Students who have met the following criteria will be able to file their intent to graduate application through Degree Works and Self-Service:
Whenever you have met the above criteria for your respective degree a check box will appear in your Degree Works audit with a link to the application for graduation. For more information on how to apply you can follow the instructions here.
You should apply for graduation a year prior to your anticipated graduation date. Graduation application deadlines are posted on the .
For summer graduates, Arkansas Tech has a spring commencement ceremony in May and a fall commencement ceremony in December. No commencement ceremony is held during the summer.
The March 1 deadline is the deadline for the production of the spring commencement program. Should you choose to participate in the May commencement ceremony after March 1 your name will not appear in the spring commencement program.
Students must have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average in all course work, a 2.0 grade point average in their major, a 2.0 in their minor if applicable and not more than 25 percent of the semester hours may carry the grade of D.
No.
No, there is no longer a fee.
University Honors Program
Students in the University Honors Program are selected on a competitive basis and are required to enroll in a sequence of academically rigorous honors classes. Only students who successfully complete all requirements can graduate from the University Honors Program. University Honors Program graduates will wear a medallion on a green ribbon over their robes at commencement (medallions will be distributed with their Name Announcement Card).
Honors Distinction
Undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade point average of 3.500 on all Arkansas Tech coursework, not including courses taken elsewhere, will receive honors accordingly:
Summa Cum Laude - 3.900 - 4.000
Magna Cum Laude - 3.700 - 3.899
Cum Laude - 3.500 - 3.699
Graduation Honorees will wear a gold cord over their robes at commencement (cords will be distributed with their Name Announcement Card), and honors will be indicated on the diploma and academic transcript.
Because of the print deadline for the commencement program, honors listed in the program are based on the cumulative grade point average of Arkansas Tech coursework from your preceding semesters, not to include your final semester.
Your major will be listed on your diploma. Your minor will not be listed on your diploma, however, it is listed on your academic transcript.
You will receive a digital copy of your diploma the week following your graduation. You will need to check your school email for a notification when your digital diploma is issued. Whenever you claim your digital diploma, you will confirm your mailing address for your hard copy paper diploma. Our partner, Parchment will then mail your diploma to you.
Complete the additional diploma request form and return it to graduation@atu.edu.
REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL DIPLOMA[BROKEN LINK]
Complete the transcript request form and return it to registrar@atu.edu with the "after degree" option marked.
A gold honors cord will be given to you when you pick up your name card.
A first generation stole will be given to you when you pick up your name announcement card.
Cords, stoles, and pins from other departments or organizations (ex. nursing cords, athletic stoles, College of Education pins) will be distributed by the respective department or organization. The Registrar's office only distributes honors cords, first generation stoles, and honor's medallions.
Students need to wear their tassel on the right side of their cap until after the photographer has taken their picture during the diploma presentation.
Doctoral candidates should not have their hoods on prior to the ceremony.
Ed Specialists and Masters candidates should have their hoods on prior to the ceremony. Representatives from the Registrar's Office will be available to help you put on your hood in the student line up prior to the ceremony beginning.
For all academic purposes, the hood colors (for Master's students) associated with the different degrees are as follows:
Light Blue
Doctor of Education - School Leadership
Educational Specialist - Educational Leadership
Master of Education - Educational Leadership
Master of Education - Instructional Technology
Master of Education - K-12 Literary
Master of Education - School Counseling & Leadership
Master of Education - Special Education K-12
Master of Education - Teaching, Learning, & Leadership
Gold
Master of Science - Applied Sociology
Master of Science - Student Affairs Administration
Master of Science - Emergency Management & Homeland Security
Master of Science - Fisheries & Wildlife Biology
Master of Science - Health Informatics
Master of Science - Information Technology
Master of Science - Psychology
Master of Science - Strength and Conditioning Studies
Drab
Master of Business Administration - Business Administration
Apricot
Master of Science in Nursing - Administration
Orange
Master of Engineering
White
Master of Arts - English
Master of Arts - English with TESL Option
Master of Arts - History
Master of Arts - Multimedia Journalism
Master of Arts - Organizational Leadership and Learning
Master of Arts - Teaching
Master of Arts - Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages
Brown
Master of Liberal Arts - Communications Concentration
Master of Liberal Arts - Fine Arts Concentration
Master of Liberal Arts - Social Sciences Concentration
Participation in commencement is required of all degree candidates, except in cases involving hardship. Students may officially petition in writing to the Office of Academic Affairs that the degree be awarded in absentia. Petitions should include your T-Number, the reason you will be unable to attend the ceremony, your current mailing address, and the address to which your diploma should be mailed.
Petitions for absentia should be directed to the Office of Academic Affairs, and may be sent to:
No, you will walk with the college preference you selected on your application for graduation. Your name, however, will be listed in the commencement program under both colleges in which you are earning degrees.
No, but you will be given directions concerning the ceremony when you pick up your name announcement card.
Yes, a professional photographer will take your picture as you cross the walkway and receive your diploma cover.
Yes, the ceremony is live-streamed. The live stream can be viewed here.
No vases or balloons are allowed in Thone Stadium or Tucker Coliseum.
No food or beverages are allowed in Thone Stadium or Tucker Coliseum.