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Graduation

The University confers degrees in June, September, December, and March. There is, however, only one university-wide graduation weekend. “Commencement” refers to the all-school ceremony that takes place at Ryan Field. “Convocation” refers to SESP’s own graduation ceremony, where your name is called and you walk across the stage. 

If you complete your degree requirements in September or December, you may request permission to participate in the prior June graduation ceremonies. Your name will not appear in the SESP Convocation program or the University Commencement program (it will appear in both programs printed in the following year), but it will be called at the SESP graduation if you attend. If you complete your degree requirements in December or March, you may participate in the June ceremonies and your name will appear in the SESP and University programs. The majority of students complete their degree requirements in June, with smaller numbers finishing in December, March or September. 

Graduation Checklist & Petition to Graduate

To graduate, you must:

  1. Complete a minimum of 42 course units to graduate, not counting courses that you repeated
  2. Satisfy the Undergraduate Registration Requirement
  3. Complete all degree requirements: distribution areas, SESP core and concentration courses, and electives. Coursework must be selected and organized in consultation with your adviser. 

You must also meet with your adviser to complete and submit a graduation petition form. This petition must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar one calendar year before your intended date of graduation. If you fail to file your graduation petition on time, it may negatively affect your ability to graduate on time. 

For more information, see the Graduation Petition Procedure. 

The steps you must take to submit a petition to graduate differ depending on whether you are earning a second major or minor in another school. 

If you are not earning a second major or minor, follow these steps: 

  • Meet with your SESP adviser to review your degree progress and remaining degree requirements. Your adviser will work with you to complete the form accurately and fully. 
  • Your degree auditor will review your petition and send an email that confirms the number of quarters you have remaining at Northwestern to fulfill the Undergraduate Residence Requirement, confirms the spelling of your name for your diploma, and refers you to your online academic requirements report, to ensure that it is accurate. 
  • Once you have reviewed your online academic requirements report in CAESAR: 
    • If it is inaccurate, notify your adviser and degree auditor. 
    • If it is accurate, print a copy for your records, in case there is a CAESAR malfunction that causes a change in your degree progress report. 
  • For the remainder of your time at Northwestern, check your degree progress report quarterly to ensure that you are satisfying your remaining requirements. Discuss potential changes that diverge from the plan that you and your adviser mapped out on your graduation petition form. Any changes that would result in you not completing a degree requirement must be approved by your adviser.  

If you are earning a second major or minor, follow these steps: 

  • Meet with your adviser to review your degree progress and remaining degree requirements. Your adviser will work with you to complete the form accurately and fully. 
  • Meet with the appropriate adviser for each major or minor that you are completing. That adviser will complete the appropriate page of the graduation petition form and may, if necessary, make notations of approvals or substitutions. 
  • Your degree auditor will review your petition and send an email that confirms the number of quarters you have remaining at Northwestern to fulfill the Undergraduate Residence Requirement, confirms the spelling of your name for your diploma, and refers you to your online degree progress  report, to ensure that it is accurate. 
  • Once you have reviewed your online degree progress report: 
    • If it is inaccurate, notify your adviser and degree auditor. 
    • For the remainder of your time at Northwestern, check your degree progress quarterly to ensure that you are satisfying your remaining requirements. Discuss potential changes that diverge from the plan that you and your adviser mapped out on your graduation petition form. Any changes that would result in you not completing a degree requirement must be approved by your adviser and the SESP Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. 
    •  If you decide that you no longer wish to pursue a second major or minor, you must notify your degree auditor, roda@northwestern.edu, and each adviser. Failure to do so may delay your graduation. 

Grade Requirements for Graduation 

You must obtain a “C-“ or higher in each distribution, concentration and core course to graduate. In addition, you must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 (“C”) in all work presented for the degree. HDPS/HDC, LOC, LS, and Social Policy students may obtain a C- in a core, concentration, or distribution course provided that an overall 2.0 is maintained in those areas (Secondary Teaching students must earn a “C”). The P/N option may not be elected for any core, concentration, or distribution course. No more than a total of six P's or D's (or approximately one-seventh of the total of 42 units presented for graduation) are allowed among your graduation requirements. Of these, a maximum of six courses may be P’s.