Commencement and Graduation Information
***December Commencement has been scheduled for December 19, 2008 at 7:30 pm.
Click here for the complete schedule of events.
If you would like to confirm that you are on track to graduate in December please contact Brad Gatlin at brad.gatlin@bryan.edu or 423 634-1114.***
Bryan College confers degrees three times each calendar year: early May, late August and mid December. There are two commencement ceremonies each year - one in early May, the first Saturday following the close of the traditional spring semester and one in December, the Friday evening of the week of finals in the traditional fall semester.
In order to be considered for graduation each student must submit an Application for Graduation by the end of the eighth module (first month of the 3rd term). If the application is submitted after this point we may not have a diploma available for you on the day of your commencement ceremony.
It is the student’s responsibility to know and understand what is required of him/her in order to complete degree requirements by the desired time.
Portfolio Deadline – In order to be considered for the May commencement ceremony portfolios must be completed and submitted by March 1 and evaluated and posted by May 1. In order to be considered for the December commencement ceremony portfolios must be completed and submitted by October 15 and evaluated and posted by December 1.
In order to be considered a May (or December) graduate and receive a diploma with a May (or December) date all documents, final grades, official transcripts, portfolio evaluations, test scores, etc must be received in the Registrar’s Office no later than the Monday prior to commencement.
Latin Honors – Bryan College awards honors based on the final cumulative grade point average. In order to earn graduation honors you must earn a minimum of 36 hours through coursework at Bryan College. Your grade point average is based only on courses taken at Bryan College. Honors will be noted on your academic transcript once the degree has been posted.
Honors are awarded as follows: cum laude 3.5 – 3.69 (effective fall 2009 this will change to 3.6-3.74); magna cum laude 3.7-3.89 (effective fall 2009 this will change to 3.75-3.89); summa cum laude 3.9-4.0. Note that gpa’s are not rounded.
If you are participating in the commencement ceremony you will be given an honor cord to wear – red for cum laude, silver for magna cum laude and gold for summa cum laude. These cords will be available in the Registrar’s Office the day prior to the commencement ceremony or can be distributed at the rehearsal.
Diplomas – Your actual diploma will not be included in the case that you receive on stage at graduation. If your account with the Business Office is clear, your diploma can be picked up in the Registrar’s Office immediately following the graduation ceremony. If your application for graduation was submitted late we may not have a diploma for you on commencement day. If you are completing all degree requirements by August the diplomas will be ordered subsequent to the graduation date and you will be notified when they are available.
Transcripts – Your degree will be posted to your academic transcript within two weeks following graduation. You will be sent an unofficial student copy of your final transcript about one month following your graduation. This copy should be kept for your own records. If you need an official transcript you must request it in writing. You may access the information about this at https://www.bryan.edu/registrar.html.
Outstanding balances with the Business Office – We will not be able to release your diploma to you if there is an outstanding balance in the Business Office. This includes tuition, fees, fines, CPL charges and the graduation fee. In order to receive your diploma on commencement day your account must be paid in full two days before the ceremony.
Graduation Fee – There is a $100 graduation fee. This is due prior to the anticipated graduation date whether or not you plan to participate in the ceremony.
Tickets – The May commencement is normally held outdoors and so no tickets are required. Each student participating in the Commencement ceremony will receive four (4) tickets in the mail the week of commencement to be used for parents and guests in the event that commencement must be held in Rudd Auditorium. Additional guests may observe the program on closed-circuit television. The December commencement will be held in Rudd Auditorium. Each student participating in the Commencement ceremony will receive instructions within two weeks of the ceremony. No tickets are required. Questions may be directed to the Academic Office at 423-775-7200 or to Karin Traylor at trayloka@bryan.edu.Caps and Gowns/Invitations – Please contact the college bookstore at bookstore@bryan.edu or 423-775-7271.