Office of the Provost
Info For:
Academic Policies

Conferral of Degree or Certificate Posthumously or upon Terminal Illness

No.: PROV-X-081618
Effective Date: September 10, 2018
Issuing Authority: Provost
Issuing Office: Office of the Provost

CLASSIFICATION: Granting Degrees

PURPOSE AND APPLICATION

Drexel University wishes to express compassion to the families and friends of students in good standing who may experience death or become terminally ill while they are attending the University.

STATEMENT OF POLICY

Posthumous Degree

A student in good standing who experiences death while they are attending Drexel University may be awarded a posthumous degree without fulfilling all degree requirements.

The criteria for the award of a posthumous degree are:

  • The degree is 80% complete
  • The student is in good academic standing

In exceptional cases, the Provost may decide to modify completion or academic standing criteria. The transcript and diploma will be annotated that the degree was awarded posthumously. Posthumous degree recipients will be reported as official graduates of Drexel University.

Degree conferred to a student experiencing terminal illness

A student in good standing who becomes terminally ill with documentation while they are attending Drexel University may be awarded a degree without fulfilling all degree requirements.

The criteria for the award of a degree under these circumstances are:

  • The degree is 80% complete
  • The student is in good academic standing

In exceptional cases, the Provost may decide to modify completion or academic standing criteria. The transcript and diploma will be annotated that the degree was awarded posthumously. These degree recipients will be reported as official graduates of Drexel University.

In Memoriam Certificate

A student in good standing who experiences death while they are attending Drexel University and does not meet the completion criteria for a posthumous degree may be awarded an In Memoriam certificate acknowledging their valued membership and achievements as part of the Drexel University community.

The criteria for the award of a degree under these circumstances are:

  • The student must have completed at least one full-time term
  • The student is in good academic standing

These certificate recipients will not be reported as official graduates of Drexel University.

Certificate conferred to a student experiencing terminal illness

A student in good standing who becomes terminally ill with documentation while they are attending Drexel University and does not meet the completion criteria for a degree conferred to a student experiencing terminal illness (above) may be awarded a certificate acknowledging their valued membership and achievements as part of the Drexel University community.

The criteria for the award of a certificate under these circumstances are:

  • The student must have completed at least one full-time term
  • The student is in good academic standing

These certificate recipients will not be reported as official graduates of Drexel University.

ENTITIES AFFECTED BY THIS POLICY

All students

NOTES / CONSIDERATIONS

PROCESS

The process to request the conferral of the degrees or certificates described in the policy is initiated with a request by the Department Head, generally with faculty recommendation, to the Dean of the student’s college or school. Upon receipt, the dean will forward the request to the Office of the Provost or Graduate College for review and approval.

DEFINITIONS

RELATED DOCUMENTS

KEYWORDS