Degree Requirements

In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679 subsection (e), this school adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from the VA. This school will not: • Prevent the student’s enrollment; • Assess a late penalty fee to the student; • Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding; • Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to: • Produce the VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by the first day of class; • Provide a written request to be certified; • Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies

Located in the Student Success Center, the Career Exploration and Development team can be a resource for graduate students. The staff interacts with students and graduates from all academic disciplines and supports individuals interested in learning about the world of work and exploring possible destinations. Students are encouraged to authenticate their job seeker accounts on Gannon’s online career portal, Handshake, and pursue the employment and experiential learning opportunities that are posted on a continual basis. One- on-one career advising is also available and there are a variety of initiatives throughout the academic year in which graduate students can engage. Email us at career@gannon.edu.

The minimum required number of credits for a Master’s degree is 30 credits. However, most program degrees have requirements which are in excess of this minimum. The Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) is a post-baccalaureate degree program that requires the successful completion (cumulative GPA of 3.0 with a grade of C or better in all courses) of 119 credits of theory and didactic coursework. The Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (ppOTD) is a post-baccalaureate degree program which requires the successful completion of 34 credits of graduate coursework. The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) is a post-baccalaureate degree program that requires the successful completion (cumulative GPA of 3.0) of 112 credits. The Master of Physician Assistant Science is a post-baccalaureate degree program that requires the successful completion (cumulative GPA of 3.0) of 91 credits of theory and didactic coursework. The Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology requires successful completion of 62 credits (cumulative GPA of 3.0) following required prerequisite coursework in communication and sciences. The Master of Healthcare Administration is a post-baccalaureate degree program that requires the successful completion (cumulative GPA of 3.0) of 36 credits. The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program requires successful completion of 26 credits (cumulative GPA of 3.0) following a Master of Science in Nursing degree. The Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner program requires successful completion of 42 credits (cumulative GPA of 3.0) following completion of the BSN-RN degree. The Family Nurse Practitioner APRN Certificate program requires successful completion of 33 credits (cumulative GPA of 3.0) following completion of the MSN degree. The specific course requirements must be fulfilled as stipulated in each academic program.

Degrees are conferred three times per year: December, May, and August. Attendance at Commencement ceremony at Ruskin is highly recommended since graduation is such an important and joyous occasion in the life of academic institutions. Students who have applied for May graduation and who have had their application approved by their program director may participate in the May commencement ceremony and have their names listed in the program. Graduate students with more than six credit hours remaining to be completed in the summer may not be approved for August graduation or participation in the May ceremony. Graduate students enrolled in current and future programs that have a structured curriculum that requires more than 6 hours in the summer as the final semester, such as the Physician Assistant Science Program, may participate in the May ceremony.

Prospective graduates should complete an application for graduation early in the semester (or year) of planned commencement. Submission of this form, which is available in the offices of the Dean, Registrar, and on GUXpress under student academic forms, will begin an administrative process in which the student’s file will be carefully examined by the program director with regard to program requirements for graduation and potential difficulties. An early application will allow for both expeditious processing of the request and time to make up any deficiencies. December graduates must apply for graduation before September 15. May and August graduates must apply for graduation before February 15. Graduation fee is $150.00.

Graduate students who are enrolled in one program may seek to switch into another graduate program at Gannon. The decision to accept such transfers is at the discretion of the new program director and, for students whose cumulative grade point average is below 3.0, the respective Academic Dean.

Students who change programs are required to meet with the new program director and have a new program plan developed. While all courses taken will remain on a single graduate transcript, it will be the prerogative of the new director to select courses from those previously completed to become part of the new program requirements.

For purposes of the Academic Program GPA computation, the new program director will compute a grade point average on the basis of the courses which are required for that particular program. At the time that the new program director interviews a student, a letter identifying the courses factored into the GPA is to be shared with the student and placed in the student’s graduate file.

If accepted into two graduate programs of study at the same time, students may work towards graduate degrees concurrently. To be eligible for simultaneous enrollment in more than one graduate program, students must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours in the first degree program and be in good academic standing (3.0 or greater cumulative GPA). To add a second program of study, students must complete and obtain all required signatures on the “Add a Second Degree” form and the “Second Degree Program Plan”, which will determine eligibility for entrance into an additional program and the course of study required to earn each graduate degree. A maximum of twelve credits within the second degree can be part of the first degree. Students who have not been accepted into an additional graduate degree program by the deadline for application for graduation from the first degree program are not considered concurrent, and should refer to the section regarding Second Master’s Degree to consider seeking out additional graduate level degrees at Gannon. Since program entry requirements into a second graduate degree program may limit the number of credits that can be utilized to satisfy degree requirement taken prior to entrance into the program, students are encouraged to apply early into additional graduate programs that are desired to be completed concurrently with another degree. In CEB, graduate credits can be double counted once.

An increasing number of students are expressing interest in earning a second Gannon master’s degree. In cases where (1) the first master’s degree has been earned recently, (2) select course work from the first degree would normally be part of the second degree, and (3) the graduate program director judges the application of these credits to be appropriate, up to twelve credits of upper (600 or 700) level course work within the second master’s degree level course work may be accepted in transfer from the first degree.

Course applicability would require that the earlier course work, rather than the degree itself, be recent (no more than seven years old) and judged by the particular graduate program director to be an appropriate substitution for course work within the second master’s degree.