate.  Students who do not meet their degree requirements for the semester/term they had intended upon graduating must declare another “Intent to Graduate” and create a revised plan to complete their degree requirements in a subsequent semester or term. The official degree conferral/graduation date is posted on the student’s permanent record (transcript) as the semester/term when all degree requirements have been completed and confirmed by the Registrar or the designee.

Graduation Honors

In order to qualify for graduation honors, a student must have completed at least 45 credits at East Stroudsburg University. These 45 credits can be accrued through any course, internship and/or field placement including student teaching in which a letter grade is assigned  (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D or E) or a satisfactory grade is ascribed. The check for the 45-credit minimum includes in-progress courses during the student’s graduation semester. The check for the student’s cumulative grade point average is based on all graded coursework.

Students who have the appropriate cumulative grade point average at the time the honors designation is determined, and who will have met the 45-credit minimum once the final semester is completed, will be granted graduation honors as follows: 

Summa Cum Laude       Cumulative grade point average 3.80 or above

Magna Cum Laude        Cumulative grade point average 3.60 to 3.799

Cum Laude                  Cumulative grade point average 3.40 to 3.599 

Graduation honors for the publication of the Commencement Program are based on all graded and in-progress coursework at East Stroudsburg University by the deadline dates below. Please note that graded courseswork contains final grades and not midterm grades. 

• March 15 of the academic year for spring and summer graduation or
• November 1 for fall  and winter graduation.

The official university transcript will carry the final honors designation based on all finalized grades completed at the university and the outcome of the final graduation clearance. 

Commencement

East Stroudsburg University currently holds commencement ceremonies at the end of the spring semester to recognize graduates for their academic success at the institution. Students who have officially indicated their “Intent to Graduate”, registered for all remaining required coursework, or are in progress of making up incomplete (“I”) grades, may be eligible to participate in the commencement exercises.

 

• To be eligible to participate in the May commencement, students must complete or be on track to complete their degree requirements by the end of the spring term. Students who will complete an established internship and/or required coursework in the summer must be registered for summer before being considered eligible to participate in a May commencement ceremony.

Participating in the commencement ceremonies does not signify the completion of a student’s degree program. The outcome of the final graduation clearance will determine if a student has met all university and program requirements to be considered a graduate.