Graduation Requirements and Procedures

A degree or certificate is not automatically conferred upon completion of curriculum requirements. Any student with a major restriction of any kind may not graduate until the restriction is lifted.

Students may graduate at the end of the Spring, Summer or Fall Semester. Commencement ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2008 and Saturday, December 6, 2008

All students expecting to graduate must complete an Application for Graduation with the Registration Office whether or not you plan to participate in commencement. Application deadline dates for graduation are March 1 for graduation at the end of Spring Semester and October 1 for graduation at the end of Fall Semester.

Filing early enables the Academic Advisor or Program Coordinator to evaluate your transcript and determine any course deficiencies in the program of study prior to your final enrollment.

Please call Mary Ann Steinsdoerfer at (815) 479-7685 with questions about the graduation ceremony.

Please call Mary Harreld at (815) 455-8768 with questions on graduation requirements.

Review information on Assessment Competency Testing

Associate Degree Candidates

  1. Satisfactory completion of 60 or more credit hours depending on the specific curricula or program with a 2.00 cumulative grade point average or higher of all MCC courses (GPA of transfer credits and of developmental courses does not apply) at the semester the student applies for graduation.
  2. Satisfactory completion of College general education requirements and individual requirements for the degrees being sought, subject to the following:
    • Course requirements are defined as those contained in MCC's catalog at the time the student first enrolled at the college, provided there has been no break in their MCC education exceeding three years duration. Failing grades and course withdrawals are not considered as attendance for this purpose.
    • Course requirements are defined as those contained in MCC's catalog at the time of re-entry for those students who have experienced a break in their education exceeding three years duration.
  3. Completion of 15 credit hours in credit courses at McHenry County College. Credit earned through proficiency examinations does not satisfy this residency requirement. Students completing an A.A.S. degree must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours of program-specific coursework through MCC (e.g., not general education coursework).
  4. Satisfactory completion of the Test for Senate Bill 195 covering the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the proper use and display of the flag of the United States (option: successful completion of PLT 155 or PLT 151 at MCC).
  5. Completion of end-of-program assessment as follows:
    • Students seeking a degree among A.A., A.S., A.F.A., A.E.S., or A.G.E. will be required to complete the general education assessment test.
    • Students seeking an occupational A.A.S. degree will be required to complete end-of-program assessment as designated by the specific department.
  6. Completion of the Application for Graduation (Degree Audit Application), available in Registration A258.
  7. If three years have passed since the student has met all graduation course requirements, the current year catalog will be used to determine graduation completion. If the program no longer exists, the last catalog that the program was listed in will be used to determine graduation completion.

Certificate of Completion in Occupation Program candidates

  1. Completion of the number of semester hours of credit specified for the program involved with a 2.00 cumulative grade point average of all MCC courses (this corresponds to a “C” average.)
  2. Enrollment in credit courses at McHenry County College the semester during which the graduation requirements are met.

  3. For certificates of less than 12 credit hours, all coursework required must be completed at McHenry County College.

    For certificates of 12 or more credit hours, one-half of the minimum credit hours required must be completed at the college.

    Credit earned through proficiency examinations does not satisfy this requirement.

  4. Many certificates of completion require an end-of program assessment. Refer to the specific certificate program layout page or contact the program chair.
  5. Completion of the Application for Graduation (Degree Audit Application), available in Registration A258.

Awarding of Additional Degrees

A graduate of MCC may pursue and be awarded additional degrees. The following requirements must be met:

  1. All degree requirements including the General Education requirements and also those specialized classes normally required.
  2. Twelve semester hours of additional credit earned at MCC. The additional 12 hours of credit may not be applied to first degree earned.
  3. Minimum of a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average at the semester the student applies for graduation.

Graduation Academic Honors

Upon completion of Associate degree requirements, academic honors are awarded according to the following scale:

High Honors = 3.75 to 4.00 grade point average
Honors = 3.50 to 3.74 grade point average

Academic honors are recognized both on the student’s transcript and at the commencement ceremonies. To be considered for academic honors, students must earn 30 semester hours of grade point credit in residence at MCC.

1/10/08